Canada and Ontario Government Announce New Job Grant

What do businesses need to know?

This morning, the governments of Canada and Ontario jointly announced the roll-out of the Canada-Ontario Job Grant, a new employer-driven skills training program.

The Job Grant will provide businesses with up to $15,000 per person to cover training costs for workers or unemployed Ontarians in needs of skills upgrading.

In order to participate in the program, employers will be required to contribute on average, one-third or up to $5,000 of the total costs of training. Small businesses will benefit from flexible arrangements, such as the potential to count wages as part of their employer contribution.

Eligible training under the Job Grant can be provided in a classroom, on-site at a workplace, or online, as long as it is provided by an eligible third-party trainer, such as a community college, career college, trade union centre, and/or private trainer.

As part of the Job Grant, the ministry is also calling for ‘expressions of interest’ for two new, employer-driven skills training pilots:
The Customized Training pilot will assist in the development and delivery of firm-specific training solutions that meet employers’ workforce needs.
UpSkill will support essential and technical skills training tailored to specific sectors for potentially vulnerable workers in low and medium-skilled occupations.

To apply for the Canada-Ontario Job Grant and learn more about the training pilots, visit the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities website.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce played an instrumental role in shaping the Canada-Ontario Job Grant. In partnership with Essential Skills Ontario, the OCC recently released the report, Moving Forward Together: An Employer Perspective on the Design of Skills Training Programs in Ontario. This report presented the business perspective on employer-driven training and provided recommendations to government on how to ensure new programs are a success.