Program Overview

Youth Job Connection is an employment program that launched in October 2015, designed to help young people between the ages of 15 and 29 experiencing significant employment barriers. It provides access to employability and employment skills development, along with education/training and work experiences. The goal is to support young people in securing long-term employment and meaningful careers, while also assisting in steps towards secondary or postsecondary education or enrolling in other skills training.

Services include:

• Paid pre-employment training to promote job-readiness;
• Job matching and paid job placements, with placement supports for participants and hiring incentives for employers;
• Mentorship services;
• Education and work transitions supports.

Youth Job Connection consists of two components:

• Youth Job Connection is a year-round component offering intensive employment support to youth aged 15 to 29 who are not engaged in employment, education, or training and encounter significant barriers to employment.
• Youth Job Connection Summer provides part-time, and after-school job opportunities for high school students aged 15 to 18 who are navigating challenging life circumstances and may require support transitioning between school and work.

Responsibilities of employers participating in Youth Job Connection are outlined in placement agreements with service providers. These include:

• Providing suitable full- or part-time job placements aligned with the participant’s identified employment needs or career goals.
• Providing adequate supervision and training during the placement.
• Paying participants at a rate of minimum wage or higher.
• Contributing to costs associated with job-specific training or wages.
• Complying with all applicable employment related provincial and federal employment legislation.

The Youth Job Connection Program is not intended to incentivize youth to leave school; it is designed to help young people between the ages of 15 and 29 experiencing significant employment barriers. It provides access to employability and employment skills development, along with education/training and work experiences. The goal is to support young people in securing long-term employment and meaningful careers, while also assisting in steps towards secondary or postsecondary education or enrolling in other skills training.

Service providers conduct an assessment to evaluate the suitability and service needs of young individuals, which must align with the program’s objective of serving youth facing employment barriers. An exception to the unemployed criterion may apply to youth who are employed part-time in precarious jobs.

For individuals aged 15 to 18, legal exemption from attending high school is required. According to the Education Act, individuals under 18 must attend school unless legally excused. During the school year, to qualify for the program, service providers must ensure that individuals under 18 have been excused from attending school. This can occur if the individual has graduated or is participating in a Supervised Alternative Learning program (refer to section 21 of the Education Act and the Supervised Alternative Learning: Policy and Implementation, 2010).

Through consultations, we heard from many stakeholders that our youth employment and training services should target young people across a broader spectrum of needs.

Research shows that youth facing significant barriers to employment require more intensive and longer-term supports, such as pre-employment and job readiness supports, job placements and ongoing coaching. Youth with fewer barriers may only require lower intensity employment supports such as job search assistance and access to targeted labour market information to support their choice of career path.

Youth Job Connection consists of two components:

• A year-round component, which provides intensive employment supports for youth aged 15 to 29 who are not in employment, education or training and who experience multiple barriers to employment.
• A summer component – Youth Job Connection: Summer – which provides summer, part-time and after-school job opportunities to high school students, aged 15 to 18, who are facing challenging life circumstances and may need support transitioning between school and work.

Youth Job Connection supports youth with multiple and/or complex barriers to employment resulting from some combination of challenging life circumstances. This includes youth who may be racialized, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, or queer (LGBT2SQ), Indigenous, recent immigrants, or living with disabilities and mental health issues. In addition, youth may be facing some combination of other challenging life circumstances, including living in poverty, poor or lack of labour market experience, low levels of education and literacy, in conflict with the law, or low motivation.

Service providers delivering the program are required to assess potential participants using a defined set of suitability criteria.

YJC provides employment services to youth with multiple and/or complex barriers to employment. Building strong relationships with other community organizations is necessary to reach the clients most suitable for the program. Given the client target, the coordination with other community services and supports is also crucial to provide the supports necessary for the client to succeed in the YJC program.

Mentorship for instance is a key service component of YJC. It may be directly provided by the YJC service provider or in partnership with another organization. Service providers are expected to utilize the existing resources available in the community to assist and support the YJC participant in the program.

Youth Job Connection Summer offers more intensive supports, beyond traditional job search and placement opportunities, tailored to meet individual needs.

Supports include:

• Assessment of client needs: Youth meet with a service provider to clarify their summer and long-term education, employment and career goals and develop employment service plans, with activities and services designed to meet those goals.
• Pre-employment services: Youth participate in a minimum of 20 hours of paid pre-employment workshops designed to improve job readiness and life skills.
• Job matching, placements and employer hiring incentives: Youth participate in a paid job placement during the summer, or part-time after school or on weekends during the school year. Throughout the placement, participants have access to one-on-one job coaching support from the service provider.
• Education and work transitions support: Youth have access to transitions support after completing a placement, including advice on part-time or seasonal job opportunities during the school year, and career exploration activities focused on the longer term or future employment.

The year-round component is intended to help youth facing multiple and/or complex barriers to employment resulting from some combination of challenging life circumstances.

This includes, for example, youth who may be racialized, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, or queer (LGBT2SQ), Indigenous, recent immigrants, or living with disabilities and mental health issues. In addition, youth may be facing some combination of other challenging life circumstances, including living in poverty, poor or lack of labour market experience, low levels of education and literacy, in conflict with the law, or low motivation.

Youth aged 15 to 29 can apply to participate if they are unemployed, not in full-time training or education, an Ontario resident, and eligible to work in Canada. Youth aged 15 to 18 who would normally be in school must also have been legally excused from attending high school to be eligible to participate in daytime work placements.

To ensure participation of and access for youth who are most in need of support, the service provider is required to assess potential participants using a defined set of suitability criteria.

Up to $7,500 per client is available for a combination of pre-employment stipends, youth job placement supports, training/skills enhancement supports, and employer placement incentives. The amount provided for each type of support is determined by the service provider on a case-by-case basis, according to defined requirements and depending on the needs of the youth participant and employer.

Financial incentives for employers may be negotiated between the service providers and the employer to encourage employers to provide placements and offset expenses incurred by the employer during the placement.

The need for and amount of the incentive will be negotiated based on the skill level and complexity required for the placement, as well as the length of any on-the-job training required.

Like the year-round component, Youth Job Connection Summer offers intensive supports beyond traditional job search and placement opportunities, tailored to meet individual needs.

However, it is designed specifically to support high school students, aged 15 to 18, who are facing challenging life circumstances and may need support transitioning between school and work.

While Youth Job Connection Summer placements are expected to take place during the summer months, service providers can help eligible youth with part-time placements outside of school hours during the school year.

Youth Job Connection Summer offers more intensive supports, beyond traditional job search and placement opportunities, tailored to meet individual needs.

Supports include:

• Assessment of client needs: Youth meet with a service provider to clarify their summer and long-term education, employment and career goals and develop employment service plans, with activities and services designed to meet those goals.
• Pre-employment services: Youth participate in a minimum of 20 hours of paid pre-employment workshops designed to improve job readiness and life skills.
• Job matching, placements and employer hiring incentives: Youth participate in a paid job placement during the summer, or part-time after school or on weekends during the school year. Throughout the placement, participants have access to one-on-one job coaching support from the service provider.
• Education and work transitions support: Youth have access to transitions support after completing a placement, including advice on part-time or seasonal job opportunities during the school year, and career exploration activities focused on the longer term or future employment.

There is flexibility for the service provider to extend a job placement past the summer on a part-time basis. The maximum allowable period for a summer job placement is eight weeks; however, placements can extend into the school year as long as they do not exceed 10 hours per week, overlap with school hours, or take more than six months to complete.

While placements are expected to take place during the summer months, with a maximum allowable placement period of eight weeks, eligible youth participants can access all program components throughout the school year as well, including participating in a part-time job placement during the evenings and/or on weekends.

Placements extending into the school year must not exceed 10 hours per week, overlap with school hours, or take more than six months to complete.

The summer component of Youth Job Connection is intended to help youth aged 15 to 18 who have a lower likelihood of finding summer or part-time work on their own due to challenging life circumstances that place them at higher risk of poor education and work transitions compared to other groups of youth.

Youth aged 15 to 18 are eligible to participate in the program if they are high school students or, in the case of summer job placements, intend to return to high school or access postsecondary education after their placement. Participants must also be Ontario residents and eligible to work in Canada.

To ensure participation and access for youth who are most in need of support, the service provider is required to assess potential participants using a defined set of suitability criteria.

Up to $2,500 per client is available for a combination of pre-employment stipends, youth summer job placement supports, and employer placement incentives. The amount allocated to each type of support is determined by the service provider on a case-by-case basis, according to defined requirements and depending on the needs of the youth participant and employer.

Financial incentives for employers may be negotiated between the service providers and the employer to encourage employers to provide placements and offset expenses incurred by the employer during the placement.

The need for and amount of the incentive will be negotiated based on the skill level and complexity required for the placement, as well as the length of any on-the-job training required.

Funding is available to employers to encourage them to offer job placements and train program participants. The need for and amount of the placement incentive will be negotiated by the service provider based on the complexity of job skill level and the length of the on-the-job training required.

Incentive levels will vary as not all employers want or need incentives. In addition, not all employers who receive incentives will receive the maximum amount. Job skill levels and complexity as well as the length of training required will also vary.

Individual supports, like pre-employment service stipends and job placement support are also available. The maximum amount available for employer placement incentives is $2,500 per participant, minus the total amount allocated to individual supports.

Suitability indicators help in the selection of appropriate program participants. The justification and documented rationale for service will be recorded in the client’s file.

For example, if under 18, a Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) plan must be in place, and the client must be legally excused from school.

To participate in the programs, youth must be Ontario residents, eligible to work in Ontario and meet one of the following criteria:

• YJC: Aged 15 to 29, unemployed, and not enrolled in full-time training or education.
• YJCS: Aged 15 to 18, high school students intending to return to high school or access post-secondary education after summer job placements.

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, service providers delivering the program will be required to assess potential participants using a defined set of suitability criteria.

To be eligible, a client must be able to demonstrate their age, their Ontario residency and eligibility to work in Canada.

During the client assessment, and service coordination, the caseworker could refer the client to temporary housing organizations or transitional community services to assist in obtaining government identification and housing. Youth Job Connection is designed to help youth overcome such barriers.

Clients can access YJC through various ways: directly through the YJC service provider or through referral from an ES service provider, community organization or school board.

A client may be selected to participate once they’ve met with a YJC service provider to determine eligibility and suitability and assess employment and service needs.

A youth is eligible as long as they are under 30 the day the Youth Job Connection employment service plan is signed by the client.

Using their highly developed networks, service providers are responsible for recruiting eligible youth and employers to participate in the program.

Program information, including where to access the program, is also available to the general public on the Employment Ontario page on ontario.ca.

In addition, the Employment Ontario Contact Centre, available at 1-800-387-5656, offers up-to-date information on employment and training services in Ontario.

Service provider contact information is available through the Employment Ontario page on ontario.ca.

Using their highly developed networks, service providers are responsible for recruiting eligible employers to participate in the program.

Service providers must select appropriate employers using a defined set of eligibility and suitability criteria that includes factors such as whether the employer offers a placement that is consistent with the client’s goals, and/or has demonstrated positive employment outcomes for youth who have participated in previous job placements.

The government is committed to ensuring youth employment programs are accessible to all Ontario youth, while also ensuring public funds are spent effectively and services are targeted to where they are needed.

The program is delivered by qualified service providers within all Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM) and District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) areas across Ontario.

Where greater distances exist between service providers, organizations have been contracted to deliver itinerant (visiting) services to ensure all eligible youth can access Youth Job Connection within a reasonable distance.

The ministry will continue to evaluate the needs of clients and communities across the province and adjust funding allocations and client targets where appropriate. This will ensure service providers can continue to meet evolving needs in the communities they serve.

Youth Job Connection can provide job placement supports for a participant with a disability over the maximum $1,000 to cover costs related to assisted devices and other placement related accommodations.

The service provider must have the ability to deliver the contracted service in a facility that is readily accessible to individuals, including persons with disabilities.

In addition, the service provider must provide services in a manner that takes into account the youth’s disability (e.g., physical, cognitive or mental disabilities). Service providers are required to coordinate with other relevant human, social, health, housing, legal or education and training service providers as needed to ensure the youth’s full range of needs are being met.

Where services are not fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities, the service provider must have a plan to accommodate these individuals, by serving them in an accessible location or through partnership with another organization, in adherence to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

When appropriate, service providers can refer persons with disabilities to the services of the Ontario Disability Support Program – Employment Supports (ODSP-ES). ODSP-ES helps individuals with their unique needs, and provides a range of supports for employment and independence, such as technological aids, supports, devices, and personnel supports such as transcribing and sign language interpretation.

The government is committed to ensuring new youth programs are accessible to all Ontario youth, including Francophone and Indigenous youth.

To meet this commitment, the ministry conducted a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of geography, labour market information, service provider capacity and demographic characteristics to ensure community needs are met.

Where need has been identified, the service delivery network includes service providers with French language capacity and experience and expertise serving Indigenous clients.

The participant file should note the expected outcomes of the mentoring relationship, along with the arrangement details (mentor name, phone number), duration and notes on its progress.

The service provider should document how the arrangement was established (by the service provider or through an existing mentorship organization), applicable security documents (criminal record check and vulnerable sector check) and scheduled follow up on the arrangement with the client.

Yes. The intention of mentoring in the Youth Job Connection program is to support the development of “soft skills” and interpersonal and relationship building skills that are the foundation of workplace interactions. Mentoring can be offered in many facets, by the service provider or through an outside organization.

As the service provider will meet with the youth regularly throughout the participation in the program, it would be under their discretion to see if this support has met its purpose, or needs to be revised.

Yes. A mentor could be someone at the job placement who provides guidance and support to the client, outside of orientation and regular job duties.

Issuing stipend payments to participants is under the discretion of the service provider (i.e. daily or weekly).  The pre-employment stipend is intended as an incentive for completing the negotiated pre-employment training workshop. The participant can use these funds to offset costs of participating in the service, such as food, transportation, etc.

Service providers must track the attendance of the participant in the workshops and calculate the eligible stipend payment (minus applicable taxes) based upon their participation.

Service providers must negotiate a schedule for completing the required 60 hours of pre-employment services with the participant, based on their needs and as part of their employment service plan.

A service provider could schedule a YJC client into an ES RI workshop if the workshop was designed to achieve the same results. However, ES RI workshops alone will not meet the needs and participation requirements of YJC clients. Service providers will be expected to develop additional workshops to meet the needs of YJC’s highly barriered youth clients.

There may be situations where the participant may not be able to receive the stipend as it may interfere with benefits received through other income support programs. The service provider should speak to the participant’s caseworker to determine if the receipt of a stipend would disqualify them from continuing to receive benefits from their current income support (or from the same level of income support).

If their current income support program provides a greater amount of financial support than receiving the stipend, the participant may access the program without receiving the stipend, and must complete the required 60 hours of workshops.

It is up to the client to inform their caseworker of the additional financial supports they receive. The client must provide written consent prior to any discussion of personal information.

The participant would receive a stipend for those three hours. The date of payment of the stipend is to be decided by the service provider.

Yes. The maximum per individual client is $7,500. This includes the individual supports and stipend received by the participant and any employer incentives spent for job trials and job placements.

There is no minimum duration. Placement duration is based on the mutual needs of the client and the employer.

The maximum allowable period in any one job placement is 26 weeks.

No, job placement support costs can only be accessed during the job placement period.

Participants will receive a pre-employment stipend while attending their workshops. The pre-employment stipend is intended both as an incentive for participation and to offset costs related to participating in the service, such as food, transportation, etc.

If a participant requires assistance with childcare expenditures, the service provider should coordinate and refer to applicable community services for assistance.

No. Job placement and pre-employment are mandatory components of Youth Job Connection. Research shows that a minimum of 60 hours is required to support the needs of multi-barriered youth.

If pre-employment workshops are not required, it’s likely the client would not meet suitability requirements, and as such the client may access the Employment Service program for job placement services.

No, the client will be exited after the placement has ended (service impact is captured three months post-exit). Youth requiring ongoing career supports post-placement can continue to receive service through YJC’s Education and Work Transitions Support component, which is only available to clients after they have completed the program.

The service provider will be able to assist the client through the education and work transition supports for job or career guidance, general support or referral to another employment program with placement components.

It is the service provider’s responsibility to manage their budget for the delivery of Youth Job Connection. There are no exceptions for $7,500 maximum per individual.

Youth Job Connection funding supports and incentives available per client are similar to other current youth employment programs offered such as the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. Please visit Get help finding a youth or student job on ontario.ca for more information on youth employment programs.

An intake target is counted once a participant completes a minimum of 60 hours in pre-employment workshops, successfully completes their placement and the case is closed in EOIS-CaMS.

Yes, based on the client situation, they could participate in community services and Youth Job Connection concurrently. It is at the discretion of the service provider to determine if the client is prepared to participate immediately, or if it is appropriate to refer to other types of support or assistance before beginning Youth Job Connection.

Yes, it is recommended that service providers make those connections to other community services used by the client. As many Youth Job Connection (YJC) service providers also deliver other services, these connections will be pre-existing for many service providers.

As incentives are provided through YJC, it is important for the service provider to have a discussion with their client on any other income supports they may be receiving in order to not jeopardize other necessary supports. It is up to the client to inform their caseworker of the additional financial supports they receive.

The client must provide written consent prior to any discussion of personal information about the client.

No, a client may only have one open service plan.

Once the individual employment service plan is developed based on a comprehensive needs assessment, it is mutually agreed upon between the client and service provider, and signed by both parties, the client is officially accepted into the program. At this point we refer to a client as a program participant.

Gift cards may be used in exceptional circumstances to address specific needs of clients who are facing barriers in reaching their employment goals. An exceptional circumstance includes, but is not limited to, clients that are facing immediate financial hardship and require the urgent purchase of resources. Decisions should always be based on value for money.

Service providers must obtain itemized receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file.

In this case, service providers are encouraged to purchase the item for the client.

No, gift cards may not be used to reward clients for participating in Employment Ontario activities.

Gift cards for gas may be considered as a last resort if public transportation is not available, for example, in rural or remote communities. They should not be purchased in bulk and may not be purchased in denominations greater than $100. Receipts for gas cards must be retained, and if possible, receipts for the gas purchases should be obtained as well.

Service providers may use gift cards from these stores in exceptional circumstances and must ensure they obtain receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file. However, the recommended approach would be for the service provider to purchase supports with their corporate account on behalf of the client.

No, gift cards should only be purchased as needed.

These gift cards may be used in exceptional circumstances to address the specific needs of clients who are facing barriers in reaching their employment goals. Service providers must obtain receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file.

Service providers must obtain receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file.

Service providers must attempt to recover the funds for the unverified purchase pursuant to the wrongdoing clauses in their transfer payment agreements.

Service providers must attempt to recover the funds for the value of the ineligible purchase pursuant to the wrongdoing clauses in their transfer payment agreements.

A client with a balance remaining on their gift card must return it to the service provider.

No, service providers should review the Audit and Accountability Requirements (Schedule “H”) of their transfer payment agreements to determine appropriate program-specific use of financial supports.