Training Funding · Oshawa & Durham Region · Updated August 2026

Ontario Job Grant for Oshawa Employers: Government-Funded Leadership Training at Up to 83.3%

The program is now the Ontario Job Grant. Here is what changed, what your business can actually claim, and how to apply.

Up to $10,000 Per Trainee Applications Open Year-Round Oshawa & Durham Employers

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By Malcolm Gurley, President

Gurley Leadership Solutions Inc. | Ajax, Ontario · Published August 2026 · Program facts verified against ontario.ca, August 2026

If you have been told your Oshawa business can get most of its training costs covered by the Canada-Ontario Job Grant, the advice is still broadly right, but the program has changed and the headline number depends entirely on how many people you employ. Ontario retired the Canada-Ontario Job Grant and relaunched it as the Ontario Job Grant in May 2026. This page explains what changed, exactly how much an Oshawa employer can claim at each business size, who and what qualifies, how to apply, and the mistakes that slow applications down.

Name change, 2026: the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) has been retired and replaced by the Ontario Job Grant (OJG). If you search the old name you will still land on the right program, and third-party pages have not all caught up yet.

The bigger practical change is the funding split. The often-quoted 83.3 per cent applies to employers with fewer than 100 employees. Employers with 100 or more employees receive 50 per cent. Details and sources below.

Direct answer: The Canada-Ontario Job Grant is now the Ontario Job Grant Oshawa employers apply for, and it reimburses eligible Ontario employers for third-party employee training up to a maximum of $10,000 CAD per trainee. Oshawa employers with fewer than 100 employees contribute at least one-sixth of the cost, so government funding covers up to 83.3 per cent; employers with 100 or more employees receive 50 per cent. Small employers training a previously unemployed new hire can receive up to $15,000 CAD per trainee with no minimum employer contribution. Applications are accepted year-round through Employment Ontario for groups of 25 or fewer trainees, and eligibility is decided by the ministry, not by any training provider.

What Happened to the Canada-Ontario Job Grant?

The Canada-Ontario Job Grant was retired and relaunched as the Ontario Job Grant in 2026, and the practical effect for an Oshawa employer is that the program still exists, still reimburses third-party training, and is still applied for through Employment Ontario. The name on the funding agreement is different, the guidelines were redesigned, and the two-tier funding split by employer size is now the number that matters most when you are budgeting.

Point of comparison	What Oshawa employers should know now
Program name	Ontario Job Grant (OJG). The Canada-Ontario Job Grant name is retired.
Where to apply	Employment Ontario, online application, year-round intake
Current intake limit	Individual employers training 25 or fewer participants; one application per employer at a time
Funding, under 100 employees	Employer contributes at least one-sixth, so government covers up to 83.3 per cent
Funding, 100 or more employees	Government covers 50 per cent, employer covers 50 per cent
Maximum per trainee	$10,000 CAD, or up to $15,000 CAD for a previously unemployed new hire at a small employer

Verified against the Ontario Job Grant program page on ontario.ca, August 2026. Program rules can change; confirm current terms before you commit to a training contract.

Ontario Job Grant Oshawa employers reviewing training funding documents — The funding split changed with the relaunch. Check which tier your headcount puts you in before you budget.

Ontario Job Grant Oshawa Funding: How Much Can an Employer Get?

How much you receive depends on two things only: your employee headcount, and whether the trainee is an existing employee or a previously unemployed new hire. There is no Oshawa-specific rate; the Ontario Job Grant applies province-wide, so a Whitby, Clarington or Toronto employer is treated the same as an Oshawa one.

Your situation	Minimum employer contribution	Government share	Maximum per trainee
Fewer than 100 employees, existing staff	At least one-sixth of training costs	Up to 83.3 per cent	$10,000 CAD
Fewer than 100 employees, previously unemployed new hire	No minimum contribution required	Up to 100 per cent	$15,000 CAD
100 or more employees	Half of training costs	50 per cent	$10,000 CAD

Figures from the Ontario Job Grant program page, ontario.ca, verified August 2026. Amounts in Canadian dollars. Approval and final amounts are determined by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

Worth knowing before you plan: the maximum is per trainee, not per company, but the current intake caps an application at 25 or fewer participants and allows only one open application per employer at a time. If you are planning to train a large group in stages, raise that with your Employment and Training Consultant early rather than assuming you can stack applications.

What the Math Looks Like for an Oshawa Business

The clearest way to see the difference between the two tiers is to run the same training cost through both. Below is a hypothetical Oshawa employer putting six managers through a program that costs $2,000 CAD per person, or $12,000 CAD in total.

Line	Under 100 employees	100 or more employees
Total training cost, 6 trainees	$12,000 CAD	$12,000 CAD
Government share	$9,996 CAD (83.3 per cent)	$6,000 CAD (50 per cent)
Your net cost	$2,004 CAD	$6,000 CAD
Net cost per manager	$334 CAD	$1,000 CAD

Illustrative example only, using published percentages and a round training cost. It is not a quote, not an approval, and does not account for ineligible cost items. Prices in Canadian dollars (CAD), August 2026.

Both columns are worth pursuing. Even at the 50 per cent tier, a larger Oshawa manufacturer or health employer is halving a development budget it was going to spend anyway. The point of showing both is that the 83.3 per cent figure quoted all over the internet is a small-employer number, and budgeting a large-employer program around it will leave you short.

Who Qualifies: Employers and Trainees

Eligibility has two separate tests, one for your business and one for each person you want to train, and both must pass. The published requirements are summarized below.

Employer requirements

In short: private sector and non-profit employers qualify if they have held a physical Ontario location for at least one year, meet their occupational health and safety, accessibility and employment standards obligations, and carry appropriate WSIB or equivalent insurance coverage. Government agencies, broader public sector organizations and Employment Ontario service providers are not eligible, and neither is an employer already receiving other government funding for the same or substantially similar training.

Trainee requirements

In short: every person you name must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person living in Ontario, legally authorized to work in Canada, and employed by and named by your business. New hires count when there is a signed permanent or conditional job offer showing name, title and start date. Temporary foreign workers, contractors and self-employed individuals, family members of the employer, and anyone already in another government training program are excluded.

For the full criteria broken down test by test, including the training and provider requirements, see our detailed guide to Ontario Job Grant eligibility, deadlines and reimbursement for Whitby employers.

Summarized from the Ontario Job Grant eligibility requirements, ontario.ca, August 2026. This is a plain-language summary, not the full guidelines; read the official criteria before applying.

Oshawa business owner checking Ontario Job Grant application paperwork — Two separate tests: your business has to qualify, and so does each person you name on the application.

What Training Qualifies, and What Does Not

The grant funds occupation-specific skills training delivered by an eligible third-party provider and completed within 52 weeks, and it explicitly excludes several categories that employers often assume are covered. This is the section most worth reading closely, because it is where applications most often come apart.

Generally eligible	Listed as not eligible
Training delivered by an eligible third-party provider, for example colleges, universities, district school boards, registered career colleges, and union or sector training organizations	Training an employer is legally required to provide
Occupation-specific skills training	Vendor or product-specific training
Training that finishes within 52 weeks	Executive programs, for example an MBA or CFA
Instructors with 48 months of relevant experience in the last 10 years, or 24 months plus a related degree or trade qualification	Business consulting services
Training tied to a specific occupation or role in your business	Conferences, apprenticeship training, and any program running longer than one year

Summarized from the Ontario Job Grant training and provider requirements, ontario.ca, August 2026.

An honest note about leadership and management training

Employers regularly ask whether leadership development qualifies, and the accurate answer is that it depends on how the program and the provider are assessed, and only the ministry can make that call. The published guidelines exclude executive programs such as an MBA and exclude business consulting, while allowing occupation-specific skills training from an eligible third-party provider. A structured management skills program is not obviously either one, so it is assessed case by case.

Because of that, we do not tell Oshawa employers that a Gurley Leadership Solutions program is automatically covered, and you should be cautious of any provider who does. What we do is straightforward: before you commit, ask your Employment and Training Consultant to confirm in writing whether the specific program and provider qualify. If the answer is no, you still have a training decision to make, and you should make it on the merits rather than on funding that may not arrive.

Not sure which tier or which program fits?

A 30-minute call gets you a straight read on your headcount tier, what a program would cost, and what to ask Employment Ontario before you commit.

Book a Discovery Call

Or call 416.669.7644, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

How to Apply for the Ontario Job Grant, Step by Step

Applications are submitted online through Employment Ontario and assessed on an ongoing basis, with an Employment and Training Consultant assigned to you after you submit. The sequence below reflects the published process.

Confirm your headcount tier. Count your employees. Under 100 puts you in the one-sixth contribution tier; 100 or more puts you at 50 per cent. This determines your entire budget, so settle it first.
Choose the training and the provider. The provider must be an eligible third party and the training must finish within 52 weeks. Get the course outline, the cost breakdown, and the instructor's qualifications in writing, because you will need them.
Confirm each trainee qualifies. Check citizenship or residency status, work authorization, and employment relationship for every person you plan to name. For new hires, prepare the signed job offer with name, title and start date.
Complete the online application. Apply through the Employment Ontario portal. Current intake covers individual employers training 25 or fewer participants, and you may have only one application open at a time.
Work with your assigned consultant. After you submit, Employment Ontario assigns an Employment and Training Consultant. Use that conversation to confirm in writing that your chosen program and provider are eligible.
Wait for approval before you start. Do not begin training or sign a non-refundable contract on the assumption of approval. Funding decisions rest with the ministry.
Deliver the training and keep your records. Retain invoices, attendance records and completion documentation. Reimbursement depends on evidence that the approved training actually happened.

Two colleagues working through an online form together on a laptop in an office lounge — The application is online through Employment Ontario, and a consultant is assigned to you after you submit.

Why Applications Get Delayed or Rejected

Most problems trace back to assuming eligibility rather than confirming it, and they are avoidable. These are the patterns worth guarding against, drawn from the published rules and from what Durham Region employers run into in practice.

The mistake	What to do instead
Budgeting a large employer's program at 83.3 per cent	Confirm your headcount tier first; at 100 or more employees the share is 50 per cent
Booking training before approval	Wait for the funding decision, or negotiate a cancellation clause with the provider
Assuming a favourite trainer is an eligible provider	Ask the ministry to confirm the provider and program in writing
Naming contractors, family members or temporary workers as trainees	Name only employees who meet the published trainee criteria
Applying for a program longer than 52 weeks	Structure the training to complete inside the window
Stacking multiple applications at once	One open application per employer; plan cohorts around that limit

Compiled by Gurley Leadership Solutions from the published Ontario Job Grant requirements, August 2026.

Which Funding Tier Applies to Your Business?

Your tier comes down to headcount and trainee type, so it takes two questions to work out. This is a plain reading of the published rates, not an eligibility decision, and only Employment Ontario can approve funding.

How many people does your business employ?

Is This Government-Funded Leadership Training in Oshawa?

Yes, in the practical sense an Oshawa employer means it: the Ontario Job Grant is the provincial program that reimburses part of the cost of third-party training, and leadership development delivered by an approved provider can be submitted under it. Two honest qualifiers apply. First, the grant funds the employer, not the trainer, so the application is yours and the reimbursement comes to you. Second, Employment Ontario assesses leadership training case by case and its guidelines exclude executive programs and general business consulting, so a program is never automatically funded because it is called leadership training. What gets approved is training with a clear skills outcome for named employees, tied to a business need you can describe.

For Oshawa employers that means the same program and the same rules as anywhere else in Ontario, with no local rate and no local office. You apply through Employment Ontario, and the tier you land in depends on headcount, not postal code. If you want the province-wide picture across every funding program rather than this one, see Ontario training grants compared.

Getting Help in Oshawa and Durham Region

Applications are handled through Employment Ontario, which delivers services across Durham Region, so an Oshawa employer applies the same way as one in Whitby or Clarington. The grant is province-wide, and there is no separate Oshawa allocation or local rate, which means the only local factors that matter are practical ones: which training providers can deliver in person at your facility, and who can help you assemble the paperwork.

If your business sits west of Oshawa, the process is identical: see our Ontario Job Grant guide for Ajax employers for the same steps written for that market.

Gurley Leadership Solutions is based in nearby Ajax, works with organizations across Oshawa and Durham Region, and helps clients prepare the training-side documentation an application needs, including course outlines, cost breakdowns and instructor qualifications. For what the programs themselves involve, see our guide to leadership development and executive training in Oshawa, or the wider Greater Toronto Area guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Ontario Job Grant currently accepting applications?

The funding still exists, but under a new name. Ontario retired the Canada-Ontario Job Grant and relaunched it as the Ontario Job Grant in 2026, and applications are accepted year-round through Employment Ontario. If you search the old name you will still reach the right program, and any funding agreement you sign now will be under the Ontario Job Grant.

How much does the Ontario Job Grant (formerly the Canada-Ontario Job Grant) cover?

Eligible training costs are covered up to a maximum of $10,000 CAD per trainee, and up to $15,000 CAD for a previously unemployed new hire at a small employer. Employers with fewer than 100 employees contribute at least one-sixth of the cost, so government funding reaches up to 83.3 per cent, while employers with 100 or more employees receive 50 per cent.

Who is eligible for the Ontario Job Grant?

Private and non-profit sector employers with a physical Ontario location for at least one year are eligible, provided they meet health and safety, accessibility and employment standards obligations and carry appropriate insurance. Government agencies, broader public sector organizations and employers already receiving other government funding for the same training are not eligible.

Can I use the Ontario Job Grant for leadership or management training?

It depends on how the program and provider are assessed, and only Employment Ontario can confirm it. The guidelines fund occupation-specific skills training from an eligible third-party provider, while excluding executive programs such as an MBA and excluding business consulting. Ask your Employment and Training Consultant to confirm your specific program in writing before you commit to it.

How do I apply for the Ontario Job Grant?

Applications are submitted online through Employment Ontario and assessed on an ongoing basis year-round. Current intake covers individual employers training 25 or fewer participants, and an employer may have only one application open at a time. After you submit, an Employment and Training Consultant is assigned to work with you.

Can I start training before my application is approved?

You should not. Funding decisions rest with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, and starting early risks paying the full cost yourself if the application is declined. If timing is tight, ask your training provider for a cancellation clause rather than assuming approval will arrive.

Is there government-funded leadership training in Oshawa?

Yes, through the Ontario Job Grant, which reimburses Oshawa employers for part of the cost of third-party training, including leadership development, when Employment Ontario approves the application. Reimbursement is up to 83.3 per cent of eligible costs for employers with fewer than 100 staff and up to 50 per cent for larger employers. Approval is case by case, and executive programs and general consulting are excluded.

Does the Ontario Job Grant work differently in Oshawa?

No, the program is province-wide and the rates, caps and rules are identical in Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington, Toronto and everywhere else in Ontario. There is no local allocation or Oshawa-specific rate. The only local variables are practical ones, such as which providers can deliver training at your facility.

The Final Word

Ontario Job Grant Oshawa funding is real and worth pursuing, but two details decide whether the number in your budget is the number you receive: your headcount tier, and written confirmation that your chosen program and provider actually qualify. Get both settled before you sign anything. If you are weighing a management development program for an Oshawa team and want a straight answer about costs and what to ask Employment Ontario, a short call will get you further than another afternoon of reading guidelines.

Planning training for an Oshawa team?

Get a clear read on your funding tier, what a program costs, and exactly what to confirm with Employment Ontario before you commit.

Book a Discovery Call

416.669.7644 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Malcolm Gurley, President of Gurley Leadership Solutions

About Malcolm Gurley

Malcolm Gurley is President of Gurley Leadership Solutions Inc., based in Ajax, Ontario, working with employers across Oshawa and Durham Region. He compiled this page directly from the published Ontario Job Grant guidelines on ontario.ca in August 2026, alongside 35+ years of experience delivering training programs to Ontario employers. Nothing here is a funding approval or a legal opinion; eligibility and funding decisions rest with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

Sources and References

This page summarizes publicly available Ontario Job Grant information as at August 2026 and is provided for general guidance only. It is not legal, financial or funding advice, and it is not an application, approval or guarantee of funding. Program rules, rates and intake windows change; always confirm current requirements with Employment Ontario before making commitments.