Expanding Financial Assistance for Students
Nearly 600 micro-credential programs now eligible for OSAP
Our PC government is expanding the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to include nearly 600 micro-credential programs.
Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada to fund micro-credentials through a student financial assistance program. Micro-credentials are complementary to traditional learning and provide training in specific skillsets –offering a faster pathway to employment compared to certificate, diploma or degree programs. Offered by colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes, micro-credential programs are short in duration, can be completed online, and are often designed for the specific needs of employers and jobs.
Through this initiative, we are ensuring that loans and grants will be available to more learners looking to rapidly upskill and reskill for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow.
By helping Ontarians pay for these programs, our government is continuing to support students who need help the most and provide them access to programs that they need to upskill, reskill and rejoin the workforce.
Ontario is working on its first-ever micro-credentials strategy to help people quickly retrain and upgrade their skills to find new jobs. As announced in the 2020 Ontario Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover, the province is providing $59.5 million over the next three years to support the program.
Students with financial need can now apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for help with the costs of micro-credentials.