Ontario simplifies Second Career program

The Ontario government is increasing financial supports available and simplifying the application process for individuals applying to the Second Career program.

“Increasing support for laid-off and unemployed workers is key to our mission of spreading opportunity more fairly and widely,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister, Labour, Training and Skills Development “No worker will be left behind in our recovery. Through improvements like these, our single focus is on giving hardworking men and women the tools they need to start a good job and make a better living for themselves and their families.”

According to the Ontario government, laid-off and unemployed workers will experience a faster Second Career application process. “They will no longer need to provide burdensome amounts of documentation to get funding. The program is increasing weekly basic living supports for rent, mortgage and other expenses up to $500 a week. Additionally, transportation and child care supports are being enhanced to better reflect the costs that people currently face.”

“The Second Career program has helped hundreds of individuals in Windsor get on a pathway to prosperity: re-training and mentorship programs that support individuals as they transition into exciting new jobs,” said Drew Dilkens, Mayor, City of Windsor. “As the City of Windsor works to implement our economic development and diversification plan – Windsor Works – today’s changes to the Second Career program are going to help local workers make the leap to a new career. As we build back from the pandemic, reforms like these are exactly what’s needed.”

These changes follow improvements the government made to this program in December 2020. In the first five months of 2021, 2,092 workers started training through Second Career, an increase of 109 per cent in comparison to the same period last year.