Humber Community Employment Services Launches the Youth Employment Fund Aimed at Tackling the 17 per cent Youth Unemployment Rate
In its 2013 budget, the Ontario government announced a two-year, $295 million Youth Job Strategy in order to create 30,000 new jobs for youth and alleviate the current youth unemployment rate of 17 per cent. Two provincial Ministries are engaged in the strategy: Economic Development, Trade and Employment (MEDTE) and Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU).
Humber Community Employment Services is delivering the MTCU Youth Employment Fund (YEF) initiative, which is designed to create partnerships among business, labour, educators and youth to identify and solve skills-development issues. Our staff does this by reaching out to unemployed youth in the community and supporting them in their employment pathway through career planning, job search and resume support and four to six month paid placements with employers.
The YEF aims to provide young people with an entry point to long term employment through job placements that offer the chance to learn work skills while earning an income.
If you know of any graduates from your academic program that are currently seeking employment, could benefit from additional one-on-one coaching and support, and meet the following criteria you can direct them to one of Humber’s five Community Employment Centres:
- Between the ages of 15-29
- Not currently participating in full time education or training
- Unemployed or working 20 hours or less
- A resident of Ontario
In addition to reaching out to youth who can benefit from the YEF initiative, Humber Community Employment Services staff are looking to partner with interested employers to assist them in meeting their hiring needs. This fund is an excellent support to employers and allows them to open up entry level jobs for young people with added resources to offset the upfront training costs associated with hiring a new young employee that is eager to start on their chosen career path.
If you have any employers connected to your academic programs that would be interested in participating in this initiative they will receive the following resources:
- Up to $7,020 in hiring incentives
- Training funds that can be utilized to address skill gaps in the workplace
- Pre-screening of candidates between the aged of 15-29
- Coaching and support with onboarding new hires
The five Humber Community Employment Centres are listed on the following Humber website link: www.jobs.humber.ca.
For more information please contact Elana Lewis at 416.675.6622 ext. 4777 or email at: elana.lewis@humber.ca