LEARNING IN ONTARIO
Sharpening Your Competitive Edge
Opening doors to strengthen your company's performance
In today’s competitive marketplace, a company’s performance is directly tied to the skills of its executives and skilled workers.
To build a strong economy, Ontarians need to be at their best. That means everyone must have access to job opportunities and must be treated fairly.
A strong economy can only be built with a well-educated and highly skilled workforce. The Ontario government will support the creation of such a workforce by expanding capacity in universities and colleges, freezing tuition for current students, significantly increasing the number of apprentices in the skilled trades, and ensuring that internationally trained professionals and tradespeople have the opportunity to continue their careers in Ontario.
| This guide is intended to provide you with an easy to-use summary of the training programs, employment programs, and resources that the Government of Ontario makes available to employers. |
The government recognizes that many businesses invest in the development of a skilled workforce. To support and help increase such investment, the Ontario government has proposed in its 2004 Budget a new Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit.
The government proposes to transform the training and apprenticeship system by creating a One-Stop Training and Employment System that will integrate training and employment programs. This new, streamlined system will benefit apprentices, immigrants, unemployed individuals, and young people in transition from school to work by improving access to these programs. It will also be more efficient in meeting the needs of employers for skilled workers.
Employers have a major role to play in skills training – whether it is sharing their understanding of what is needed or sharing their experience and skills with new employees.
Ontarians need and deserve a seamless and efficient skills-training system for the twenty-first century. Working together, we can create new opportunities for employee training that will contribute to your company’s competitiveness and make our economy stronger.
Training and employment programs and resources at a glance
In the following chart, programs and resources are organized according to five categories:
| To find out more, go to www.edu.gov.on.ca then scroll to the Spotlight section and click on Opening Doors to a skilled workforce. |
- employee training programs
- recruiting new employees or trainees
- employer tax credits
- critical skills development programs
- programs and resources related to economic trends and human resources planning
| Program/Resource Category and Rationale | Focus Area or Group | Program/Resource Name |
|---|---|---|
| Employee training programs help employers develop the skills and knowledge of their employees. | General | |
| Programs to assist employers in recruiting new employees or trainees bring together appropriate job candidates and employers. Some of these programs are sources of wage support. |
General Immigrant |
|
| Youth | ||
| Adult | ||
| Employer tax credits provide tax incentives for hiring students enrolled in cooperative education programs and leading-edge technology programs. In its 2004 Budget, the Ontario government also proposed a new Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit. |
Students and Apprentices |
|
| Critical
skills development programs help maintain business competitiveness
by expediting the recruitment of qualified immigrants in strategic
skills areas and helping firms adjust to changing economic needs.
. |
Immigrant Sectoral |
|
| Programs and resources related to economic trends and human resources planning provide regularly updated research on and analysis of market-based economic trends. They also provide recommendations for the delivery of training resources that meet market and community needs. | General |
Employee Training Programs
Apprenticeship Training
Certified skilled workers are trained through Ontario’s apprenticeship training system. The Ontario government will create a stronger, more flexible, and more integrated apprenticeship system that will be more accessible both to people entering the skilled trades and to the employers who hire them. This way, we will increase the number of apprentices across Ontario, providing the skilled tradespeople that our province needs.
In its 2004 Budget, the Ontario government proposed a new Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit. Currently, provincial tax credits are available to private sector employers who are paying the wages or salary of previously unemployed postsecondary graduates or co-op students. The proposed tax credit would also help businesses invest in upgrading the skills of their current workers. (See information about employment-related tax credits.)
In addition, fifteen hundred $1,000 scholarships would be made available annually for individuals who return to complete high school and who enter apprenticeships. Employers hiring apprentices under this program would receive a $2,000 signing bonus for each apprentice.
| Augmenting employees’ employability
skills in different trade areas has made them more versatile, increased
their motivation, and resulted in enhanced job performance. Conference Board of Canada, Case Study
5, Dofasco Inc.'s Trade Assist Program, August 1998 |
Young people who are completing high school can be recruited to become skilled workers through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. (For more information about this program, see the section on OYAP)
Finally, modular apprenticeship training programs are also available. These are short-term, competency-based programs designed by the Ontario government in consultation with industry. More information about modular training is available through the local offices listed on the opposite page.
For More Information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
training/apprenticeship/appren.html
| Barrie Regional Office Ontario Government Building 34 Simcoe Street Barrie, Ontario L4N 6T4 Telephone: or Fax: |
Belleville Area Office 1 Bridge Street East 3rd Floor Canada Trust Building Belleville, Ontario K8N 5N9 Telephone: Fax: |
Brantford Area Office 515 Park Road North Suite 7 Brantford, Ontario N3R 7K8 Telephone: Fax: |
| Brockville Area Office Ontario Government Building P.O. Box 1511 10 Oxford Street Brockville, Ontario K6V 5Y6 Telephone: Fax: Note: Closed Tuesdays and Thursdays |
Chatham Area Office 1023 Richmond Street P.O. Box 220 Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K3 Telephone: Fax: |
Cornwall Area Office 55 Water Street West Suite L50 Cornwall, Ontario K6J 1A1 Telephone: 1-877-668-6604 Fax: |
| Hamilton District Office
Ontario Government Building 119 King Street West, 5th Floor Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y7 Telephone: Fax: |
Kenora Area Office
810 Robertson Street Suite 105 Kenora, Ontario P9N 4J5 Telephone: or Fax: |
Kingston Area Office 1055 Princess Street Suite 404 Kingston, Ontario K7L 5T3 Telephone: 1-877-220-2721 Fax: |
| London Area Office 217 York Street Suite 201 London, Ontario N6A 5P9 Telephone: Fax: |
Mississauga Regional Office The Emerald Centre 10 Kingsbridge Garden Circle Suite 404 Mississauga, Ontario L5R 3K6 Telephone: Fax: |
North Bay Area Office Northgate Plaza 1500 Fisher Street 2nd Floor North Bay, Ontario P1B 2H3 Telephone: or Fax: |
| Ottawa District Office 1355 Bank Street Suite 703 Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8K7 Telephone: 1-877-221-1220 Fax: |
Owen Sound Area Office Nor-Towne Plaza Suite 108 1131 - 2nd Avenue East Owen Sound, Ontario N4K 2J1 Telephone: Fax: |
Pembroke Area Office
169 Lake Street Pembroke, Ontario K8A 5L8 Telephone: Fax: |
| Peterborough Area Office
Ontario Government Building 306 George Street North Peterborough, Ontario K9J 3H2 Telephone: 1-877-433-6555 Fax: |
Pickering
Regional Office 1420 Bayly Street Unit 1 Pickering, Ontario L1W 3R4 Telephone: Fax: |
St. Catharines Area Office 301 St. Paul St., 9th Floor St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7R4 Telephone: or Fax: |
| Sarnia Area Office
1319 Exmouth Street Suite 101, 1st Floor Sarnia, Ontario N7S 3Y1 Telephone: Fax: |
Sault
Ste. Marie District Office 70 Foster Drive 1st and 2nd Floors Roberta Bondar Place Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 6V9 Telephone: Fax: |
Sudbury Area Office 450 Notre Dame Avenue Sudbury, Ontario P3C 5K8 Telephone: or Fax: |
| Thunder Bay Regional Office
28 Cumberland Street North 3rd Floor Thunder Bay, Ontario P7A 4K9 Telephone: or Fax: |
Timmins Area Office 1270 Hwy 101 East Ontario Government Building P.O. Bag 3095, C WING South Porcupine, Ontario P0N 1C0 Telephone: Fax: |
Toronto District
Office 625 Church Street 1st Floor Toronto, Ontario M7A 2B5 General inquiries: Front desk: Fax: |
| Waterloo Area Office 285 Weber Street North Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 Telephone: Fax: |
Windsor Area Office 1427 Ouellette Avenue 2nd Floor Windsor, Ontario N8X 1K1 Telephone: Fax: |
Literacy and Basic Skills Program
Literacy and basic skills training is available free of charge at agencies delivering the province’s Literacy and Basic Skills Program. The program is designed to help individuals who want to strengthen their foundation skills in areas such as reading, writing, and numeracy, as well as essential skills in areas such as basic computer operation. Employees are encouraged to bring work materials with them so that instructors can focus on the actual skills required by the employees’ jobs.
Workforce literacy programming is delivered by community-based agencies, school boards, and community colleges. These agencies and institutions can also help employers design essential skills training to meet the changing needs of their employees and their workplace, and can provide training on a fee-for-service basis.
For More Information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
training/literacy/main.html
(This website contains general information about literacy in Ontario and
a detailed description of program administration.)
Recruiting New Employees or Trainees
The Ontario government will expand programs for co-op placement and apprenticeship training. We will require that all young people continue their education, either in the classroom or in approved training experiences in the workplace, until they reach the age of 18 or until they graduate.
Job Connect
Job Connect can provide you with people who are ready to work. You can post employment opportunities in any local Job Connect office. Job Connect can also provide some assistance in pre-screening potential employees so that the skills, employment goals, and interests of applicants are matched to your hiring needs. Financial support is available for trainee placements. These services are available at more than 120 sites across the province.
For more information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
training/cepp/aboutjc.html
Credential Evaluation Services
If you are interested in hiring someone who was trained outside Canada, you will want an accurate assessment of his or her academic credentials.
World Education Services (WES) is the leading foreign credential evaluation service in North America, producing more than 45,000 evaluation reports annually. WES was contracted to provide academic credential evaluations in Ontario because of the service’s successful track record and its ability to meet the needs of a wide range of businesses and academic clients.
A WES evaluation report analyses a candidate’s academic training and credentials and identifies the Canadian equivalents. Employers can use the service themselves or refer job applicants to it.
For more information
Call: (416) 972-0070 or toll-free 1-866-343-0070
Visit: www.wes.org/ca/
Write:
45 Charles Street East, Suite 700
Toronto ON M4Y 1S2
World Education Services is recognized and funded, in part, by the Government of Ontario.
Pre-apprenticeship Training Program
Pre-apprenticeship training is designed to bridge the gap that may exist between the skills employers need and the learning and experience of people seeking employment. The program helps potential entrants to the apprenticeship system develop their job skills and trade readiness so that they will be prepared to gain employment as apprentices.
For More Information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
training/apprenticeship/appren.html
or contact a local office of the Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities.
Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
This high school program gives students the opportunity to work towards a career in a skilled trade. Students can be recruited into apprenticeships through work placements, summer jobs, or training plans that lead to employment.
To learn more about this program, contact your local high school or school board and ask for the coordinator of the cooperative education program or the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program coordinator.
For More Information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
training/apprenticeship/skills/oyap.html
or contact a local office of the Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities.
Passport to Prosperity
Passport to Prosperity encourages employers to provide opportunities for high school students to explore careers and develop workplace skills and experience.
Employers who have responded to Passport to Prosperity have found that providing work experiences to students helps build the local talent pool. Work experiences create better prepared workers and potentially reduce time-consuming and costly recruiting, hiring, and training efforts.
Local business-education councils will help you connect with local schools.
For More Information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
general/elemsec/job/passport/index.html for the business-education council nearest you.
Ontario Summer Jobs
Hiring students during the summer provides you with workers who are ready to take on seasonal projects and/or who can replace vacationing full-time employees.
The Ontario Summer Jobs Strategy has two components:
- Summer Jobs Service
- Summer Company
Details about both are provided in the following chart. Other levels of government provide additional help to students in their search for summer work.
| Summer Jobs Service | ||
|---|---|---|
| Program Description:
Wage support of $2 per hour is available to businesses and farms, as well as to not-for-profit and other community organizations. Local colleges or youth employment centres screen applicants to match them to your job needs. |
Students eligible to participate:
Students and young people aged 15 to 24, or up to 29 years of age in the case of persons with disabilities, who are planning to return to school in the fall are eligible. |
Duration of services: Wage support for jobs can last up to 16 weeks, and these weeks must be between the beginning of April and the end of September. |
| Summer Company | ||
| Program description:
Student entrepreneurs are matched with local business leaders, who provide support and advice to the students about running their summer businesses. |
Students eligible to
participate: Students aged 15 to 29 who are returning to school are eligible. |
Duration of services:
Businesses may operate between April 1 and December 31. |
For more information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Ontario Works
Ontario Works offers you the opportunity to extend job-specific skills training to people who are receiving social assistance. In addition, the program provides assistance with pre-screening, matching, and hiring.
For more information
Call: 1-888-789-4199
Visit: www.mcss.gov.on.ca/CFCS/en/programs/IES/
OntarioWorks/Publications/broch-employers.htm
| Tax credits from the Ontario government are available to help you invest in your workforce and increase your company's competitiveness. |
Tax Credits
Proposed Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit
In its 2004 Budget, the Ontario government proposed a new Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit. This tax credit would provide private sector employers with up to $15,000 for the first 36 months of training for apprentices in qualifying skilled trades. Depending on the size of the business, the refundable tax credit would reimburse employers for 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the cost of wages for eligible apprenticeships. Qualifying skilled trades would include designated construction, industrial, and motive power trades, as well as the service trades eligible under the apprenticeship component of the Ontario Cooperative Education Tax Credit (see below).
Ontario Cooperative Education Tax Credit
If you are a private sector employer, you can receive tax credits for hiring university, college, or vocational school students enrolled in cooperative education programs and leading-edge technology programs. The tax credit provides 10 per cent (or 15 per cent in the case of small businesses) of the employee’s salary or wages, to a maximum of $1,000 for the duration of each four-month placement for each student.
For more information on tax credit programs
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/
HTML/cma_3_2475_1.html
Critical Skills Development Programs
The Ontario government will promote on-the-job training in high-demand areas.
Developing your employees' skills in areas that improve your company's ability to compete in the new economy requires teamwork from all sectors. The Ontario government is bringing together employers, educators, and trainers to develop effective solutions to the problem of local skills shortages.
As part of this effort, the government is working to speed the integration of qualified immigrants in strategic skills areas into our workforce. The government is committed to eliminating barriers to certification for internationally trained individuals who want to continue in their chosen career in this province.
| A poll conducted for the federal
government by Ekos Research Associates showed a groundswell of public
support for the notion that skills and knowledge are the “linchpin”
for Canada’s innovation and global success. The Toronto Star,
June 21, 2001 |
Research by the Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre shows that half of the skills of technical workers are obsolete within three to seven years after the workers complete their education.
Bridge Training for Skilled Immigrants
Bridge Training supports the development and implementation of sustainable projects that expedite licensing and accreditation of qualified immigrants for employment in strategic skills areas. Projects are offered by sector-based partnerships including employers, educational institutions, occupational regulatory bodies, and community agencies.
Projects are being developed, and some are already under way, in the following professional and trades sectors:
- biotechnology
- health care (nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, medical radiation, medical laboratory science, respiratory therapy)
- information technology
- teaching
- construction trades (plumbing, sheet metal, carpentry)
- precision machining and tooling (general machining, mould making, pattern making, tool and die making, machine tool building/integrating)
- engineering and engineering technology
The Ontario government supports Career Bridge, a program that provides employers in the Greater Toronto Area with access to qualified, experienced, and skilled immigrants in the areas of information technology, engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing, and accounting and finance. For more information, visit www.careerbridge.ca.
Too many new Ontarians are being prevented from fully participating in our economy. To build a strong economy, we need everyone to be at their best. That means everyone must have an opportunity to work and everyone must be treated fairly.
For more information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
general/postsec/openingdoors/international/
Sector Initiatives Fund
The Sector Initiatives Fund helps industry sectors and organizations develop training programs, standards, and materials for their workforces. This approach encourages the sector-wide research and planning needed to address skills gaps.
Sectoral collaboration enables many firms to contribute to and benefit from training that is beyond the capacity of an individual company. It also provides a foundation for accreditation for skills training and for the development of provincial and national training standards.
For more information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
E-mail: info@edu.gov.on.ca for
inquiries to the ministry.
Programs and Resources Related to Economic Trends and Human Resources Planning
Local Training Boards
Understanding the local economic and labour market climate will help you plan more effectively and spot business opportunities. Labour market information is available from your local training board.
For more information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.localboards.on.ca
Adjustment Advisory Program
The Adjustment Advisory Program (AAP) helps various client groups, from individual firms and employee groups to industry sectors and communities, deal with the immediate effects of plant closures and downsizings. It also assists these groups in anticipating and preparing for changes in the labour market.
The AAP supplies advisory and financial assistance to its clients to help them adjust to the effects, and/or to the threat, of job loss in the workplace. AAP advisers help clients identify their needs and secure appropriate support, including career counselling, training, referral, and job search skills training.
For more information
Call: 1-800-387-5656 or (416) 326-5656
Visit: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/
training/aap/aapeng.html
One-Stop Training and Employment System
The provincial government proposes to transform the training and apprenticeship system by creating a One-Stop Training and Employment System that integrates programs to better serve the needs of apprentices, immigrants, unemployed individuals, and young people in transition from school to work. The One-Stop system will improve access to programs and will respond more efficiently to employers' needs for skilled workers.
The One-Stop Training and Employment System will:
- create one-stop local planning and delivery services to meet labour market needs; and
- increase the number of new entrants into apprenticeship training to 26,000 annually by 2007-2008.
The challenge we face in the business community is to shoulder our share
of the responsibility for ensuring that people have the fundamental
skills to meet the expectations of their employers and of their
customers and that they have the requisite retraining and redevelopment.
Dr. Tim O’Neill Executive Vice-President and Chief Economist, Bank of Montreal, from a speech delivered to the Toronto Board of Trade on May 22, 2002 |
ISBN 0-7794-6784-1
