Youth Employment Strategy Guide for Applicants
Skills Link
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to participate in the job market. This program offers a range of activities that can be tailored to meet individual needs and provide more intensive assistance over longer periods of time.
Skills Link introduces a new client-centred approach based on assessing the specific needs of individual youth. During the client assessment process, employability skills, issues and needs are identified, as well as employment goals. Youth selected to participate in Skills Link activities then develop an employment action plan and are case managed by an advisor. The case managers guide and support participants while they work through their employment action plans and develop their employability skills. Youth benefit from this client-centred approach and the ongoing support that helps them to successfully complete activities and, ultimately, find and keep a job.
Eligible Participants
To participate in Skills Link projects, youth must be:
- between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
- in need of assistance to overcome employment barriers.
- Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons on whom refugee protection has been conferred;5
- out of school;
- legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations;6 and
- not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.7
Skills Link participants are youth at greater risk than others of not making a successful transition to the workplace and establishing themselves within the labour market. This includes, but is not limited to, challenges faced by recent immigrant youth, youth with disabilities, lone parent youth, youth who have not completed high school, Aboriginal youth, and those youth living in rural or remote areas. The assessment of risk encompasses a broad range of social, economic and demographic factors. All factors considered must be documented in the client's file.
5 Refugee protection must be conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Persons awaiting refugee status, as well as those who hold a temporary visitor visa, student visa or work visa, are ineligible to participate in a Youth Employment Strategy initiative.
6 In those provincial/territorial jurisdictions where labour legislation states a different minimum age for employment, the age eligibility for Skills Link should be adjusted to reflect provincial/territorial requirements. Any underage participants will have to leave the program regardless of the point at which they are identified. Any other applicable legislation or regulations must also be observed.
7 Participants must not be in receipt of EI. Priority will be given to non EI-eligible youth (i.e., not entitled to Part 1 or Part II benefits). EI recipients wishing to participate in a Skills Link project should consult an EI agent and voluntarily withdraw from EI.
Project Activities
The following Skills Link project activities can be supported individually or in combination, and should form part of the participant's employment action plan. Client assessment is required for all potential Skills Link participants, and case management is mandatory for all youth selected to participate in a Skills Link activity.
Group-based Employability Skills:
This type of activity provides groups of young people with life and employability skills, normally in a workshop setting. These interventions are pre-employment activities for youth who are not yet prepared to enter the world of work or who need further development before undertaking a work experience activity.
Employability Skills through Community Service:
This type of activity enables young people to acquire life and employability skills by working in teams. Youth build their skills in workshops tailored to participant needs; these skills are then reinforced through community service. These interventions are often appropriate for young people who are not yet ready to work with an employer.
Employability Skills through Work Experience:
This type of activity blends skill-building opportunities with work experience. Youth participate in workshops on life and employability skills and learn to apply these skills during work placements with employers. The majority of participant time is spent working with employers: for example, three days per week may be spent in the work placement while the remaining two days are spent in skill-building sessions. Employers coach their young employees to maximize the benefit gained by through the intervention. These interventions can be done on an individual or group basis.
Work Experience:
This type of activity involves young people working with employers to develop and enhance employability and occupational skills through practical on-the-job work experience. Employers coach their young employees to maximize the benefit gained through the intervention. Work experience can be arranged on an individual or group basis. These interventions may also be used to support the development of entrepreneurial skills.
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About the Youth Employment Strategy
Thirteen Government of Canada departments and agencies work in partnership with business, labour, industry, not-for-profit and voluntary organizations, rural and remote communities and all levels of government to help young people get the information and develop the skills and work experience they need to prepare for and participate in the world of work. Read more about this initiative or call the Youth Info Line at 1 800 935-5555.