Ontario.ca Français

Employment & Entrepreneurship

Starting a new business or rewarding job helps young people build their sense of identity, connects them to new people and places, and allows them to develop lifelong skills. Employed young people can better contribute to their families and their own well-being and can reduce the economic costs related to unemployment and poverty. Ontario’s workforce and job market continue to change. Ontario has focused on developing innovative strategies to ensure young people can access employment in a competitive economy. It has also sought to help employers and qualified candidates connect.

Outcomes #10, 11, 12

Ontario wants youth to:

• Have opportunities for meaningful employment experiences
• Have the skills and resources needed to develop a successful career or business
• Be safe and supported at work

This year, Ontario supported young people to have safe and meaningful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities by creating new programs and expanding on existing strategies. Its programs and policies have made progress in the following areas:

• Connecting cross-sector partners to create opportunities for youth to develop the right skills and access a changing labour market
• Creating more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, particularly for vulnerable youth
• Engaging youth to ensure they are safe and supported at work

New in 2014–2015

Employment increases access to resources and can improve well-being and life outcomes for youth. This year, Ontario carried out strategies to create jobs, train youth with appropriate skills and help job seekers and employers connect. The government also developed new supports for youth who face the greatest barriers to accessing employment.

• Part of Ontario’s 2013 Youth Jobs Strategy, the Youth Employment Fund exceeded its initial goal of helping more than 25,000 young people aged 15 to 29 find work, particularly those facing multiple barriers to employment. The fund helps young people access job opportunities, develop skills and gain valuable work experience.
• The renewed Youth Jobs Strategy builds on its previous success and will receive an added $250 million over the next two years for youth employment programs. The strategy will serve up to 150,000 young people and focus on skills development, labour market connections, entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Also part of the renewed Youth Jobs Strategy, the government recently launched Youth Job Connection, a new program to provide intensive support and training to young people who face complex and multiple barriers to employment, such as poverty, homelessness, disability and mental health challenges. It focuses on paid pre-employment training, job opportunities and wraparound supports, including mentorship for youth aged 15 to 29 who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).
• Ontario supported the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative’s Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program (AYEP) for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students in nine district school boards across Ontario. This program gives students high school credits and uses Aboriginal content in case studies.
• Ontario supported the expansion of the Magnet career-networking platform in 20 colleges and universities across the province to help university and college students access labour market information and transition into the workforce.
• The Ontario Job Futures website was updated to provide more career-related information on over 200 occupations and employment outlooks for 2013–17. Ontario launched a mobile version of the website in January 2015 to be better aligned with the way young people access information online. Following the website update, traffic to the site rose by 50% compared with a year earlier.
• Ontario supported the ongoing development of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance’s Financial Services Career Advisor website. The site provides information to students and job seekers on career opportunities in the financial services sector that has been collected from employers in the sector.

What the Data Says

• Studies suggest that seven out of 10 new jobs are expected to require postsecondary education or training.²⁰
• 85% of youth who participated in the Youth Employment Fund have either been hired or gone on to further employment.²¹

New in 2014–2015

Ontario’s economy, workforce and job market continues to change. As a result, the government is working to remove skills barriers, encourage entrepreneurship, and help youth to lead in innovation, and generate new ideas and perspectives. This year, Ontario supported opportunities for youth to develop the skills they will need in a changing economy.

• The Private Sector Jobs and Mentorship Initiative convened partners in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Hamilton Area to begin work on the recommendations of the Escalator: Jobs for Youth Facing Barriers report that support employment for high-risk youth. The Escalator initiative provides technical skills, internships and mentoring through NPower’s Technology Service Corps program. It is being expanded provincewide as part of the enhanced Youth Action Plan.
• The Mining Essentials program, developed by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, is now being delivered in French and English. The program provides hands-on experience relevant to the mining industry to Aboriginal peoples, while incorporating Aboriginal cultures and traditions.
• The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines’ Northern Ontario Internship Program is a pilot program for recent postsecondary graduates. It supports training and work experience in a variety of sectors in Northern Ontario.
• A new initiative of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Abilities Connect Fund, creates experiential employment and training opportunities for postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities. It also helps remove financial barriers associated with providing workplace accommodations for employees.
• The development of a Supported Employment Demonstration for young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involved consultation with experts, researchers and service providers. This two-year Demonstration focuses on assisting young people with ASD aged 14 to 30 get and keep paid employment.
• The Employment and Modernization Fund offers financial support for projects that promote greater inclusion and independence for youth and individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Summer Company gives students aged 15 to 29 hands-on business training, mentoring and grants of up to $3,000 to start and run their own summer business. Participants get to keep the profits made through the operation of their businesses.

What the Data Says

• Almost one in five new jobs in Ontario over this decade is expected to be in trades-related occupations.²²
• Youth that show entrepreneurial behaviour are 1.5 times more likely to have received training in starting a business.²³

New in 2014–2015

Young workers are often vulnerable workers. They are often employed in non-standard jobs such as temporary and part-time positions. They may hold service-sector jobs or internships. They may earn only the minimum wage. They may have the minimum amount of training needed to operate heavy equipment. This year, the government continued to work with employers to ensure all young workers are safe, qualified and prepared for employment in diverse areas.

• The Ontario legislature passed Bill 18, the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014, to help protect vulnerable workers, including youth. Employers and supervisors now have the same duties towards unpaid co-op students and many other learners and trainees as they do paid workers. Unpaid students and trainees now have the same rights as paid workers, including the right to know about hazards in the workplace and to refuse unsafe work.
• Public consultations were held for the Changing Workplaces Review to look at issues that affect workers and employers in our changing economy. A couple of examples of those issues are the increase in temporary and part-time work, and the rise of service-sector jobs. Consultations considered legislative amendments to best protect workers, including youth, while supporting businesses.
• A new Occupational Health and Safety Prevention and Innovation Program awarded 12 grants to organizations throughout the province to help improve occupational health and safety in workplaces. One of the organizations that received a grant is Our Youth at Work Association.
• For seven consecutive years, employment standards officers have carried out various enforcement blitzes to ensure employers comply with the Employment Standards Act, 2000. The following blitzes took place in 2014–15:
  • A proactive enforcement internship blitz that focused on interns and unpaid internships
  • A proactive vulnerable and temporary foreign workers blitz that was held in sectors known to hire vulnerable or temporary foreign workers
  • A proactive new and young worker blitz that checked for hazards that could affect new and young workers, with the goal of preventing injury and death

Case Study

Hospitality Workers Training Centre

The Hospitality Workers Training Centre (HWTC) is a non-profit organization that provides hands-on vocational training for employment in Toronto’s growing hospitality industry. Training is linked to real employment needs identified by hospitality industry partners. Between 30 to 50% of the participants in the program are under the age of 30. Over 70% of participants are racialized and/or from low-income families. Participants include refugee and LGBTQ youth. A full 90% of youth in the program receive social assistance.

HWTC works with community partners across the GTA to identify, recruit and train strong candidates. It also works closely with industry partners to connect pre-screened and trained talent with the right employer. To support ongoing success, the program offers post-employment services. Those services include career development, vocational cross-training (to help students grow their careers in the sector), supervisory soft skills, English, computer skills and financial planning. With an 80% placement rate and a 70% retention rate among at-risk youth, this program is doing great work!

"I love being a houseman... I’m always on the move. It’s given me a purpose and a future." — Andre, graduate of the Hospitality Workers Training Centre

The Hospitality Workers Training Centre celebrates the graduation and achievements of its students.