JOB CLASSIFICATION: Youth Employment Specialist
DEPARTMENT: Employment Services
COMPANY: Skills for Change
LOCATION: 1345 St Clair Ave West
REPORTS TO: Supervisor, Employment Services
CONTRACT TYPE: Indefinite ( Unionized )
HOURS: 35 hours per week (Monday- Friday)
RATE : $25.72 per hour
With 43 years of operations, Skills for Change is a highly respected non-profit charity with a province-wide reputation for pioneering programs that respond to shifting immigration and workplace trends and lead to employment. We offer a range of accelerated programs including mentoring, employment, settlement, and language training together with specialized programs for skilled trades, women, and youth. We have 3 locations across the GTA and serve 16,000 clients annually.
Skills for Change offers a range of resources, supports, and service components to respond to the employment needs of individuals and the skilled labor needs of employers, and to help individuals on a path to higher skill training and employment. The Barrier Breakdown: Dedicated Employment Pathways for Underserved Youth program will provide underserved youth with tailored wraparound support and career counselling as they explore opportunities in the Skilled Trades, STEM, and sustainability sectors. The focus is on ensuring multi-barriered youth have access to equitable career and education pathways and dedicated support to help not just identify but remove barriers to fulfilling and prolonging employment or further skills development. The Youth Employment Specialist will deliver pre-employment support, case management and career development through tailored skills development and employment services.
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Provide diverse youth with tailored career development, guidance and individualized employment support through skills development and employment services.
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Conduct intake and recruitment activities to engage participants for the program.
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Facilitate skills building workshops and field trips for youth in partnership with subject matter experts and workshop facilitators
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Provide career counselling related to sectors of skilled trades, STEM and sustainability to strengthen youth employment across these sectors.
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Offer career pathway exposure, future job prospects, and information about in-demand skills in all three fields.
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Support youth job seekers with addressing barriers to employment through available wrap around supports for mental health, mentorship, coaching and other referrals.
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Provide individualized case management support to youth clients, including assessing employment and training needs to support career success.
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Liaise and coordinate sector-specific Work Integrated Learning (WIL) employment opportunities and skills training with employer
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Utilize innovative approaches to career development that support youth to build capacity and overcome barriers to employment.
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Identify, engage, and build relationships with employers to fill skilled labour gaps and secure meaningful employment opportunities for clients.
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Support employers in working with individuals from identified Inclusion groups to overcome barriers to employment.
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Support job seekers and employers through SfC led networking events and job fairs.
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Conduct outreach to generate referrals to the program and build community engagement and relationships.
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Connect with internal programs, outside agencies, and other community groups to raise awareness of and create intake pathways to the program.
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Gather and utilize Labour Market Insight and information to support clients and employers.
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Seek opportunities to advance client learning through participation in other training programs.
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Build and maintain a positive working relationship with employers.
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Connect with internal programs, outside agencies, and other community groups to raise awareness of and create intake pathways to the program.
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Attends various internal and external meetings, representing SfC for the purpose of client case conferencing, professional development, community engagement and program improvement, with a focus on achieving KPIs.
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Provide information and assistance to clients using the program resources (computers, books, fax, and photocopiers) in the Job Search facility.
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Participate in the distribution, collection, collation, and analysis of participant surveys and other evaluation to continually improve services based on client feedback.
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Liaise with other program staff members on an ongoing basis to support and monitor clients' progress.
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Provide staff backup support as required within team, Employment Services, and agency locations
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Handle additional tasks as required by the Supervisor and Senior Manager of Employment Services
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Problem Solving: Identify issues and work toward solutions.
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Quality Focus: Ensures that programs and services are exceptional.
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Planning and Organizing: Establishes a clearly defined and effective course of action for self and others to accomplish short- and long-term goals.
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Relationship Building and Collaboration: Builds positive interactions both internally and externally to achieve work related goals.
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Coaching and Development: Commits to assisting participants, volunteers and self in continuous learning and development.
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Conflict Resolution: Assesses the conflict situation and exercises good judgement in recommending solutions.
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Appreciate and support SfC’s values, mission and vision.
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Inspires self and others to be their best.
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Demonstrate energy, dedication and enthusiasm.
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Thrive in an atmosphere of change and ambiguity.
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Work as a member of a team.
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Achieve planned results through personal initiative.
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Post-secondary degree/diploma in the Social Sciences, Social Services, Adult Education or a related discipline or equivalent work experience, with preference to graduates of an employment counselling program.
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Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office products and the ability to use a variety of computer programs. Knowledge of working with databases and generating reports.
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3 years of experience working in 1:1 employment counselling and group facilitation role working with newcomers, youth,
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women, Indigenous, racialized, and other diverse groups in employment Ontario or other employment programs.
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A minimum of 3 years' work experience in employment program delivery as counsellor or facilitator with preference given to those working in employment services such as Ontario Works, Employment Ontario, ODSP or Settlement Employment.
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3 years experience working with youth in an employment/career development setting Knowledge of, and familiarity with, community resources and labor market information.
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Sensitivity to, and understanding of, issues and barriers to employment faced by immigrants, women, clients with disabilities, youth, racialized, and other disadvantaged groups.
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Ability to handle a large workload, program deadlines, and competing priorities.
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Ability to travel throughout the GTA to meet the needs of clients and program delivery expectations. Excellent facilitation and employment counselling skills.
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Excellent verbal, written communication, customer service and presentation skills. Proficiency in MS Office, ability to deliver PowerPoint presentations.
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Advanced Knowledge of applicable Employment Service guidelines. Advanced knowledge of other applicable agencies, programs, and services. Advanced knowledge of local community agencies.
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Knowledge of Employment Counselling principles.
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Advanced knowledge of Employment Standards, Human Rights and Ontario Labour Law. Strong interpersonal and client focused skills as well as a positive attitude towards change.
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Initiative, energy, and persistence to complete tasks as well as excellent time management and teamwork skills Planning and organizational skills.
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Conflict resolution skills.
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Relationship-building and collaboration skills.
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Problem solving skills and resourcefulness in meeting clients’ support needs by identifying issues and working toward solutions
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Ability to speak additional languages an asset.
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Ability to work daytime, some evening and weekend hours.
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Client appointments and direct client service are expected by the funder to be delivered in-person.
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Employee hours of work will be scheduled between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., between Monday and Saturday, as per Article 16.01.
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Skills for Change provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants, refugees and equity seeking groups to access and fully participate in the workplace and wider community to persons with disabilities to newcomers to Canada (including refugees) to Indigenous peoples to members of a visible minority to children or youth to seniors to the LGBTQ2 community.
Skills for Change offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in each stage of the hiring process. If you are contacted regarding a job opportunity, please advise if you require accommodation. This document is available in alternate format on request.
We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
