Better Jobs Ontario
Better Jobs Ontario offers up to $35,000 to help job seekers get the skills they need for in-demand careers (formerly Second Career)
Job seekers, attend one of our upcoming information sessions:
Wednesday December 3
2:00pm (1 hour)
Free In-Person or Virtual Info Session
To attend in person at CES Pembroke, call 613-735-4308 to reserve your seat.
To attend online, sign-up https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1b2a1d48-5671-4fa2-84c8-dbe851298529@ec1bd924-0a6a-4aa9-aa89-c980316c0449
Monday December 15
10:00am (1 hour)
Free In-Person or Virtual Info Session
To attend in person at CES Pembroke, call 613-735-4308 to reserve your seat.
To attend online, sign-up https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/04d3af92-154c-4172-9865-5713902a8ca7@ec1bd924-0a6a-4aa9-aa89-c980316c0449
Community Employment Services is pleased to be a Better Jobs Ontario program assessment centre. We help you explore new career possibilities and gather information to support a BJO application.
Job seekers looking to train for in-demand work, including those on social assistance, who are self-employed, gig workers, youth, and newcomers to Renfrew County, can contact us to apply for Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) funding. Alternatively, if you have been laid-off, unemployed for six months or longer, and/or are part of a low-income household, you also may benefit from Better Jobs Ontario. Start learning the skills you need, BJO can pay up to $35,000 in tuition and other costs for short-duration training programs that allow job seekers to match skills with the needs of local employers who are hiring. Expanded from the former Second Career program, more applicants are now eligible for financial support.
Better Jobs Ontario provides eligible applicants with:
- skills training for in-demand jobs
- financial support
Better Jobs Ontario aims to help you rejoin the workforce quickly. The program offers funding for both:
- short-term training programs that take 52 weeks or less to complete, including micro-credential programs
- longer duration programs that take 2 years or less to complete
You can apply for up to:
- $28,000 for training that is 1 year or less in duration
- $35,000 for programs that are more than 1 year in duration
The costs this funding can cover include:
- tuition
- books
- other instructional costs, including student fees, supplies and electronic devices
- transportation
- basic living allowance (up to $500 per week)
Additional funding may be available for:
- childcare
- disability-related supports
- living away from home
- Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS)
- language training
Eligibility
You may qualify for Better Jobs Ontario if you have either:
- been laid off and have not been working
- been laid off and are working a temporary job just to cover costs
- not been laid-off, but have been unemployed for 12 weeks or longer and are part of a low-income household
You can still apply if you receive any of the following forms of income assistance: Employment Insurance (EI); Ontario Works (OW); Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
How to apply to Better Jobs Ontario funding
To apply to BJO, make an appointment with Community Employment Services (CES) Algonquin College to help you decide if this program is right for you and help you to complete your application. Our CES staff will help you gather the information needed to support your BJO application. To get started, call us or complete the online request webform below.
Preparing your application with CES
When preparing your application, you may have to show:
- how long you have been unemployed, or working your temporary job, and looking for work
- level of education obtained
- previous employment, how long you worked there and skills that were required
- what skills you want to obtain and where you can get trained in them
The amount of support you may receive is based on individual needs and available funding.
When you apply to Better Jobs Ontario, you must provide information to support a financial needs assessment, such as:
- some of the costs to be covered during training (meaning tuition and books)
- your gross (before tax) household income
School information
You must research at least 3 training institutions to make sure they offer the training you need. You must include at least:
- one college of applied arts and technology
- one private career college
You are only required to research 1 training institution if you pay for your tuition and training costs on your own.
Note that Better Jobs Ontario supports the most cost-effective training options.
Do you have questions or ready to get started?
Request an appointment with an employment counsellor to answer any questions you may have about Better Jobs Ontario. Call us or complete the online request webform below.
Contact us
The Better Jobs Ontario Employment Ontario program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario and through the Canada-Ontario Job Fund Agreement.
Updated: August 25, 2025
