In March 2018 the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG), a useful training grant for Ontario employers, announced several changes. Among the most significant is an increase in the number of businesses who can consider themselves a “small employer”. This will allow those businesses to receive a higher percentage of training project costs than the previous version.

The Canada-Ontario Job Grant is a government funding for training program that offsets third-party employee training expenses. Employers can select training that meets their workforce development needs and choose the individuals who participate in the training.

Effective immediately, COJG funding offsets 50-83% of businesses’ training costs to a maximum $10,000 to $15,000 per trainee.

Another notable change to the program through 2018-2019 is that a sizeable portion of the government’s budget will be devoted to funding consortium groups. Consortia training, defined as two or more employers being trained as part of the same program, seeks to attract smaller employers and industry associations.

2018-19 Changes to the Canada-Ontario Job Grant

The Canada-Ontario Job Grant has been enhanced through its 2018-19 guidelines. In light of of these changes, employers should review how much support their upcoming training project may receive and ensure their training is still eligible for government funding.

Update to Employer Size and Contribution Amounts

This year’s guidelines introduce new criteria for defining small and large employers. Since the size of an employer is an important factor in determining how much funding a project qualifies to receive, this is a significant change that applicants should be aware of:

Small Employers

• More employers will qualify as a small employer due to the threshold being increased from <50 to <100 employees.
• The standard contribution rate for small employers is 5/6 (83%) of training costs to a maximum $10,000/trainee.
• By hiring and training unemployed individuals, small employers may qualify for up to 100% of training costs to a maximum $15,000/trainee.

Large Employers

• Large employers are now defined as having 100+ employees.
• The standard contribution rate for large employers is 1/2 (50%) of training costs to a maximum $10,000/trainee.
• Large employers do not qualify for increased contributions by hiring and training unemployed individuals.

Update to Consortium Training

Although consortium training has previously been supported through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant, the provincial government has introduced some significant changes to this stream of the grant.

The program’s budget has been structured so that consortium training projects can be prioritized and awarded more than in the past. This is great news for companies that can benefit from similar training projects as other firms.

So how does it work?

Consortium application requires a lead applicant, which could be one of the organizations enrolling training, the training vendor, or another party such as industry associations and other organizations that have a mandate to support multiple companies.

These “lead applicants” are expected to coordinate training by communicating with businesses to formalize a plan for who’s being trained, and collecting fees from each business to ultimately pay the training provider. They’re also responsible for submitting a government funding application on behalf of the consortium.

The same funding contribution levels apply as they do to single employers. However, funding is awarded based on the largest training participant involved. So, if one company in the training consortium has 100 or more employees, the training cost is subject to a 50% contribution rate to a maximum $10,000 per employee. If all companies participating in the training have fewer than 100 employees, the consortium is eligible for up to 83% of eligible expenses.

This option is often the most cost-effective training method businesses can engage in because they share training costs among members of the consortium. There is typically some incremental cost increase per trainee added into the program, but this pales in comparison to the cost of training if each employer purchased their own training program.

Employer Eligibility

To receive COJG funding, employers must:

• Maintain operations in Ontario
• Provide cash contributions to pay non-grant covered training costs
• Abide by the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act
• Have sufficient Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or private workplace safety insurance.

Training Eligibility

The Canada-Ontario Job Grant also maintains specific criteria to evaluate the eligibility of training programs. To access COJG grants, training must:

• Take place in Ontario
• Be led by a qualified third-party training provider
• Deliver training that directly related to a business’ needs
• Not exceed one year in duration

How to Apply for COJG Training Grants

To receive COJG funding for an upcoming training project, employers must submit a comprehensive application package consisting of a company overview, detailed training plans, and multiple vendor quotes. Typically, applications are reviewed within 2-4 weeks.

To discuss your business’ eligibility and learn how to optimize the application process, please contact Mentor Works.

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Recently, Ontario’s Minister of International Trade, the Honourable Michael Chan, met with stakeholders to speak about the importance of expanding Ontario’s international trade presence and growing the province’s capacity to help businesses expand globally.

Trade is vital to Ontario’s economy

Today, exports and interprovincial trade represent more than 50% of the province’s GDP. With globalization, evolving trade agreements and increased competition, the province is taking action to help Ontario businesses expand their international trade to new markets through Ontario’s Global Trade Strategy, Seizing Global Opportunities.

“Engaging with our partners around the world to promote new economic, business and cultural relationships is essential to ensuring economic growth and prosperity for Ontario. Ontario’s Global Trade Strategy will help Ontario businesses diversify their exports and make valuable connections to increase their global footprint.”- Minister Chan

The Global Trade Strategy is designed to help Ontario businesses benefit from the global economy, and provides a framework for the province’s role to ensure that programs, policies and international trade agreements reflect the interests of our Province’s businesses and workers.

The foundation of Ontario’s Global Trade Strategy is built on the following four priorities, with concrete deliverables over the next five years.

Leveraging our International Trade and Investment Assets: to focus on diversification into new markets and leveraging the Province’s assets to help Ontario businesses increase their competitiveness. Ontario is helping its companies reach new markets by leading missions in key markets and sectors, and establishing an Ontario presence at international trade shows.

Coordinating, Convening and Connecting: to position the Ministry of International Trade (MIT) as a central hub and centre of excellence for Ontario’s complex international trade ecosystem. More tools, programs and resources will enable more Ontario businesses to become exporters and assist existing ones to reach new global markets and diversify their existing revenue sources.

Driving Better Intelligence for Better Results: to identify new trends and optimize the use of data to open more opportunities for Ontario businesses. MIT is conducting in-depth regional and sector market analyses and expanding its data analytics capacity to inform strategic decision-making on key trade issues.

Building Strong Networks and Infrastructure: to assist businesses to leverage their diverse talents, potential partners and emerging technologies to harness the power of global networks and infrastructure. Within this priority area, MIT will capitalize on technologies to increase opportunities for trade diversification, strengthen government-to-government relations to drive economic benefits for Ontario, and leverage talent to capitalize on global trade networks.

The Province is charting new territory and proactively strengthening trade for Ontario’s businesses. It is achieving these goals through various initiatives, including the development of a new export business portal, an innovative technology that will directly connect users with customized, vital information to grow their business through trade. We are also delivering enhanced educational seminars that focus on how to access new markets through modernized trade agreements like the Canada – European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

“I am very proud of the work we have done and will continue to do to ensure Ontario businesses thrive in today’s global economy. History tells us that strong trading relationships are the foundation for wealth and prosperity. Through Ontario’s Global Trade Strategy, both government and businesses are working together to support a stronger provincial economy, built for today’s world, that allows us to grow our trade and create economic opportunities for the people of Ontario and for future generations.” -Minister Chan 

To learn more about Ontario’s Global Trade Strategy please visit, Ontario.ca/globaltradestrategy.

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