Second Career
Get skills-training and financial support when you qualify for Second Career.
People who were laid off because of COVID-19
Effective July 13, 2021, the Ontario government has made changes to the Second Career program to better help laid-off workers pay for tuition and living expenses if they retrain for new careers. If you were laid off in one of the sectors most impacted by COVID-19 since March 1, 2020, you may benefit from these changes. To learn more about Second Career, read the information on this web page and contact an employment service provider in your area.
What Second Career gives you
You can get new skills – those needed for jobs in demand now – and financial support if you qualify for Second Career.
Apply for up to $28,000 for costs including:
- tuition
- books
- manuals, workbooks or other instructional costs
- transportation
- basic living allowance (maximum up to $500 per week)
Additional funding may be available for:
- child care
- disability-related supports
How you qualify for Second Career
As a start, you qualify for Second Career if:
- you have been laid off and have not been working
- you have been laid off and are working a temporary job just to cover costs
If you’re receiving Employment Insurance (EI), or have in the past, you can still apply.
When preparing your application, you also have to show:
- how long you have been unemployed, or working your temporary job, and looking for work
- places you have applied and positions you have applied for (for example cover letters, CVs or resumes, and responses from potential employers)
- level of education obtained
- previous employment, how long you worked there, and skills that were required
- what skills you want to obtain and where you can get trained in them
Which applications are being fast tracked
While the Second Career program is open to all laid-off workers and jobseekers, priority is given to applications for people who were laid off because of COVID-19 and want to retrain for jobs in sectors that have good potential for future employment.
Applications that meet all the following criteria will go through a faster approval process, helping people get access to training sooner:
- The applicant was laid off on or after March 1, 2020.
- The applicant has high school education or less, or was laid off from an occupation requiring no more than a high school education and job specific training, such as food and beverage servers, flight attendants, and retail salespersons.
- The applicant was laid off from an industry hit hard by the pandemic, such as hospitality and food services, transportation and warehousing or wholesale and retail trade.
The applicant wants to train for a career in demand in local communities or provincial priority areas.
What you pay into Second Career
The amount of support provided to each client is based on individual needs and available funding.
When you apply to Second Career, you must provide information to support a needs assessment, such as:
- some of the costs to be covered during training
- your gross (before tax) household income
How long training programs can be
The Second Career program aims to help people rejoin the workforce quickly. That’s why the program is focusing on supporting training programs that take 52 weeks or less, including micro-credential programs.
People who want to attend training longer than one year can apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for a mix of grants and loans to help them pay for their postsecondary education.
Applying to Second Career
To apply to Second Career, you’ll work with an employment services agency, where people are trained to help you decide if this program is right for you – and, if it is, to complete your application.
Find an agency in your community and make an appointment.
Staff at the agency will help you gather the information needed to support your application to Second Career.
Meet with a counsellor
You can also request an appointment with an Employment Ontario counsellor.
A counsellor can help you find an employment services agency in your community and can answer any other questions you may have about Second Career.
Speak with an employment counsellor in:
Financial information
You must provide information about:
- your income
- your household income (e.g. spouse)
- current expenses
School information
You must research at least three training institutions to make sure they offer the training you need. Make sure to include:
- at least one college of applied arts and technology
- at least one private career college
Applicants who pay for their tuition and training costs on their own, or apply through the fast track process, are no longer required to research training institutions.
Find a college of applied arts or technology or private career college near you.
