Creating job opportunities for 40,000 young Canadians facing barriers to entering the workforce
May 8, 2019 Ottawa, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
Canada's future prosperity depends on the full participation of youth in the workforce. That is why helping youth get the skills and experience they need to start their careers is part of the Government's plan to grow the middle class and build a strong, resilient workforce.
Today the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced $4 million in Youth Employment Strategy funding to support Opportunity For All Youth.
Opportunity For All Youth is a coalition of employers, employment agencies and the Government of Canada whose goal is to help 40,000 young Canadians between the ages of 15 and 29 facing barriers to entering the workforce get the skills and experience they need to find good quality jobs by 2023.
The Youth Employment Strategy is a government-wide initiative that seeks to help young people aged 15 to 30 years gain the skills, abilities and work experience they need to launch meaningful careers.
"When young Canadians have a fair chance at success, everybody benefits. Supporting youth as they transition into the workforce and giving them the training they need to succeed will grow our economy and strengthen the middle class."
- The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"Opportunity For All Youth is changing the way businesses hire young workers, and actively working with employers to remove barriers to youth employment. On behalf of the employers who make up the Opportunity For All Youth coalition, I thank the Government of Canada for its support of our ground-breaking initiative."
- Richard Derham, Lead Executive, Opportunity For All Youth
Quick facts
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The Opportunity For All Youth employer coalition aims to fundamentally improve opportunities for vulnerable youth by setting a collective goal of providing meaningful employment and job training to 40,000 Canadians aged 15-29 who face barriers to entering the workforce by May 2023.
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The Government invests over $330 million in the Youth Employment Strategy (YES) to help young people gain the skills and work experience they need to find and maintain good employment.
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Budget 2019 proposes to invest $49.5M to support the ongoing modernization of the YES.
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Budget 2017 invested an additional $395.5 million over three years. Combined with Budget 2016 measures, these investments will help:
- more than 33,000 vulnerable youth develop the skills they need to find work or go back to school;
- create 15,000 new green jobs for young Canadians; and
- provide more than 1,600 new employment opportunities for youth in the heritage sector.
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The Strategy is currently being modernized, informed by the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Youth Employment and extensive engagement with youth, service delivery organizations and other stakeholders.
