Second Career is an initiative established by the Ontario government which helps Ontario citizens made redundant or are underemployed get back into studying.
On this scheme, eligible individuals can get up to $28,000 tuition, books, transport and living expenses. However, even if you find yourself to be eligible, you may not get access to all of these as this is judged individually. The best part? You never have to pay any of this back.
Extra things you can get if you qualify are disability benefits and funding for training if possible.
If you work part time (less than 20 hours a week) or have a series of interim jobs, you may still be eligible for this.
If you’ve recently been on maternity leave and weren’t able to return to your job to your job for any satisfactory reason, you can also apply.
Applying
In order to get this, you should first select a program you wish to study in order to be funded, your chosen program must be a maximum of two years and should be full-time.
As the intention of Second Career is to ensure you end up in an occupation listed under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes of B or C, you should target a course that will see you end up in a career within these categories.
To be awarded the funding, the process requires that you conduct plenty of research on your intended course.
If your application gets approved, you will receive a Confirmation of Acceptance letter from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.
Other information to consider
You are permitted to work whilst on Second Career but this cannot be for more than 19 hours per week.
If you decide to switch programs once you’re already enrolled, these situations are judged on a case-by-case process.
If you decide to quit your course, please notify your EO Case Manager or MAESD Representative immediately so you do not received unrequired funding as you will have to pay this back otherwise.
If for whatever personal reason, you may need to take a break from your studies, your funding will stop and will only resume when you re-start your education.
For more help and information, visit TSOM’s Better Jobs Ontario page.
