Fast Forward Program

Program Information

If you have applied for or have an active claim for Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits, you can apply to the Fast Forward Program and may be eligible to continue receiving your benefits while you attend training at an approved training institution.

About the Fast Forward Program

The intent of the Fast Forward program is to allow unemployed Nova Scotians who are already receiving Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits to continue receiving these benefits while they attend full-time training, upgrade their skills, and increase their employment opportunities.

The program doesn’t fund your training or extend how long you can continue to receive your EI regular benefits (your benefits will continue only as long as your claim has payable weeks remaining).

The Fast Forward Program is not intended to encourage individuals to quit their jobs to attend school or training. If you quit your job, you may become ineligible for both EI regular benefits and the Fast Forward Program.

We encourage all individuals to contact Service Canada before making any decisions about leaving employment, as EI benefits are regulated by Service Canada.

Eligibility Information

To be eligible for the Fast Forward Program, you need to meet all the following criteria:

• you are unemployed
• you have an active claim for, or have applied to Service Canada for EI regular benefits
• you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident who is allowed to work in Canada
• you are a resident of Nova Scotia
• you have been accepted into an eligible training program
• you can pay for the full duration of your training (including tuition, books and living expenses)
• you have been fully participating in the labour market for at least 24 months before you apply to the program (this is known as labour force attachment)

Eligible training programs

Training programs are eligible if they are:

• full-time
• industry-recognized
• supported by labour market information that shows that there are job prospects in the field
• academic upgrading, literacy, numeracy, English or French as a second language, skills training for specific occupations or a university degree program
• at least 5 days long (possible exceptions for courses of less than 5 days if the training is more than 10 hours and includes full days of training in a row)
• delivered by an approved training institution
  • an approved training institution is a registered training institution under the Private Career Colleges regulations or a training institution that’s not required to register under the regulations (like universities and NSCC)

Fully participating in the labour market (labour force attachment)

Fully participating in the labour market means that you were doing at least 1 (or a combination) of the following for 24 months before you apply:

• actively looking for full-time work
• working full-time
• working part-time while actively looking for full-time work
• working full-time as a self-employed person

The 24 months doesn’t need to be continuous (you can have breaks). You need to have at least 24 months in total throughout your employment history, which cannot include any time that you have voluntarily withdrawn or removed yourself from the labour market.

When calculating your 24 months, don’t count any time that you were:

• collecting maternity, parental, sickness, compassionate care or family caregiver leave benefits
• not actively looking for full-time work while unemployed
• enrolled in an educational institution full-time (this includes periods of summer employment or part-time employment while enrolled)

How to apply

Application steps

There are 2 steps to apply for this program, and you must complete them in this order:

Step 1: Before you apply to the Fast Forward Program you must have applied for or already have an active claim for Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits;

AND

Step 2: You must apply to the Fast Forward Program through Employment Nova Scotia.

Apply online using the ‘Apply online’ link.

Check the application for details on all required supporting documents.

Submit your completed application and supporting documents.

Apply online

When you apply online you need to create an account or sign in. You also need to upload any supporting documents.

Apply online

You can contact Employment Nova Scotia if you’re unable to apply online.

Application timeframes/deadlines

Service Canada uses the date you are approved for the Fast Forward Program to help determine the start date that you can continue receiving your EI regular benefits while in training.

• You can apply to the Fast Forward Program as early as 90 calendar days before the start date of the term or semester of the training program you are applying for
• You can apply to the Fast Forward Program at any point during your training program

Your Fast Forward Program application cannot be accepted if:

• it is submitted earlier than 90 calendar days before the start date of the training program you are applying for, OR
• it is submitted after the end date of the training program

These applications are not eligible and cannot be approved by Employment Nova Scotia.

How long it takes

It should take about 7 business days for Employment Nova Scotia to let you know that they’ve received your application and are reviewing it. It can take longer if more information is needed or if your application hasn’t been filled in correctly.

Before you start

Make sure you:

• confirm that you have an active claim for, or have applied to Service Canada for EI regular benefits
• develop a plan to return to school full-time to upgrade your education or employment skills
• know your employment goals
• know how the new skills and knowledge from the training program will help you find employment
• have a financial plan that covers the costs of your training and living expenses (this should include when your EI claim ends)
• have a resume if your training is 5 days or longer
• have an acceptance letter from the training institution showing that your seat with the training institution has been confirmed