Projects will provide youth with flexible employment services, holistic supports to gain transferable skills
The federal government is investing approximately $370 million over four years to fund over 200 new youth employment community-led projects.
The projects will help 22,000 young people facing barriers to employment by improving their ability to find and keep good jobs, according to the government.
“The government of Canada is making sure that every young person in Canada gets access to the skills and experience they need to successfully transition into the labour market,” said Marci Ien, minister for women and gender equality.
“These new projects are great examples of how the federal government and its partners can work together to create opportunities for all young people, particularly youth facing barriers and with disabilities, to hit the ground running and build fulfilling careers.”
The youth unemployment rate in Canada has recently soared, and one expert is pointing to workers from other countries coming to Canada as one of the reasons.
Youth employment projects
The new funding will be released to support projects that provide flexible employment services and holistic supports tailored to each individual to help them gain transferable skills that will have a lasting positive impact on their careers, according to the government.
For example, projects funded by the YESS Program can include mentoring, coaching, training, wraparound services (for example, dependent care support and mental health counselling) and paid work placements in a range of sectors, in order to set up every participant for individual success.
Over 30% of funded projects are expected to address the unique employment challenges faced by youth with disabilities, surpassing the original target of 20% under the new Youth with Disabilities Stream.
Ottawa is delivering the funding through Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) Program, one of several programs offered under the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.
The federal government is also making available over 70,000 job opportunities for youth across the country under the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program.
In Budget 2024, the federal government proposed to provide $200.5 million in 2025–26 for Canada Summer Jobs to provide well-paying summer job opportunities, including in sectors facing critical labour shortages, such as housing construction.
Ottawa officially opened the hiring period under CSJ 2024 in April.