Application Process

Completed applications will be submitted online to a Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) service provider. There are instructions as to where to submit your postal code in order to select a service provider.

If you have difficulties, please contact the Employment Ontario Contact Centre at their toll-free number: 1-800-387-5656, or through the TTY line: 1-866-533-6339.

Employers are only required to submit information on the number of incumbent workers and new hires to be trained, and the impact this training will have on their positions. After the application form is approved by the service provider, employers will be asked to send the completed Participant Registration Forms.

However, some Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) applications may require that service providers request additional information on expected trainees in order to conduct a complete assessment and determine the applications eligibility for COJG funding.

For new hires, employers will need to have already selected a candidate at the time of application or be ready to offer a conditional offer of employment that is based on successful training completion.

These training details are requested because they are part of the evaluation criteria of the program. At completion of the program, service providers will follow-up with both employers and trainees to collect outcome information. The information in the application will help with the outcome analysis.

The Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) Employer Application Form: This form will be filled-out by the employer and it will act as the request for COJG funding. If the application is approved, it will act as the employer registration form to enter employer information into the data management system and for follow-up purposes. Please see the form for more details on privacy.

COJG Employer and Training Provider Attestation Forms: These forms must be individually completed by employer and training provider, prior to the application’s approval.

COJG Participant Registration Form: This form will need to be completed only after the application is approved for funding, by each individual participating in training. Please see the form for more details on privacy.

Placement Agreement: For exceptional circumstances where there will be a job placement for an unemployed individual, the placement agreement will be completed and agreed to between the employer, placement individual and service provider.

This is training that is specific to a company’s processes and/or equipment, proprietary software, etc.

Career or Development Training: This type of training is designed to upgrade the knowledge, skills, and ability of employees to help them assume greater responsibility in higher positions.

Maintenance and Refresher Skills Training: This training is offered to update and maintain the specialized subject-matter knowledge of the beneficiaries. Refresher training keeps the specialists, administrators, subject-matter officers, extension supervisors, and frontline workers updated and enables them to add to the knowledge and skills they have already. Maintenance or refresher training usually deals with new information and new methods, as well as a review of older materials.

Essential Skills Training: These are the skills needed for work, learning and life. They are the foundation for learning all other skills and are used in every job. They help people to find and get a job, as well as to adapt and succeed in the workplace.

Essential skills: they are the skills needed for work, learning and life: reading, writing, document use, numeracy, oral communication, thinking, digital technology, working with others, continuous learning.

Specialized or technical skills: skills required to operate a particular machine or use a particular technology.

Management and business skills: strategic planning, leading and motivating, allocating and controlling resources, evaluating, co-ordinating and organizing, recruiting and hiring, supervising.

Soft skills: job readiness skills, personal management skills (e.g. personal goal setting, time management), working as a team, etc.

An incumbent is an existing employee in your organization who is on the payroll.

A new hire is an individual not on the organization’s payroll. This individual is sponsored by the employer through a permanent or conditional offer of employment.

These training details are requested because they are part of the evaluation criteria of the program. At completion of the program, service providers will follow-up with both employers and trainees to collect outcome information. The information in the application will help with the outcome analysis.

Under exceptional circumstances, there may not be three viable institutions. In order to be considered for funding, the employer must provide a clear rationale on the application form as to why they have not provided three options.

No. Each COJG Employer Application is restricted to one course. Multiple modules of an individual course may be accepted but must be delivered by the same training provider.

The COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet is a document that outlines and defines the COJG requirements that employers and training providers are required to attest to in their respective attestation forms. This document be shared with employers and training providers along with the attestation forms.

The attestation form is a binding document between the Ministry and the employer where the latter party must attest to meeting the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) eligibility requirements as defined in the COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet. The information in this document is required to be truthful and complete.

It is important that the accompanying COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet is read thoroughly prior to the singing of the attestation document.

The Ministry may take additional measures and deny COJG funding in cases where it has been determined that false information on the employer, training and/or training provider was indicated in the attestation form.

The attestation form is a binding document between the Ministry and the training provider where the latter party must attest to meeting the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) eligibility requirements as defined in the COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet. The information in this document is required to be truthful and complete.

The Ministry may take additional measures and deny COJG funding in cases where it has been determined that false information on the training or training provider was indicated in the attestation form.

It is important that the accompanying COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet is read thoroughly prior to the singing of the attestation document.

Only in cases where employers have selected a private training provider as their first choice, the attestation forms are required to be completed by the employer and training provider.

In order to complete a thorough assessment and determine training or training provider eligibility for the purpose of COJG, the training provider may request additional information that may include but is not limited to:

• Documents proving business history
• Documents proving training provider qualifications
• Proof of payment for training
• Additional training details

Training providers that refuse to provide this additional information may not be considered eligible for COJG funded training. In these instances, the employer may want to consider selecting a different training provider in order to move forward with their COJG application.

Employers will find the attestation forms on the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) Employment Ontario Partners’ Gateway page.

Employers may choose to have these attestation forms filled out at the same time that they are completing their COJG applications. However, the submission of these forms will only occur once the service provider has requested the forms.

Service providers may choose to conduct an initial assessment of the COJG application and ensure that no initial eligibility issues are encountered prior to requesting the completed attestation forms from employers.

Once the service provider has received both employer and training provider completed attestation forms they will proceed with making the final decision on the approval of the application.

The attestation forms and the accompanying COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet are posted on the Employment Ontario Partners’ Gateway. Employers will also be able to directly access the Attestation forms on the COJG application page.

Service providers will request the employers to submit the attestation package once an initial assessment of the COJG application has been completed and no initial issues regarding eligibility have been encountered. Once the service provider has received completed attestation forms from both the employer and training provider they can proceed with making the final decision on the approval of the application.

The employer is responsible for submitting both Employer and Training Provider Attestation forms to the Service Provider. However, employers and service providers are responsible for individually completing their respective attestation forms.

Applications that do not have completed and signed attestation forms will not be approved for Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) funding. Employers and training providers can refer to the Canada – Ontario Job Grant Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet for additional information on the content and requirements of the attestation forms.

If you have additional questions or concerns that are not already addressed in the COJG – Employer and Training Provider Information Sheet, please contact your Service Provider for additional support.

Applications that are missing a completed and signed training provider attestation form will not be approved for Canada-Ontario Job Grant funding. Employers may choose to select a different training provider in order to proceed with their application.

In instances where the service provider has discovered that a training provider has been intentionally untruthful in their attestation form, the Ministry will investigate the employer’s potential involvement with the identified issue. If the Ministry determines that the employer has also been involved in knowingly providing false information, the employer will face the same penalties as the training provider and may not be eligible for any future Canada-Ontario Job Grant funding.

Each application received for funding under the COJG is assessed to determine eligibility. Each application must meet all the eligibility requirements to be considered for funding.

It is important to note that meeting all eligibility requirements does not necessarily guarantee funding of the application.

COJG applications are assessed by service providers, to ensure:

• Validity of applications and training
• Funding decisions provide value for money and are in line with ministry priorities

After an application is deemed as eligible, valid and good value for money, a consistent framework is in place to assess and prioritize all applications based on the strategic priorities for the COJG program. The Ontario government is using an assessment tool to give the highest priority to employer applications that are hiring unemployed individuals or allowing incumbent employees to take on a new or better job, and training that will allow trainees who have received a lay-off notice to retain their position. For returning employers that have already accessed COJG funding in the past, previous training outcomes will also be taken into consideration during the assessment of the new application. For all applications, priority will be given to employers who have not received Canada-Ontario Job Grant funding in the past six months.

All considerations for funding are based on current demand for funds and the number of applications in the community.

More information on the assessment tool can be found on the employer window page. For further information, please contact the Employment Ontario Contact Centre. Call toll-free (no charge):1-800-387-5656 or through the TTY number: 1-866-533-6339 or e-mail at EmploymentHotlineInquiries@ontario.ca.

No. Employers are not guaranteed funding solely on meeting the eligibility criteria. There is a limited budget for this grant program.

Employers will receive acknowledgement of receipt of their application within 24 hours of submission.

Applications are reviewed on a continual basis and employers are generally notified of the decision within 2-3 weeks of the application being submitted through the online application platform. The length of the application process may surpass the 2-3 weeks standard when a further review is necessary and will vary depending on the number of applications received by the same service provider. For this reason, the ministry recommends that employers allow sufficient time between the date they submit a Canada-Ontario Job Grant application and the expected training start date.

The purpose of the tool is to help Canada-Ontario Job Grant service providers prioritize applications and manage their budget allocation. Service providers should base their application decisions on the tool, the demand in the community and their available budget. Service providers should develop their own processes to determine how best to use the tool and to ensure the program is viable for the year.

The tool was designed to translate the program’s strategic priorities as outlined in the Canada-Ontario Job Grant Guidelines. It is intended to help service providers prioritize their applications and provide assessment criteria used consistently in the province to maximize the impact of the program. Service providers may use additional relevant information when assessing applications.

No, the service provider and employer will need to determine which application should be considered under tier 1 and based on the budget availability, the service provider can decide if the second application can also be supported.

Yes. If an employer application would be denied because it is of lower priority compared to other applications received, service providers may use the tool to suggest changes to the application.

Service providers are encouraged to manage employer expectations and ensure that they are aware of the program’s goals and priorities. The tool can be used to communicate to employers which applications are likely to be approved.

If a trainee’s status changes in several ways, the calculation should be based on the status change which gives the highest number of points. The only situation where a trainee can be counted twice is if there is a status change and the training leads to an industry recognized certification. Regardless of the situation, the total score would be divided by the total number of trainees on the application, rather than the sum of the “# of Trainees” column.

The “# of Trainees” should be the total number of trainees on the application being assessed.

COJG does not cover training that an employer would be required to provide according to law. In some cases, an employee is required to have training according to law but it is not the employer’s responsibility to provide it. In those circumstances, the application is still eligible and could fall under Tier 3.

Under tier 1, if the trainee does not fit under the first six scenarios, they should be counted under the “Incumbent trainee with no increase in wage”. The tool automatically calculates the “Total number of trainees on the application” by adding up the number of trainees for the first seven rows.

Under tier 2, if the trainee does not fit under the first two scenarios, they should be counted under the “Incumbent trainee with no increase in wages or number of hours”. The tool automatically calculates the “Total number of trainees on the application” by adding up the number of trainees for the first three rows.