Last checked: 11 October 2026
Better Jobs Ontario helps eligible people train for jobs in demand. Funding is up to $28,000 for training lasting one year or less, or $35,000 for training longer than one year and no more than two years. An Employment Ontario service provider starts the application process.
Approval has three stages: eligibility, suitability for training and financial need. The maximum advertised amount is the program ceiling; your approved costs determine your award.
Use Employment Ontario to find a service provider in your community. The Employment Ontario Contact Centre is 1-800-387-5656. The official BJO application information sheet gives these contact routes.
Working a few hours can still fit the rules
The January 2026 guidelines distinguish two main routes:
- Laid off and unemployed: this includes people working an average of less than 20 hours a week, or in an interim job after a layoff.
- Low-income household with difficulty finding work: this includes at least 12 weeks without work or averaging no more than 20 hours a week, subject to the route’s other conditions.
For the second route, applicant and spouse income must meet the current BJO low-income threshold. Your provider applies the threshold for your household using the current BJO application materials; the advertised training maximum is a separate figure. Social assistance recipients are exempt from that income test and the route’s two-year high-school rule. Other eligibility requirements still apply.
Applicants must also live in Ontario, be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and have been out of school for at least one year.
Receiving EI, Ontario Works or ODSP is compatible with applying. Include those payments in the information given to your provider. If you plan to study while claiming EI, our EI guide for students explains work availability and training reporting. BJO approval and EI eligibility are separate decisions.
Bring dates of your layoff or contract end, your current weekly hours and income details. These facts help the provider apply the correct route, especially if you have taken temporary work.
Eligibility is followed by an assessment
The provider completes the BJO Eligibility and Suitability Assessment Tool. Suitability considers whether training is the right way to improve your employment prospects. The provider then prepares the application package for ministry review.
Job demand is part of the training case. George Brown’s applicant guidance calls for labour market information showing demand for the occupation. Current Ontario job postings can help you compare the training on offer with the qualifications employers request.
For a care career, compare the PSW career guide with the free PSW training guide before choosing a paid course.
Covered costs and the device limit
Approved support includes tuition, books and instructional costs, transportation and a basic living allowance of up to $500 a week. Extra support covers eligible dependent care, disability needs and living away from home.
Required computing devices are covered under conditions in the guidelines. The reimbursement limit is $500 per participant. Evidence that the school requires the device, a quote before approval and receipts for payment after approval are needed. Optional equipment is excluded.
Household income affects the living and transportation allowances. The low-income eligibility test and the later allowance calculation serve different purposes. The guidelines apply separate income-adjustment thresholds to those allowances.
Include both your own and your spouse’s income information in the financial needs assessment. Ontario’s public application page lists household income and training costs among the information needed.
The application documents
Your provider supplies the BJO Application for Financial Assistance or invites you to complete it through the Employment Ontario Portal. The digital route starts with that invitation. An acceptance letter and supporting school documents form part of the package.
George Brown’s process also uses a course cost estimate and fee invoice. This is a useful example of the school documents to request once the provider identifies the training route.
For dependent care support, the named forms are Request for Financial Assistance for Dependent Care Costs and Dependent Care Declaration – Dependent Care Provider.
Admission and funding are separate decisions
A college acceptance letter gives you a place in the course. Ministry approval establishes the Better Jobs Ontario support for your application. George Brown states that programs are not pre-approved for every applicant.
Before paying a deposit, confirm the college’s refund deadline and whether your provider has received the ministry’s funding decision. An acceptance letter alone does not establish BJO approval.
If you leave Ontario Works to attend Better Jobs Ontario training, health benefits can continue under specific rules. Toronto’s guidance describes this support for its recipients. Your local Ontario Works office handles your own benefits arrangement. If you also receive Ontario Works, the Ontario Works earnings guide explains wage reporting separately from BJO training approval.
