Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG)
Employers can apply for funding to train their employees, update their skills and help Ontarians find new jobs.
Overview
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) provides funding to help businesses train their employees and update their skills. This helps employers ensure their workforce has the right skills to adapt to a changing economy.
The grant lets employers choose who to train, and what skills to focus on to address their needs. Employers can use the grant to:
- train existing employees to upgrade their skills
- train new hires, whether currently employed elsewhere or unemployed
Employers and the government share the costs of the training. An approved third-party training provider must deliver the training.
Grant details
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant supports eligible training costs up to a maximum of $10,000 per trainee, with additional flexibility for small employers.
Large employers
Large employers (100 employees and more) are required to contribute half of the training costs. This means the government will cover half of the training costs, and the employer needs to contribute the other half.
Small employers
Small employers (less than 100 employees) are required to contribute one-sixth of training costs. If the employer is training and hiring unemployed individuals, they may be eligible for up to $15,000 per trainee. The employer would not be required to make a minimum contribution to training costs for training funded through the grant. This means an employer may be eligible for 100% funding.
Accepting applications
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is currently accepting applications for training programs if they:
- involve 25 or fewer participants
- are supported by only one employer
Larger projects and employer consortiums
If your project will involve over 25 participants, or multiple employers pooling resources to support a common program, consider applying for these upcoming funding opportunities:
- Skills Development Fund Training Stream funds innovative projects that address challenges in hiring, training or retaining workers.
- Skills Development Fund Capital Stream funds upgrades or construction of training centres.
Monitor these programs for the next rounds of funding.
Eligibility
Before you apply, make sure you meet all eligibility requirements in these areas:
Employer eligibility requirements
Eligible employers
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) is open to:
- individual private and non-profit sector employers
- First Nations (eligible First Nations can be found in the program guidelines)
- Organizations acting on behalf of employers (such as industry associations and union training halls)
Ineligible organizations
The following organizations are not eligible for COJG funding:
- government bodies
- designated broader public sector organizations
- Canada-Ontario Job Grant or employment service providers
- district social services administration boards
- any organization currently in receipt of other government funds related to the same skills training for the same individual (such as Employment Service)
Licensing and location
Employers must be licensed to operate in Ontario. The training they’re seeking funding for must be:
- delivered within the province
- for an Ontario-based job
Compliance
Employers must comply with the:
- the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- the Employment Standards Act
- all federal and provincial human rights legislation
Employers will be required to complete an attestation form to confirm they meet the requirements.
Trainee eligibility
Trainees must be either Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons living in Ontario and meet the following below requirements:
- Employed individuals must be identified by their employer.
- Unemployed individuals must also be sponsored by an employer, demonstrated through a permanent or conditional offer of employment.
- An individual must not be participating in full-time training or education or any other government training intervention that offers funding support for same tuition, books or other training related costs (for example, Better Jobs Ontario).
Business owners, including individuals that are a controlling party in corporations, are not eligible as trainees under COJG.
A controlling party in this case could be either:
- an officer or director of a corporation
- an individual who owns at least 35% of the voting shares in a company
Eligible training
Employers can choose the training best suited to address their workforce skills gaps if it meets the eligibility criteria below.
Service providers may ask for additional information from training providers to:
- support their assessment of COJG applications
- support the administration of the COJG program
- inform funding decisions
Eligible organizations
The following types of organizations are eligible to deliver COJG training:
- colleges of applied arts and technology
- publicly assisted universities
- publicly assisted Indigenous institutions
- school boards
- private trainers (compliant with the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, formerly known as the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005)
- product vendors (only eligible to deliver training that is unrelated to the use of the product or service)
- sector Councils
- union-based training centres
Trainer requirements: education and experience
All instructors delivering COJG training must have relevant education and experience.
Within the last 10 years, the training provider must have met at least one of the following experience criteria in a profession relevant to the training being provided:
- four years of either experience in the field, experience teaching a program to prepare a student for the field or a combination of the two
- two years of experience in the field and one of the following qualifications:
- a Canadian bachelor’s degree (or equivalent foreign degree)
- a certificate of qualification issued under the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009
- status as a graduate of a college of applied arts and technology or registered Ontario career college (or equivalent institution outside Ontario)
- third-party regulatory requirements (if applicable)
Other trainer requirements
The trainer must also:
- be in business and conduct training for at least 2 years at the time they apply
- declare any conflict of interest between the employer, training participants and/or product vendor
Ineligible training
The COJG will not fund:
- training that employers are legally required to provide
- training by a vendor on how to use their own product or service
- executive or preparatory courses, such as MBA, CFA, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT
- business consulting services
- attending conferences
- training for business owners
- training for senior managers in large organizations (500+ employees)
- training over one year in length
- membership, subscription or association fees
- training requests for trainees who are in senior management positions with large organizations (over 500 employees)
- business owners, including individuals that are a controlling party in corporations
Training providers will be required to complete an attestation form to confirm they meet the requirements.
Service providers may also refuse to fund training if the training provider, or one of its controlling parties, have previously been found to have provided inaccurate, misleading or incorrect information in order to circumvent the program guidelines and receive funding.
Certification training
Although the COJG cannot fund training that the employer is legally compelled to provide, it can fund training that an employee needs for certification — even if it's legally required for their job — if the employer isn't legally compelled to provide that training themselves.
Restrictions
Displacement of workers
The COJG cannot be used to displace existing staff or substitute laid-off employees. Training must aim to fill skills gaps or support new hires.
Misuse of funds
Employers may be restricted from future funding if they:
- supply inaccurate information
- do not meet program requirements
- misuse COJG funds
This extends to individuals or entities with a controlling interest in a business found to have misused funds.
Employer responsibilities
Employers who apply for COJG funding will be responsible for the following.
Skills and training identification
Employers must identify specific skills gaps within their workforce and decide on the most suitable training to address them.
Financial contribution
Employers must make a cash contribution towards training costs.
Employers cannot recover any training costs (including their contribution) from the employee at any point.
Employment commitment
Employers must commit to employing the individual upon completion of the COJG-funded training.
Insurance
Employers must consult their insurance broker to ensure they have adequate third-party general liability insurance and must also maintain appropriate Workplace Safety and Insurance Board or equivalent private workplace safety insurance coverage.
Apply for funding
To apply for funding, fill out and submit the application.
For assistance with your application, contact an Employment Ontario service provider near you.
How service providers assess applications
Applications must meet all COJG eligibility requirements to be considered. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee funding due to a limited program budget.
Service providers will assess:
- validity of the application and proposed training
- whether the application offers value for money
- alignment with ministry priorities
Past training results are also considered for returning employers.
Priorities
Highest priority goes to:
- training that helps support trainees in a new or better job, including retaining employees who have received a formal notice of layoff
- employers who have not received COJG funding in the past six months
Funding decisions also depend on current program demand and the number of applications in your area.
Contact us
For further information, please contact the Employment Ontario Contact Centre by either:
- phone – toll-free (no charge):
1-800-387-5656 - through the TTY number:
1-866-533-6339 - email at EmploymentHotlineInquiries@ontario.ca