Invest in your workforce.
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) provides an opportunity for employers to invest in their workforce, with help from the government.
The grant provides direct financial support to eligible employers who wish to purchase training for their employees. It is available to small, medium and large businesses to help deliver short-term training to existing and new employees.
COJG Overview:
- Provides government support of up to $15,000 per person for training costs of new hires.
- Provides government support of up to $10,000 per person for training costs of incumbent employees.
- Requires employers to contribute 1/6 of the total costs. There is additional flexibility for small businesses to provide an in-kind contribution towards their share of the costs, and in some cases, 100% of the training for new hires may be covered if the trainee/employer is eligible.
- Requires that training is delivered by an eligible, third-party trainer.
An employer must meet the following criteria to qualify:
- Be licensed to operate in Ontario
- Comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act
- Maintain appropriate Workplace Safety and Insurance Board or private workplace safety insurance coverage
- Be able to contribute a minimum of 1/3 of eligible training costs in cash (unless they have 50 or fewer employees)
- Employ the individual selected for training
- Be applying for training that is delivered in Ontario and is related to a job that is also located in Ontario
All individuals must meet the following criteria to qualify:
- Be a resident of Ontario
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
- NOT be participating in full-time training or education or any other government training intervention that offers funding support for the same tuition, books or other training related costs
- Be one the following:
- Employed individual identified for training by their employer
- Unemployed individual sponsored by an employer, demonstrated through a permanent or conditional offer of employment
Training supported through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant is driven by employer demand and must be directly related to the skill needs identified by the employer. Therefore, employers identify the types of training required to meet their skill needs and the individual(s) who will be trained.
Training cannot exceed one year in duration and must be provided by one of the following third-party providers:
- Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology
- Publicly-assisted universities
- School boards
- Private trainers operating in compliance with the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005
- Union-based training centres
- Product vendors (who are not doing operational functionality training)
How to Apply
If you are an employer with a particular skills demand, the Canada-Ontario Job Grant might be right for you!
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and can be made directly through the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities website.
Get in Touch
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact one of our YMCA Employment Access Centres.
Central Location
YMCA Employment Access Centre
150 Isabella Street, Suite 201, Ottawa
West Location
YMCA Employment Access Centre
1642 Merivale Road (Merivale Mall), 2nd Floor, Nepean
Employment Services are funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.