For professionals with experience in Community and Social Services who would like to continue working in the same sector.
Advance Your Career in Community and Social Services
The Inclusive Services Career Pathways (ISCP) program is for people who have post-secondary education and/or experience in the social services field and helping the vulnerable population.
- The main goal is to prepare participants for in-demand frontline and administrative roles in the Community and Social Services sector.
- Get job-ready for non-regulated social and community service roles such as case worker, client service coordinator, intake administrator, housing support staff, youth program staff, addictions worker, youth worker, settlement worker, and more, according to your professional background.
Free program, no cost
Program Location
Available online in Ontario
Program Duration
5 Months
Next Cohort Start Date
December 2026
Who Should Apply
Professionals with education and/or work experience in Community and Social Services, either in Canada or internationally, who are unemployed or underemployed and facing one or more of the following barriers:
- Lack of Canadian work experience in the field
- Has been laid off from the sector or difficulty re-entering
- Employment gap
- Internationally educated professionals seeking to transition into the Ontario labour market
- Need to upgrade skills to meet current labour market requirements
- Limited professional networks or industry connections in Ontario
- Career interruption due to caregiving responsibilities, health, relocation, or newcomer settlement
- Difficulty securing interviews or employment despite relevant qualifications and experience
Possible Job Titles: Community Worker, Settlement Worker, Health Care Navigator, Counsellor, Frontline Worker/Housing, Case Manager, Employment Services Worker, Program Coordinator
Common employers: Community Agencies, Shelters, Religious Organizations, Schools, Addiction Centres, Retirement Homes, Settlement Organizations
Eligibility Requirements
- Employment Status: Unemployed or underemployed
- Education: Post-secondary education outside Canada or in Canada in a Social Services field
- Experience: Minimum of two years work experience outside of Canada or in Canada serving vulnerable populations
- Language proficiency: CLB 7+ or equivalent in IELTS, CELPIP, TOEFL, ELTPA, PTE, completion of Canadian High School Diploma or completion of Post-Secondary education in Canada
- Legal immigration status: Canadian citizens, Naturalized Canadian citizens, Permanent Residents, Convention refugees with an Open Work Permit, Refugee claimants with an Open Work Permit, Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) with an Open Work Permit, Provincial nominee under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (excluding those under the International Student stream), temporary work permit who has received confirmation from IRCC that they meet the eligibility requirements for permanent residence (i.e. approval in principle)
- Residence: Ontario
“I love this program and I am meeting wonderful people. The instructors made me comfortable, and have opened my eyes to a Canada I haven’t yet seen.” ~ Akinmade
I’M READY TO LEARN MORE
5 month full-time program
Semester 1
Academics: Courses & Workshops and External Certifications
(3 months)
- Students already bring prior training and practical experience in the field; what they’re missing is fluency in how that experience operates inside a formal system: how to read a client’s needs through an equity and social-determinants lens, how to navigate and connect clients to the right services across sectors, how to carry out the full case management cycle from intake through closure within a professional scope
- Prepares experienced helping professionals to work effectively within Ontario’s community service field.
- Practice over theory
- Short and self-paced. Lessons are lean enough to complete independently in short sittings — this is a skill-building sprint, not a full course of content.
- Immediate feedback without a live instructor. Each practice exercise is self-checked against a model answer or rubric, so students get a feedback loop.
- Practice notes are written from realistic scenarios, so the skill transfers directly, rather than staying abstract.
Semester 2
Student Placement
(2 months, total of 200 hours over 8 weeks)
The aim of the placement is to provide community service experience in the Ontario context under supervision. Students will be encouraged to seek out potential placement sites that are Community Agencies, Shelters, Employment Agencies, Settlement Organizations, or any program serving vulnerable population.
There is a mid-term and final evaluation that will be completed by the on-site supervisor.
How students will contribute to their placement organization:
- Client and community support
- Resource navigation and referrals
- Program and administrative support
- Community outreach and engagement
- Research, documentation and information gathering
- Supporting workshops, groups or community activities
- Other activities appropriate to the organization’s needs and the student’s skills
Upcoming Info Sessions
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This Employment Ontario program is funded
by the Government of Ontario.
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