Leadership Institute and CivicAction partner to overcome obstacles to youth employment

In London, Ontario, 20 per cent of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed (double the provincial average). At the same time, growing local sectors, including manufacturing, are working harder than ever to find the right entry-level talent.

Clearly there is a missing link between supply and demand.  

On July 5^th, CivicAction and the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at the Ivey Business School partnered to bring together 12 employers, including government and social service organizations, and companies such as RBC, 3M and McCormick Canada, to talk about obstacles, best practices and tools to hire and retain young people facing barriers to employment.

This meeting was unique because it highlighted that the private sector can, and should, be part of the puzzle to solving youth unemployment in London. Here’s what employers had to say:

• For many employers, awareness of young people as a talent pool is just beginning to become an area of focus. Greater awareness-building of the benefits of engaging this population – and specifically those who come from vulnerable backgrounds – is needed.
• There is both social and financial value to employers of hiring youth – we need to get better at capturing and communicating this value to convince others to get on board.
• In many cases, employers understand the “why” of youth hiring, what they need help with is the “how”. Case studies of employers that have successfully hired youth are critical to reduce the risk for other employers to follow their lead. 

Building on ground-breaking work in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) through the Escalator: Jobs for Youth Facing Barriers initiative, this event was the first in a series of consultations CivicAction is conducting this summer with employers across the province. Through this event and the consultations to come, employers across Ontario will learn about the value of youth facing barriers as an employment stream and help to shape a suite of tools designed to support employers to engage and retain young talent.

This is a win-win for private sector here in London and in Ontario with evidence suggesting that youth from non-traditional backgrounds stay with their employers longer, support innovation through enhanced digital literacy, and offer a compelling return on investment.