Program Overview

Better Jobs Ontario – provides unemployed individuals with financial support for skills training to help them find employment in high-demand occupations with demonstrated labour market prospects in Ontario. The program provides participants with up to $28,000 for skills training and living costs including tuition, books, other instructional costs, transportation, and basic living allowance. Additional funding may be available for dependent care, disability-related supports, living away from home, and Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and/or language upgrading training.

The intention of the Better Jobs Ontario program is to help eligible individuals rapidly attach to employment by the most cost-effective path.

Additional information about the program can be found in the program guidelines and addendum.

The purpose of the Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) Guidelines and Fast Track addendum are to provide the required information and policy direction needed to deliver the BJO program. These are intended for ministry staff, external organizations responsible for the delivery of BJO, and the general public. The guidelines and addendum can be found on the BJO page.

To be eligible, individuals must:

• have been laid-off and be unemployed, OR
• be from a low-income household and experiencing challenges attaching to the labour market.

In addition to the above criteria, other considerations are laid out in the Better Jobs Ontario Guideline, including that individuals must:

• be a resident of Ontario; and
• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or meet the 900-series Social Insurance Number (SIN) policy outlined in Section 2.3.4;
• not be ineligible pursuant to Section 2.3.6; and
• demonstrate occupational demand for the skills training request with evidence of good employment prospects locally or within Ontario.

For the purposes of the Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) program, “laid-off” individuals includes those:

• whose fixed-term employment contract has expired;
• who have received EI Part I maternity or parental benefits and are seeking to re- enter the labour force;
• who have left work due to medical reasons;
• who were laid-off and then became self-employed.

Individuals laid-off from another country with demonstrated evidence of their lay-off may be considered.

Individuals who were laid-off can be considered unemployed if they:

• are working less than an average of 20 hours per week,
• have taken an interim job to earn enough income to provide for basic needs after their initial lay-off, or
• are continuing to receive salary via salary continuance or received severance pay.

A Better Jobs Ontario applicant is considered to be from a low-income household with challenges attaching to the labour market if they meet all four of the following criteria:

1. They do not have a lay-off event.
2. They have been unemployed for six months or more:
   • This criterion includes individuals who are not working as well as those working an average of 20 hours per week or less, for an employer or in unincorporated self-employment.
3. They are part of a household where the combined income of the client and their spouse is at or below the Better Jobs Ontario Low-income Threshold. Individuals in receipt of social assistance at the time of applying to Better Jobs Ontario are considered below the Better Jobs Ontario Low-income Threshold.
4. They have had a two-year period where they did not attend high school (full-time, part-time or for academic upgrading):
   • Exceptions for this criterion include having left full-time high school studies to participate in Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programming within the last two years and/or currently receiving social assistance.

For the purposes of Better Jobs Ontario, an applicant is from a “low-income household” if their combined household income for the past six months is at or below the following Better Jobs Ontario Low-Income Thresholds, as outlined in the Application for Financial Assistance form.

Applicants in receipt of social assistance are exempt from this requirement and considered to be below the Better Jobs Ontario Low-Income Thresholds.

For consideration under the Better Jobs Ontario program, individuals are assessed against seven criteria, each having two or three measurable indicators of suitability. The criteria are based on the needs of individuals and the economy. The criteria reflect characteristics, experiences, and barriers that demonstrate whether skills training is appropriate for individuals to support attachment to the labour market. Those individuals who meet or exceed the baseline score will be considered suitable for the BJO program. Individuals who score below the baseline may be redirected to other EO and community services and programs.

Service providers must use the Better Jobs Ontario Eligibility and Suitability Assessment Tool in EOIS-CaMS to complete the assessment process.

Feepayers and individuals participating through the Fast Track Stream are not assessed against the suitability criteria and will only be assessed against the eligibility criteria.

The baseline Better Jobs Ontario suitability score is 16. Individuals who meet or exceed the baseline score will be considered suitable for the Better Jobs Ontario program. Individuals who do not meet the baseline score of 16 may only be considered for Better Jobs Ontario in exceptional circumstances and/or may be redirected to other Employment Ontario and/or community programs and services. Suitability thresholds may be adjusted periodically based on evolving labour market needs and/or client demand.

The NOC provides a systematic classification structure that categorizes the entire range of occupational activity in Canada. The NOC is used to analyze labour market information and support employment-related program administration. NOC 2021 introduced a new six-category (0 – 5) system representing the degree of Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) required for entry into an occupation.

The Better Jobs Ontario program currently uses the NOC 2021 system as criteria for all major facets of the program, including eligibility, suitability, eligible skills training, labour market research, assessment, and data entry.

Skills training is allowable for National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 2, 3 or 4 occupations and equivalent with good employment prospects in Ontario. Individuals in both the regular and Fast Track Streams may be eligible for skills training in a NOC TEER category 1 if it is for one of the identified in-scope occupations listed in the Fast Track Stream Addendum.
There are over 300 occupation groups that are eligible for BJO:

• TEER 1 = 5 eligible occupations
• TEER 2 = 161 eligible occupations
• TEER 3 = 65 eligible occupations
• TEER 4 = 96 eligible occupations

The training period (time between the start and end date, including breaks/vacation and placement) cannot exceed 52 weeks.

Skills training normally leads to a credential, such as a micro-credential, certificate, or diploma, as long as it can be attained within one year or less.

Better Jobs Ontario clients can train at Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, Career Colleges, Indigenous Institutes, universities, and school boards across Ontario.

Through Better Jobs Ontario, participants may receive up to $28,000 in funding to assist with training-related costs such as tuition, books and other instructional costs. Based on a financial assessment participants can also receive support for transportation, basic living allowance, dependent care, disability-related supports, living away from home, and Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and/or language upgrade training.

Financial assistance during skills training should be sufficient to allow for participation in and completion of the program for those determined to be eligible and most suitable for skills training. The intention behind Transportation and Basic Living Allowance (BLA) funding is to support a participant’s basic living expenses, such as rent/mortgage, food, utilities, and transportation while they attend skills training.

Transportation costs are available for participants required to attend in-person training and/or in-person practicums/placements. Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) provides a weekly flat rate of $45/week, adjusted based on the BJO Income Adjustment Thresholds.

BLA is a weekly flat rate that is adjusted by the participant’s household income. For BJO participants who are not receiving EI Part 1 benefits during their skills training, the flat BLA rate before income adjustment is $500/week. For BJO participants receiving EI Part 1 benefits during their skills training, the flat BLA rate before income adjustment is $500/week minus their EI income.

A $500/week Basic Living Allowance (BLA) and $45/week transportation allowance combines to $545/week. This support will only be provided at an amount that brings household income to no higher than the Moderate Standard of Living (MSOL) as described in the Better Jobs Ontario Program Guidelines.

Participants who have an overall income (including spouse/common law partner income, where applicable) that exceeds their related income threshold will not be eligible for BLA or transportation funding.

Any monies that are or will be received by the participant and/or their spouse/common law partner during the skills training period, from an employer or any other person (including a trustee in bankruptcy), are considered household income.

The following sources of income are not to be included in the calculation of household income for Better Jobs Ontario:

• Ontario Works;
• Ontario Disability Support Program;
• Tax benefits/credits such as the Canada Child Benefit
• Ontario Child Benefit Equivalent (OCBE) Savings Program;
• Child support payments (but spousal support is included in calculation of household income); and/or
• Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD), Special Services at Home (SSAH) and other disability supports for children.

No. Section 25 of the Employment Insurance Act allows individuals who receive EI regular benefits to take part in training programs and other employment activities that will facilitate their return to the labour force by exempting them from their obligation to actively look and be available for work. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has the authority to issue a Section 25 approval request under the Labour Market Development Agreement and can do so for clients participating in BJO.

Participants in receipt of Employment Insurance benefits will have their funding adjusted based on the BJO Income Threshold.

BJO applicants should call SERVICE CANADA at 1-800-206-7218 if they have any questions regarding their EI claim.

Yes. It is the client’s responsibility to notify their SA caseworker to determine how their participation in the BJO program may affect their benefits from OW/ODSP (i.e., income support and/or health benefits).

Both OSAP and BJO support Ontarians to meet their skills development, training, and other educational goals. Better Jobs Ontario provides grant support for tuition and other costs related to training linked directly to the clients’ employment goals and in support of in demand labour market needs. OSAP offers a mix of grants and loans to financially support people to take an eligible post-secondary program. OSAP does not have eligibility criteria related to employment goals or labour market need.

Individuals wishing to pursue a two-year diploma program can apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for a mix of grants and loans to help them pay for their post-secondary education.

If a BJO applicant has applied for OSAP, they are required to put their OSAP application on hold while their Better Jobs Ontario application for financial assistance is fully assessed.

The Fast Track Stream was temporarily added to the BJO program to support individuals most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals are considered most impacted by COVID-19 if they are lower-skilled and have been laid off during the pandemic from a highly impacted sector. The Fast Track stream helps people access training to get back to work faster, demonstrating responsiveness to rapidly changing labour market conditions, and supporting economic recovery.

To be eligible for the Fast Track Stream, individuals must meet all of the following criteria:

• Have been laid-off on or after March 1, 2020 from a sector identified as highly impacted by COVID-19;
• Have no more than a high school education and/or have been laid-off from an occupation that required no more than a high school education (i.e. laid off from National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 4 or 5 occupations) regardless of the individual’s education;
• Are seeking training for identified in-demand occupations in Provincial Priority Areas (see Sections 2.1.2 of the Addendum);
• Be unemployed as outlined in Section 2.3.2 of the Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) guidelines;
• Be a resident of Ontario as outlined in Section 2.3.3 of the BJO guidelines;
• Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident or meet the 900 series Social Insurance Number (SIN) policy set out in Section 2.3.4 of the BJO guidelines;
• Not be ineligible pursuant to Section 2.3.6 of the BJO guidelines.

To apply to the Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) Fast Track stream, individuals complete the same application process as regular BJO applicants but fill out different application questions. They also do not have to complete a suitability assessment and are only required to research one training institution.