Ontario Job Creation Partnerships


Ontario Job Creation Partnerships is an employment program that provides work experience to unemployed job seekers within projects that benefit the community or local economy. At the end of their participation, participants in the program will have recent work experience and additional skills to add to their résumés, increasing their chances of successfully finding long-term employment.

Who can apply?

Job seekers who are unemployed can apply to participate if they meet one of the following conditions:

  • They established a claim for Employment Insurance benefits or their Employment Insurance benefit period ended within the past three years.
  • They established a claim for Employment Insurance maternity or parental benefits and were paid benefits within the past five years, and are re-entering the labour force after having left it to care for newborn or newly adopted children.

For the purpose of determining whether an individual qualifies as a participant, the date the completed application is received by Employment Ontario is the date when he or she is considered to have requested assistance.

Who are eligible sponsors?

The following organizations are eligible to provide work experience through this program:

  • businesses
  • non-profit organizations
  • Crown corporations
  • municipalities or provincial/territorial governments
  • First Nations councils
  • public health and educational institutions

What type of projects are eligible?

  • Should be finite in nature and incremental to the sponsors normal activities
  • Should provide a benefit to the community or the local economy
  • Should provide participants with a meaningful work experience .
  • Within their ability to do so, sponsors should share in the cost of the project

How can I get more information?

Call the toll-free Employment Ontario hotline at 1-800-387-5656, TTY (telephone service for the deaf) 1-866-768-1157 for more information about how to access services of Ontario Job Creation Partnerships in your area. Newcomers to Ontario can ask for this information in the language of their choice.