Looking to refer your client to City School?
City School by Mohawk Overview
City School by Mohawk provides free post-secondary and employment courses to community members. Students can explore college pathways with us through courses that can apply to various programs at Mohawk College, or build skills for employment through training workshops.
Why is City School a good fit for recipients of Ontario Works and other forms of Social Assistance?
All City School courses are designed to provide people with positive education and employment experiences. Educational support is provided so that participants feel safe to take risks that lead to a sense of self-efficacy. Small class sizes in a place-based environment allow us to attend to specific participant needs. In addition to postsecondary courses, we offer a variety of non-postsecondary courses that help to ease people gradually into their journey by minimizing the negative impact associated with failing grades.
All City School courses will support participants in increasing and developing the following life skills, competencies, and attitudes:
- Motivation and goal setting (e.g., future education and employment)
- Teamwork and communication (interpersonal skills)
- Coping with change (resilience)
- Digital access and technology skills
- Accessing and participating in community opportunities
A variety of other skills are addressed through our various program offerings.
Click the course titles to learn more and apply.
Programming for Ontario Works Clients
Stay Tuned!
In-person Courses
Building Confidence and Moving Forward
Building Positive Skills for School
Intro to Construction - Community Build
Successful Communication at Work
Eligibility
Those who meet the following criteria are eligible to take City School courses:
- 19 years of age or older
- Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons / refugee claimants with notice of decision
- For online courses, those living within Ontario; for in-person courses, those living within the community in which the course(s) is being offered.
- If English is not your first language, Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 or higher is recommended
Note: High school completion is not a requirement.
We welcome applications from all those interested in City School, but please note that priority will be given to those who meet one or more of the following criteria:
have no or limited postsecondary education (i.e., Not having previously completed an apprenticeship, and/or a certificate, diploma, and/or a degree at a college or university)
- currently unemployed or underemployed (e.g., in receipt of Employment Insurance)
- in receipt of social assistance (e.g., Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program)
- living in a low-income household
Should class registration not be full by the application deadline, applicants who do not meet priority criteria will be considered on a chronological basis.
Who is not eligible?
- Anyone who will be taking a post-secondary course or program, at Mohawk College or any other educational institution, will not be eligible to register for City School courses at the same time.
- Anyone who is only granted permission to be in the country on a temporary basis (e.g. visitor’s visa).
We do our best to make case-by-case considerations.
Students can earn up to two (2) free postsecondary credits plus College 101 through City School.
Participation Requirements
For online courses, students should have reliable access to a device and internet connection.
Do you have concerns about your clients’ access to a device? In some cases, we may be able to help. Please contact us at cityschool [at] mohawkcollege.ca (cityschool[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) or 905-575-2489 to discuss.
Ready to Refer?
- Speak with your client about their course or area of interest, and obtain their permission to share their contact information with us.
- If you have questions for our team, you can contact us at cityschool [at] mohawkcollege.ca (cityschool[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca)
- Fill out the referral form.
- We will contact your client to process their registration and consent to disclose information to you.