Thinking of upskilling, but worried about the costs?
At Juno College, we’re dedicated to making sure everyone can access a tech education, regardless of their financial situation. But we know - talking money can be daunting. That’s why we’ve come up with some tips to make the conversation a little less overwhelming!
1. Ask your employer to cover the cost
There are positive benefits for companies that invest in their employees' continuing education. It shows a mutual commitment: you're invested in thriving and growing in your role, and your company is invested in setting you up for success.
If the new skills you’d be learning would make your more equipped for your role, or more valuable to your company, it’s worth asking your employer to help with your tuition!
Need help finding the words? We have a Financing Request Template that you can use when asking your employer to cover the costs of our courses here at Juno College!
Download Financing Request Template
Interested in joining Juno while on Employment Insurance (EI) from the Government of Canada?
Our simple EI guide will show you how:
2. Government Grants
Depending on where you live, some provinces offer employer training grants to help those looking to learn new skills.
Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) COJG provides an opportunity for employers to invest in training for their workers, with help from the government. This grant can provide up to $10,000 per employee, per year, towards Juno's part-time or full-time programs, and requires employers to contribute as little as one-sixth of the total cost, based on the company’s size. Learn more about COJG and Juno here.
Second Career
Several Juno students have joined our Web Development Bootcamp with the help of Second Career Funding in particular. Second Career is an Ontario government program for laid-off and unemployed workers who are looking to gain skills to transition into a high-demand job, and you can qualify for up to $28,000 to pay for tuition and other expenses.
BC Employer Training Grant
British Columbia also offers funding for employers to send current and future employees for training to upgrade their skills through the BC Employer Training Grant - and with Juno’s new Live Online class format, you can access our courses no matter where you are located!
3. Free Courses
Learning a new skill from scratch? It can feel like a big leap - that’s why Juno offers free workshops to introduce you to our community, expand your learning, and get a sneak peek of the course you’re interested in before you enroll. With any course, a free preview option is the perfect way to ensure you enjoy the subject matter and the learning environment before investing.
4. Flexible Schedules & Payment Plans
We know, the schedules and needs of each of our students are unique. Many of Juno’s students work part-time or even full-time while taking our programs. With courses available on evenings and weekends, we have flexible options to fit any schedule!
Juno also offers flexible, interest-free payment plans for our programs, including our partnership with Financeit that allows students to pay in low installments.
5. Income Share Agreements
If you’ve been thinking about making a career change, but don’t have the finances available to invest in an intensive program, using an Income Share Agreement is a great way to cover the cost of our Bootcamps.
We’re proud to be the first school in Canada to offer ISAs. This innovative approach makes it possible for you pay less upfront for your Bootcamp education, and only pay us back once you're making at least $50,000 a year in your new job.
6. Scholarships
Transforming Tech Scholarships
At Juno, we have $1,000,000 in Transforming Tech Scholarships available for genders underrepresented in tech, including women, non-binary, and 2-spirit people, as well as those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Metis or Inuk. This is a great way to take the first step of your career change Learn more and apply here!
Alumni Scholarships
If you’re considering a career change with our Web Development Bootcamp, those who have taken any of our part-time courses will receive a $1,000 Bootcamp Scholarship towards their tuition.
Once you’ve taken a course at Juno, you’ll also receive a $250 Alumni Scholarship towards our other part-time courses. Learn more about our scholarships here.
7. Professional Development Budgets
If your company offers a professional development budget, why not use it towards learning a skill that could help level up your career? Here at Juno, we provide a $500 Personal & Professional Development budget annually to all employees. Our business is focused on learning, so we want to ensure Juno team members are learning all the time as well! If your company offers a similar professional development budget, it might be the perfect way to pick up a new skill that will help you in your role!
8. Re-invest in yourself
Income Tax refund money
If you get a refund back after doing your income taxes it can be tough to know what to do with that extra cash. Instead of going on a shopping spree or letting it gather dust in a low interest savings account, you could re-invest that money in yourself by putting it towards your education!
Uncashed Cheques
Did you know that the Canadian Revenue Agency has a feature that lets you claim money from uncashed Government cheques? Simply log into the CRA website, scroll to the bottom of the “Related Services” section and click “Uncashed Cheques.” Some Canadians have claimed hundreds of dollars, and you could use that towards levelling up!
9. Lifelong Skills Guarantee
Looking to brush up your skills after previously taking a course at Juno? With our Lifelong Skills Guarantee, you can retake any course that you’ve already taken at Juno for just $500. This ensures that no matter how long it’s been since you studied with us, you can always return to Juno to keep your skills fresh and stay up-to-date on industry standards and best practices.
10. Digital Skills Discount
If you’ve taken the Digital Skills for Beginners course at Canada Learning Code (also co-founded by Heather Payne, CEO and Founder of Juno College), you’ll receive $250 off your tuition to Juno’s Web Development course! This course is the perfect next step in continuing your learning journey, and we want to make it as easy as possible for CLC students to level up their skills even further.
Juno College's Financing Info Package
We've put together a handy Financing Info Package with all this info in one place!