Employment Ontario Programs

Anishnabeg Outreach Employment & Training Inc. extends employment, education and training services to all eligible Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. We offer Employment Ontario and Indigenous specific funding and programs, including Apatisiwin. Our friendly resource centre(s) staff offers you quality service that empowers you to reach your potential, preparing you to succeed in an ever-changing world of work. 

Take a look at some of these programs below. To learn more & see if you qualify for any of them, contact our employment counsellors today at employment@aocan.org

Better Jobs Ontario

Better Jobs provides help to unemployed, laid-off workers who will benefit most from skills training to find work.

BETTER JOBS ONTARIO
HELPS UNEMPLOYED
LAID-OFF WORKERS WITH:

  • Skills training to help them find jobs in high-demand occupations in Ontario

  • financial support, based on individual demonstrated financial need

BETTER JOBS ONTARIO
PROVIDES UP TO
$28,000 TO COVER:

  • All or a portion of the tuition costs, books, transportation costs, a basic living allowance based on individual demonstrated needs and other mandatory instructional costs to help approved applicants participate in skills training

  • Additional support may be available to accommodate the needs of people with a disability, dependent care, living away from home costs and all costs relation to Literacy & Basic Skills training are excluded from the $28,000

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR
BETTER JOBS ONTARIO,
YOU MUST:

  • have been laid-off on or after January 1, 2005;

  • be a resident of Ontario;

  • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident legally authorized to work in Canada and demonstrate occupational demand for the skills training request with evidence of good employment prospects locally or within Ontario

Canada Ontario Job Grant

The Canada-Ontario Job Grant provides direct financial support for employers who wish to purchase training for their workforce.

In this grant program, employers choose the individuals they would like to have trained and the training that meets their workforce development needs. This program is intended to support employers in taking a greater role in workforce development. It requires a cost-shared training investment by employers to qualify for the government grant.

Building on the overall objective of the grant, the ministry also has the following strategic priorities for how the grant is utilized with employers and individuals:

Supporting Unemployed Individuals

Employers are willing to hire and train unemployed individuals to fill their job vacancies.

Supporting
Job Creation 

Employers use the grant to support expansion of their workforces.

Increased
Job Quality 

The grant supports permanent, sustainable full-time jobs.

Job
Advancement

The grant enables incumbent workers to remain in their current positions, or for incumbent
workers to take new positions within the
business that offer greater responsibilities and/or
rates of pay.

Literacy & Basic Skills (LBS)

LBS helps adult learners develop and apply communication, numeracy and digital skills to successfully transition into their goals of employment, apprenticeship, secondary-school credit, postsecondary and independence.

Who can Participate?

Anyone who is a resident of Ontario, at least 19 years of age, communicates in English or French and needs help with improving their literacy and basic skills to prepare them for successful transition to employment, further education and training, and independence.

LBS services supports programming for Indigenous, Francophone, Deaf and Anglophone learners.

These services are offered through local School Boards, Community based agencies and Colleges.

Employment & Training Supports

Employment & Training Supports are available to address temporary financial barriers to participation in Employment Service. All Employment Service assisted service clients have access to employment and training supports.

Supports are up to $500 per client participating in any component of assisted Employment Service. They are only available to clients that have a family income that falls within the Low Income “Market Basket Measure Thresholds by MBM Region”. This threshold information is maintained by the federal government at www.statcan.gc.ca.

Employment & Training SUPPORTS CAN COVER:

  • transportation

  • work clothing or clothing/grooming needed to achieve credibility

  • special equipment, supplies and equipment

  • certification charges (that may apply to some short-term courses)

  • short-term training costs such as books, materials, workplace safety

  • emergency or infrequent child care

  • language skills assessment and academic credential assessment

  • translation of academic documents for internationally trained individuals

  • workplace accommodation needs for persons with disabilities

JOB MATCHING PLACEMENTS & INCENTIVES (JMPI)

The JMPI component matches client skills and interests with employment opportunities and employer needs. Clients using this component need work experience or on-the-job training placement. 

Clients get support in matching their skills, capabilities, interests and experience with the requirements of the employer and the position. Clients can also receive placement into employment and/or on-the-job training opportunities. These placements include “job test and hire”, work experience and community volunteer positions. Basic WHMIS and other workplace safety information and training are also available.

Key suitability indicators in this case are those related to market perceptions. These include a lack of relevant work experience, work experience outside Canada and language barriers.

JMPI INCLUDES:

  • proactive outreach to employers to identify opportunities not yet available in the competitive job market

  • support to employers to identify skills and capabilities they need, and explore apprenticeship training requirements

  • sensitivity/diversity training, workplace accommodation training for persons with disabilities, orientation to workplace health and safety, and workplace communication training

  • matching of employers’ skill needs and participants’ capabilities and interests

  • assessing the appropriateness of the workplace and the capacity of the employer to provide a positive experience and work-related training

  • placement into employment (with and without financial incentives), volunteer, job trial and on-the-job training opportunities

  • development of on-the-job training plans and agreements, including negotiation of financial incentives, if required

  • monitoring of the work experience or on-the-job training agreement with participant and employer

  • linking participants with mentors and coaches during and after job placement