Due to system maintenance, the Better Jobs Ontario Online application will be unavailable from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
Better Jobs Ontario
Program Overview
The Better Jobs Ontario (formerly Second Career) program is an application-based grant program that provides unemployed individuals with vocational skills training. This training program, which takes 52 weeks or less to complete, is available to unemployed individuals for which skills training is the most appropriate intervention to transition them into high-skill, in-demand occupations. This program is available to unemployed individuals, who have been laid-off, or are from a low-income household experiencing challenges attaching to the labour market.
- Guidelines
- Application Forms and Templates
- Better Jobs Ontario Digital Portal and Online Application Form
- Better Jobs Ontario Redesign
- General Program Communications
- Better Jobs Ontario Manufacturing Sector Initiative
- Tools and Resources
Guidelines
- Program Guidelines
(posted on June 19, 2023) (PDF, 914 KB)
- Questions and Answers: Transition to National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Codes (posted on June 19, 2023)
- Questions and Answers: Better Jobs Ontario Redesign Phase 3 (posted on April 25, 2022) (PDF, 310 KB)
- Addendum to Better
Jobs Ontario Guidelines: Fast Track Stream (posted on June 19, 2023)
(PDF, 176 KB)
- Question and Answers: Second Career Guideline Update and Fast Track Stream Addendum (posted on December 17, 2020) (PDF, 135 KB)
Application Forms and Templates
Employment Ontario Forms by Program Name and Type
- Better Jobs Ontario Application for Financial Assistance (89-1889E)
- Better Jobs Ontario Application for Financial Assistance Information Sheet (89-1889E)
- Better Jobs Ontario Feepayer Application and Email Attestation (posted on June 20, 2023) (PDF, 62 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Better Jobs Ontario Application Checklist for Employment Service/Integrated Employment Services Providers (posted on March 26, 2024) (PDF, 1,940 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Better Jobs Ontario Request for Financial Assistance for Dependent Care Costs (posted on March 26, 2024) (PDF, 1,520 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Better Jobs Ontario Dependent Care Declaration - Dependent Care Provider (posted on August 5, 2022) (PDF, 1,130 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Better Jobs Ontario Change in Status to Sole-Support Parent or Single Parent (posted on August 5, 2022) (PDF, 1,268 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Request for Authorization to Quit Employment - Better Jobs Ontario (posted on August 9, 2022) (PDF, 1,615 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
Better Jobs Ontario Digital Portal and Online Application Form
- ADM Memo: Province-wide
Expansion of the Employment Ontario Digital Portal and Second Career Online Application Form
(posted on January 31, 2022) (PDF, 120 KB) (Download and open with
Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Questions and Answers: Province-wide Expansion of the Employment Ontario Digital Portal and Second Career Online Application Form (posted on January 31, 2022) (PDF, 195 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
Better Jobs Ontario Redesign:
Phase 3
- ADM Memo: Better Jobs Ontario Redesign Phase 3: Additional Updates to Operational Forms (posted on August 5, 2022) (PDF, 189 KB)
- ADM Memo: Better Jobs Ontario Redesign Phase 3 – Updates to Operational Forms (posted on April 29, 2022) (PDF, 147 KB)
- ADM Memo: Second Career Redesign
Phase 3: Update and Rename (posted on April 25, 2022) (PDF, 100 KB)
- Questions and Answers: Better Jobs Ontario Redesign Phase 3 (posted on April 25, 2022) (PDF, 310 KB)
- ADM Memo: Second Career
Funding and Update on Phase 3 Redesign (posted on November 22, 2021)
(PDF, 116 KB)
- Questions and Answers: Second Career Redesign, Phase Three (posted on November 22, 2021) (PDF, 171 KB)
Phase 2
- ADM Memo: Second Career Redesign Phase 2 – Changes to the Operational Forms (posted on July 15, 2021) (PDF, 204 KB)
- ADM Memo: Second Career Redesign – Phase 2 Launch (posted on July 13, 2021) (PDF, 265 KB)
- Questions and Answers: Second Career Redesign Phase 2 (posted on July 13, 2021) (PDF, 137 KB)
- Memo to the EO Network: Revisions to the Second Career Application for Financial Assistance (posted on December 9, 2021) (PDF, 82 KB)
Phase 1
- Questions and Answers: Second Career Redesign (posted on December 17, 2020) (PDF, 185 KB)
- Memo: Second Career Redesign (posted on November 6, 2020) (PDF, 85 KB)
- Memo: Second Career Redesign - Phase 1 (posted on December 17, 2020) (PDF, 105 KB)
General Program Communications
- Memo: 2025-2026 Employment Ontario Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on January 27, 2025) (PDF, 540 KB)
- Memo: 2024-2025 Monitoring of EO Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on September 4, 2024) (PDF, 95 KB)
- Memo: Support for Asylum Seekers (posted on November 27, 2023) (PDF, 105 KB)
- Memo: Claimant Information Sessions and Service Canada Live Sessions (posted on August 28, 2023)
- ADM Memo: Important Update Regarding the Canadian General Educational Development Test (posted on August 11, 2023)
- Memo: Better Jobs Ontario National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Update: Changes to Application Forms and Templates (posted on June 20, 2023)
- Memo: Better Jobs Ontario – Update of Program Guidelines and Addendum to National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 (posted on June 19, 2023)
- Memo: 2023-2024 Employment Ontario Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on January 27, 2023) (PDF, 161 KB) (Download and open with Adobe Reader. See instructions.)
- Memo: Interim Guidance for Transitioning from NOC 2016 to NOC 2021 (posted on January 19, 2023) (PDF, 202 KB)
- ADM Memo: Reminder about External Communications Activities (posted on September 8, 2022) (PDF, 169 KB)
- ADM Memo: Ministry of Labour,
Immigration, Training and Skills Development Name Update
(posted on September 9, 2022) (PDF, 125 KB)
- Questions and Answers: Ministry Name Change (posted on September 9, 2022) (PDF, 108 KB)
- Memo to the EO Network - Purchasing Gift Cards with Government of Ontario Funding (posted on May 10, 2022) (PDF, 145 KB)
- Questions and Answers - Purchasing Gift Cards with Government of Ontario Funding (posted on May 4, 2022) (PDF, 128 KB)
- Memo: Wrongdoing Expectations in Ontario Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on April 14, 2022) (PDF, 102 KB)
- Memo: Purchasing Gift Cards with Government of Ontario Funding (posted on April 12, 2022) (PDF, 98 KB)
- Memo: Employment Ontario Supports for People Affected by the Conflict in Ukraine (posted on April 11, 2022) (PDF, 120 KB)
- Memo: Access to Employment Ontario Programs for Individuals with 900-Series Social Insurance Numbers, including Ukrainian and other visitors under Emergency Travel measures (posted on December 28, 2022) (PDF, 194 KB)
- Memo: Business Day Definition and Public Holidays (posted on March 29, 2022) (PDF, 123 KB)
- Memo: New Transfer Payment Requirement -Tax Compliance Verification and Attestation of Compliance with Labour and Environment Laws (posted on February 10, 2022) (PDF, 169 KB)
- ADM Memo: 2022-2023 Employment Ontario Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on February 8, 2022) (PDF, 193 KB)
- Memo: Second Career - College Tuition Differential Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on October 12, 2021) (PDF, 91 KB)
- Memo: 2021-2022 Monitoring of Employment Ontario Transfer Payment Agreements (posted on June 21, 2021) (PDF, 170 KB)
- Memo: Submitting a Certificate of Insurance or Other Similar Proof to the Ministry (posted on April 29, 2021) (PDF, 117 KB)
- Memo : Ineligibility of Humber College’s New Online Real Estate Training Program (posted on April 27, 2020) (PDF, 115 KB)
Better Jobs Ontario Manufacturing Sector Initiative
- Memo: Second Career Manufacturing Sector Initiative Launch (posted on March 11, 2020) (PDF, 50 KB)
- Second Career Manufacturing Sector Initiative - Service Provider Questions and Answers (posted on March 11, 2020) (PDF, 84 KB)
- Second Career Manufacturing Sector Initiative - Rapid Re-employment and Training Service (RRTS) Information Deck (posted on March 11, 2020) (PDF, 163 KB)
- Letter from David Carter-Whitney – Second Career Manufacturing Initiative (posted on March 10, 2020) (PDF, 95 KB)
Tools and Resources
- Second Career: Information to Research Training Institutions (posted on September 20, 2018) (PDF, 424 KB)