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Applicant Guide for Skills Link and Career Focus Programs

Career Focus

Objective

Career Focus is a client-centered program for post-secondary graduate youth designed to meet the needs of a knowledge-based economy. The program links highly skilled young people with potential employers, and offers financial support to Canadian employers and organizations to provide a combination of career-related work experience and innovative skill development and learning opportunities.

Career Focus aims to:

increase the supply of highly qualified workers;
facilitate the transition of highly-skilled young people to a rapidly changing labour market;
promote the benefits of advanced studies; and
demonstrate federal leadership by investing in the skills required to meet the needs of the knowledge economy.

Eligible Participants

To participate in Career Focus projects, youth must be:

between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
post-secondary graduates⁵;
a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee status has been conferred⁶;
out of school;
legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulationss⁷ and
not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits⁸.

Given the skills level of the post-secondary graduates, the number of work experiences available under the Youth Employment Strategy, and the number of youth needing experience, youth are limited to one Career Focus work experience opportunity.

Eligible Costs

Financial assistance may be provided to cover all or a portion of the costs associated with operating and delivering approved activities. Costs may include:

income support to individuals (wages) based on the applicable prevailing wage rate for the occupation, to a maximum of $15 000 per participant;
mandatory employment related costs;
additional support to cover all or part of the Incremental costs for individuals to participate, such as dependent care, travel or transportation;
additional costs for persons with disabilities;
other support to cover the cost of items associated with the youth's participation;
overhead costs including wages and employment related costs for staff, licenses, permits, fees for professional services, bank charges, utilities, material, supplies, travel, insurance, rental of premises, leasing or purchase of equipment, audits, assessment and evaluations;
costs associated with the workers compensation actual costs or assessment paid directly to the provincial/territorial workers compensation;
costs associated with central administrative functions of the applicant organization that are used to support agreement activities.

Capital Costs

Any asset with a purchase cost exceeding $1,000 requires prior written approval from Service Canada, and must include a plan for disposal upon completion of the project. Also it is an excellent and sound business practice to obtain more than one quote when purchasing capital assets.

Project Activities

The only activity supported under Career Focus is a career-related work experience. This activity is restricted to post-secondary graduates and should be tailored to meet the skill gaps of the young person. Client assessment is therefore required for all potential Career Focus participants. Work experience agreements can be for an individual work placement or involve a group of young people.

Work experiences should be supported by workplace coaching and/or mentoring, to maximize the benefit to be gained by the participant. Costs incurred by the host employer related to coaching and mentoring (i.e. coach and/or mentor wages) will not be covered by Service Canada contribution funds.

Under Career Focus, Service Canada can support advanced employability skills for youth when they are offered in tandem with career-related work experience. Funding may be provided for advanced employability skill activities such as project management, entrepreneurial and leadership skills, communication, teamwork and career essential skills workshops. These workshops must be part of the project, and must never exceed 50% of the duration of the work experience.

Funding Parameters

Participants receive wages at the applicable prevailing wage rate for the occupation. The maximum cost per participant is $15,000. Amounts needed to accommodate participants with disabilities would be in addition to this maximum.

The duration of the work experience will vary in order for the participant to obtain the skills identified during the assessment. The maximum duration for a participant intervention under Career Focus is one year, including advanced employability skills workshops. Participation in Career Focus would normally be full-time (i.e. 30 hours per week or more).

Expected Results

Expected results should be described in concrete terms, be realistic and measurable. Examples include:

the expected final outcomes, including how the project activities will assist participants in: acquiring advanced employability skills, finding employment, becoming self-employed, or returning to advanced studies;
the target number of youth participating in the project and the anticipated number of participants who will have completed the project and achieved the results listed above (e.g. 20 youth will be participating in this project. Of these 20: 15 will have found employment, 5 will have returned to advanced studies, and all 20 will have acquired advanced employability skills); and
other positive outcomes related to the proposed activities.

IMPORTANT - Under Career Focus, Service Canada has established a minimum success rate of 80% of participants being employed or returning to advanced studies upon completion of their work experience.

_{5 Graduates of degree or diploma programs from universities, colleges, post-secondary schools of technology, post-secondary institutes and CEGEPS. These may be either publicly or privately funded institutions.}

_{6 Refugee protection must be conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Persons awaiting refugee status, as well as those who hold a temporary visitor visa, student visa or work visa, are ineligible to participate in a Youth Employment Strategy initiative.}

_{7 In those provincial/territorial jurisdictions where labour legislation states a different minimum age for employment, the age eligibility for Career Focus should be adjusted to reflect provincial/territorial requirements. Any underage participants will have to leave the program regardless of the point at which they are identified. Any other applicable legislation or regulations must also be observed.}

_{8 Participants must not be in receipt of EI. Priority will be given to non EI-eligible youth (i.e., not entitled to Part 1 or Part II benefits). EI recipients wishing to participate in a Career Focus project should consult an EI agent and voluntarily withdraw from EI.}

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More information for employers and youth

About the Youth Employment Strategy

Eleven Government of Canada departments and agencies work in partnership with business, labour, industry, not-for-profit and voluntary organizations, rural and remote communities and all levels of government to help young people get the information and develop the skills and work experience they need to prepare for and participate in the world of work. Read more about this initiative or call the Youth Info Line at 1-800-935-5555.