Government of Canada — Employment and Social Development Canada · National

EI Section 25 — Extended EI Training Benefits (Federal)

Reviewed by · verified May 1, 2026

Continued EI benefits while in approved training (~55% of prior insurable earnings, up to annual max)
Total value

About this award

EI Section 25 lets you keep your Employment Insurance benefits while attending an approved training program — it's not a cash grant on top of EI, it's the legal authority that lets EI keep paying while you retrain. Critical for laid-off workers needing time to upgrade skills.

Section 25 of the federal Employment Insurance Act is one of the most important — and least-known — supports for laid-off workers retraining for a new field. It's not a separate grant or scholarship; it's the legal mechanism that allows you to keep receiving regular EI benefits (typically 55% of your prior insurable earnings, up to the annual maximum) while you attend an approved training program. Without Section 25, attending school full-time would normally end your EI eligibility (because you wouldn't be 'available for work'). With a Section 25 referral, you can attend training full-time and EI continues paying — bridging your income while you upgrade. The referral comes from your provincial training authority (in Ontario, Employment Ontario; in BC, WorkBC; in Quebec, Service Québec; etc.), which confirms that your chosen program is recognized for EI continuity purposes. Eligible programs include short-term skills training (cybersecurity, cloud certifications, healthcare bridging), micro-credential programs, longer college diplomas, and apprenticeship technical-training periods. Section 25 stacks naturally with other supports: provincial retraining grants like Better Jobs Ontario provide the tuition coverage; EI Section 25 provides the income continuity. Together they make full-time retraining financially viable without taking on debt.

Can you get it?

  • Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident or Protected Person — citizenship requirement
  • Trades, Professional, Certificate — study level

How to apply

  1. Review eligibility and gather your documents~1 hour

    Read the official award page end-to-end. Confirm you meet every requirement before you start.

  2. Collect reference letters2 weeks

    Give your referees at least two weeks' notice and share your résumé.

  3. Submit before the posted deadline~1 hour

    Check the official source for the current deadline: save a copy and submit at least 24 hours early.

More details

Strategy

Apply for EI as soon as you're laid off — the standard EI claim is the foundation; the Section 25 referral comes alongside it.

Strategy

Contact your provincial training authority (Employment Ontario, WorkBC, etc.) early — getting the referral can take weeks, and you don't want a gap between EI starting and your training program beginning.

Strategy

Stack EI Section 25 with provincial retraining grants: in Ontario, the Better Jobs Ontario program covers tuition + living allowance, and EI Section 25 layers on income continuity from your prior insurable earnings.

Strategy

Keep the bi-weekly EI reporting current while in training — failure to report (even when nothing has changed) suspends benefits.

Strategy

Quebec residents are covered by parallel federal-provincial arrangements administered through Service Québec; the underlying mechanism is the same.

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EI Section 25 — Extended EI Training Benefits (Federal)

$ 0

Continued EI benefits while in approved training (~55% of prior insurable earnings, up to annual max)

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fundmycourse.ca/scholarships/ei-section-25-extended-ei-training-benefits-federal

Verified May 1, 2026
Continued EI benefits while in approved training (~55% of prior insurable earnings, up to annual max) See details
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