Citizen Services and Program Delivery Branch Network Based Delivery Ontario Region Stakeholder Session November 2012

Agenda Youth Employment Strategy Skills Link Career Focus Canada Summer Jobs Opportunities Fund Modernization of Grants and Contributions Digital Economy Strategy (Skills Link and Career Focus) Calls for Proposals Other Programs Our Offices Questions

Youth Employment Strategy The Youth Employment Strategy is the Government of Canada's commitment to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the skills, work experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market. The Youth Employment Strategy is comprised of three program streams: Skills Link, Career Focus, and Summer Work Experience.

Youth Employment Strategy The Youth Employment Strategy is a horizontal initiative involving eleven federal departments and agencies. Service Canada offers programming under each program stream: Skills Link funding for employers and organizations to help youth facing barriers to employment obtain the knowledge and develop the broad range of skills and work experience they need to participate in the labour market. Career Focus funding for employers and organizations to create career-related work experiences for post-secondary graduates. Canada Summer Jobs an initiative under Summer Work Experience provides funding to help employers create summer job opportunities for students.

Skills Link Skills Link is a client-centered program that provides funding for employers and organizations to offer eligible activities to youth facing barriers to employment. Skills Link was developed to assist youth in various circumstances, including those who: are single parents; are of Aboriginal descent; have disabilities; are recent immigrants; live in rural and remote areas; or have dropped out of high school.

Skills Link Individual Skills Enhancement This intervention enables youth to participate in short term courses that fill specific, identified gaps in their education and skill development. The need for this intervention must be identified through client assessment and documented on the participant's employment action plan. It is to be used when there is no other means of support available to meet the individual's identified skill needs. Courses supported under Individual Skills Enhancement are pre-employment in nature or entry-level courses which are pre-requisites for longer term programs of study.

Career Focus Career Focus provides funding for employers and organizations to create career-related work experiences for post-secondary graduates. A career-related work experience is an activity through which Career Focus participants can gain employment experience and skills related to their field of studies or career goals.

Canada Summer Jobs Canada Summer Jobs is a Government of Canada initiative designed to help students who are having difficulty finding summer jobs because of where they live or other barriers. This initiative provides funding subsidies to Canadian employers so that they may create career-related summer jobs for students between the ages of 15 to 30. It is designed to focus on local priorities, while helping both students and their communities. Eligible employers include: not-for-profit organizations; public sector employers; and private sector employers with less than 50 employees.

Opportunities Fund The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities is a funding program for organizations to assist people with disabilities integrate into the labour market. The objective of the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities is to provide organizations with funding to support people with disabilities in preparing for, obtaining and keeping employment or becoming self-employed, thereby increasing their economic participation and independence.

Modernization of Grants and Contributions Direct Deposit The Government of Canada is committed to the modernization of Service Canada’s Grants and Contributions programs.

Digital Economy Strategy The Government of Canada recognizes that the ability of youth to effectively use new digital technologies will be crucial to their successful and stable transition to the labour market. The role of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada in the Digital Economy Strategy is to support the development of digital skills across the economy to increase productivity.

Digital Economy Strategy For greater details on the Digital Economy Strategy and its impact on the Skills Link program, please visit: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/epb/yi/yep/newprog/sl_des.shtml For greater details on the Digital Economy Strategy and its impact on the Career Focus program, please visit: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/epb/yi/yep/newprog/cf_des.shtml

Call for Proposals Service Canada is committed to a fair, transparent, responsive and accountable process for awarding project funding. A key element is the process for calls for proposals for all contribution projects valued at or above $500,000 per annum. As part of this process, calls for proposals will be posted on the Service Canada web site to facilitate access. For more information on Calls for Proposals for Employment Programs, please visit: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/epb/lmd/sc/call_for_proposal.shtml

Other Programs New Horizons Program for Seniors (NHSP) Is a federal grants and contributions program that supports projects led or inspired by seniors who want to make a difference in the lives of others and in their communities. For more information, please visit: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/community_partnerships/seniors/index.shtml Work-Sharing Is an adjustment program designed to help employers and employees avoid layoffs when there is a temporary reduction in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer. For more information, please visit: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/work_sharing/index.shtml

Our Offices – Submitting Applications Kitchener Program Delivery Unit Skills Link for Southwestern Ontario and Opportunities Fund for all of Ontario 409 Weber Street West, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4L6 Sudbury Program Delivery Unit Skills Link for Northern Ontario and Individual Skills Enhancement for all of Ontario Box 1450 Station B, Sudbury, Ontario - P3E 5K4 Kingston Program Delivery Unit Skills Link for East/Central Ontario P.O. Box 1267, Kingston, Ontario K7L 4Y8 Mississauga Program Delivery Unit Skills Link for the GTA, and Career Focus, Work-Sharing, and New Horizons for all of Ontario 430 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga, Ontario L5T 2S5

Contact Us For additional information on Service Canada’s Grants and Contributions programs in Ontario you can: Call 1-866-945-7342 Click http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca

Thank you. Questions?