Mayor's Youth Employment Initiative

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (July 10, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

To seek approval of allocations to the four agencies described below to deliver the Mayor's Youth Employment Initiative.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

$200,000.00 is contained in the Corporate Grants Account.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the $200,000.00 for the Mayor's Youth Initiative be allocated in the following manner:$78,000.00 to North York YMCA, $76,000.00 to Alternative Youth Centre for Employment,

$16,000.00 to College de grands Lacs, and $30,000.00 to Goodwill Industries, as per the conditions and requirements outlined in this report;

(2)staff provide an evaluation report at the conclusion of the Initiative; and

(3)the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto.

Council Reference/Background/History:

On April 29-30, 1998, Council approved the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit Report, recommending the allocation of $200,000.00 to implement the Mayor's Youth Employment Initiative.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

The Mayor's Youth Employment Initiative will be delivered by North York YMCA, Alternative Youth Centre for Employment, College de grands Lacs and Goodwill Industries. These agencies will be required to provide pre-employment counselling and support, job placements and post placement support to participating youth.

The Initiative is funded through a partnership among the City, Federal and Provincial levels of government. In addition to the City contribution of $200,000.00, Human Resources Development Canada and the Ministry of Education and Training are each contributing $400,000.00 for a total public sector contribution of $1,000,000.00. The majority of funds will be used as wage subsidies, and the Provincial level of government will cover administration costs that are incurred over and above their $400,000.00 contribution. The City's combined Federal/City contribution of $600,000.00 will be administered by the Social Services Division.

The Corporate sector will support the Initiative by providing partial wage subsidies and employment opportunities to at-risk youth.

The Initiative will provide 250-500 at-risk youth with meaningful full-time employment opportunities which will allow them to gain new employment related skills, and connect them to the current labour market. It is expected that participating companies will continue to employ these youth beyond their subsidized placements.

Program data will be gathered regarding intake, completion of placements, and numbers of jobs continuing after placements end. The data will be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of wage subsidy approaches to address youth unemployment and informing the design of future initiatives.

Conclusions:

On April 29-30, 1998, Council reviewed the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit Report of April 28, 1998, and approved an allocation of $200,000.00 to implement the Mayor's Youth Employment Initiative.

It is recommended that the $200,000.00 for the Mayor's Youth Employment Initiative be allocated in the following manner: $78,000.00 to North York YMCA, $76,000.00 to Alternative Youth Centre for Employment, $16,000.00 to College de grands Lacs, and $30,000.00 to Goodwill Industries, as per the conditions and requirements outlined in this report; and that staff provide a report at the conclusion of the Initiative.

Contact Name:

Patrick Chartrand

Tel: 392-8653