Applicant Guide for Skills Link and Career Focus Programs

Proposal Development

Project Information

Project Title - will be used when referring to the proposal.

Project Summary - provide a summary of the project, including the number of participants, the location, the duration and the nature of the project activities.

Project Objectives - provide a clear and measurable description of:

Project objectives, activities, goals and measurable milestones;
Expected outcomes, including how project activities will benefit the community and assist participants in acquiring employability skills, finding employment, becoming self-employed, or returning to school;
Targets for the number of youth completing the project and the number of participants achieving the results listed above; and
Other positive outcomes related to proposed activities.

For more information regarding the objectives of the Skills Link and Career Focus programs, please refer to the relevant sections of this guide.

Proposed Activities - are key components of the proposal and should be clearly defined. Only project activities that take place in Canada will be eligible for funding. For further clarification about eligible project activities for Skills Link and Career Focus programs, please refer to the appropriate program section.

Evaluation Criteria - should provide a description of how each participant's progress and achievements, and/or the overall success of the project will be measured, monitored and reported during and after the project.

Expected Results - should clearly define the expected outcomes the project will achieve. For more details, please refer to the Skills Link and Career Focus sections in this Guide.

Applicant Information

Applicant's Background, Mandate and Expertise

This section should include a description of the applicant's:
history and number of years in business;
mandate and traditional ongoing activities;
ability to manage the proposed project (e.g. human resources, financial planning/budgeting experience, etc.); and
experience in dealing with youth.

Past Projects and Achievements

This section should include a description of:

Previous experience in delivering youth-related projects funded by Service Canada and by other federal departments, municipal, provincial, or territorial governments (include department, responsible project officer, project name, date length, funding, proposed targets and outcomes); and
Previous projects.

If you are applying for funding from other areas of Service Canada and/or other government departments under the Youth Employment Strategy, please indicate: the name of the government department, the amount of funding requested and/or approved, the number of participants and how the activities differ from the ones requested in the proposal for funding under Service Canada.

Participant Information

Targeted Participant Profile (where applicable)

Participant information should describe the:

Participants' recruitment method, (i.e. through interviews and/or information sessions, referrals from youth serving agencies, case managers and other community organizations) and based on links between the employment action plan and project activities;
basis for selection of participants (i.e. eligibility criteria, interests, commitment, education and/or readiness for participation in a project);
participants targeted (i.e. youth facing barriers to employment and employment equity designated groups); and
means by which participants' eligibility will be verified.

Skills Assessment Process of Participants (where applicable)

This section should include a detailed description of the methodology to be used to determine the employability needs of each participant. Client assessment and case management are required for all Skills Links participants. For Career Focus participants, the assessment process will be brief as all will be post-secondary grads who have identified a career path. The assessment process will enable a better match between participants and their career goals. Please refer to the detailed descriptions found further in the Guide.

Key elements of the assessment process include:

gathering information on participants' background, education, skills and goals;
determining eligibility;
identifying needs for work experience and/or employability skills support;
matching work experience with participant's needs;
confirming participants' interests and motivation; and
documenting assessment results.

Partner Information

This section should specify details concerning the:

employers' participation and other partners (i.e. type of organization, location, experiencedealing with the target group, etc. );
proposed job descriptions outlining the roles and responsibilities of partners involved; and
relationships between the various partners and the applicant, including monetary and/or in-kind contributions, and details concerning the specific involvement and relevant experience (if applicable) of each partner in the project.

Applicants and/or partners (including employers) must provide monetary and/or in-kind contributions that reflect a commitment to the success of the project. This funding could come from the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and/or other levels of government. In addition, private sector employers must make either a cash or in-kind contribution to the project.

Community Information

This section should provide a description of the community, including information and planning activities concerning:

geographical, socio-economic and labour market factors;
the relationship between the various partners and the applicant, including monetary and/or in-kind contributions, and details concerning the specific involvement of each partner in the project;
any support and cooperation the community would provide;
any relevant community consultation carried out; and
how the project meets labour market needs in the community.

Budget

It is important that the monthly budget reflects as closely as possible the projected financial requirements and any explanations as needed (without use of abbreviations).

Key elements to consider in determining the project budget are: contributions from other sources, duration of the project, occupations, prevailing wage rates and type of project activities. Please note that applicants must also detail monetary and/or in-kind contributions from other sources that reflect a commitment to the success of the project.

Application for Funding (EMP5209) and Forecast of Cash Flow (EMP5216) Forms

Applicants must also complete the Application for Funding (EMP5209) and the Forecast of Cash Flow (EMP5216) forms and submit it with the application package. Both forms must be signed by authorized representative(s) of the organization. It is important that the monthly budget reflect as closely as possible the projected financial requirements and any explanations as needed (without use of abbreviations).

Successful applicants may be required to provide a revised budget and Forecast of Cash Flow. Key elements to consider in determining the project budget are: contributions from other sources, duration of the project, occupations, prevailing wage rates and type of project activities. Please note that applicants must also detail monetary and/or in-kind contributions from other sources that reflect a commitment to the success of the project.

Cost Listings

Applicants must submit proposals and applications with the budget portion structured into 11 categories of costs. The eligible cost categories provide instruction on the eligible costs listing, the categorization of those eligible costs and the parameters of budget flexibility, all of which constitute this particular administrative improvement. These categories and budget flexibility apply to the following youth programs:

Career Focus
Skills Link

For information on eligible and ineligible costs for each of the programs, please refer to the Skills Link and Career Focus section of this Guide.

The list below has been developed as a guide for all Service Canada programs in determining whether costs described in the proposal are to be considered eligible for negotiation, and is not to be considered exhaustive and all-inclusive. Inclusion in this list does not suggest that those cost items must be automatically allowed in whole or in part. However, completely disallowing any cost item included in this list must be substantiated. It is important to note that the existing principles of negotiation remain. Costs must be determined to be a reasonable use of public funds, reasonable in amount, and contribute to the success of the project.

No costs are eligible as a contingency option. Costs must be foreseeable to be negotiated in the original agreement and will otherwise require a negotiation and amendment of the contribution agreement.

Project Costs

A. Activity Related Direct Project Costs: These are specific costs related to the functions of the projected activities which have been itemized, cost estimated and supported in the proposal, i.e. wages/salaries and related office costs of management or other staff whose time is spent specifically on management or delivery of project activities. Reimbursement will be supported by invoices (and/or travel claims, as appropriate) and will be subject to monitoring and audit.

Examples of costs for which a contribution can be considered include, but are not limited to:

1) Staff Wages

a) Staff wages and Mandatory Employment Related Costs;
b) Other employment-related benefit costs (Workers Compensation Benefit (WCB), medical, dental, pension, etc.) where warranted by current organizational Human Resources (HR) policies;
c) Other HR costs such as extended illness and maternity leave, vacation leave pay out, severance pay, etc. where warranted by current organizational HR policies and provincial labour standards. (This is not a contingency option. Costs must be foreseeable to be negotiated in the original agreement and will otherwise require a negotiation and amendment when incurred.);

2) Professional Fees

d) Professional fees - contracting (e.g. bookkeeping, janitorial services, Information Technology (IT), equipment maintenance services, security; audit costs and legal fees are noted separately below);
e) Legal fees (i.e. reasonable allowance for costs related to review of lease for new project site premises);

3) Travel

f) Staff and volunteer travel (transportation costs, taxi, kilometric charges, etc. as per staff travel claims; includes international travel where warranted; transportation is noted in category 1C);

4) Capital Assets

g) Capital assets (any asset requiring agreement of disposition, as per program specific Terms and Conditions (Ts and Cs) value; may be any of the assets included in this listing);

5) Audit Costs (departmentally mandated)

h) Audit costs related to departmentally mandated audits;

6) Other activity-related direct project costs

i) Furniture;
j) Staff disability supports (duty to accommodate);
k) Staff training for disability-related issues (e.g. sign language training);
l) Conference attendance fees;
m) Conference costs (meeting room rental, guest speakers, etc.);
n) Rent, lease (including applicant owned premises) and repairs and leasehold improvements (insurance is noted below, in category 1C);
o) Signage;
p) Utilities;
q) Equipment lease, rental or purchase (including computers, fax machines, etc.; copy charge for photocopies is included in the Equipment repair and maintenance cost item below, in category 1C);
r) Computer software;
s) Costs associated with use of applicant-owned assets other than premises (e.g. computers and other equipment, furniture, etc.);
t) Memberships (professional and organizational), affiliation fees and business licenses and permits;
u) Advertising (newspaper ads, flyer production, etc.);
v) Reference materials (books, periodicals, subscriptions, etc., which cannot be easily traced/tracked back to usage by project participants);
w) Significant project costs associated with the following types of expenditures (i.e. one-time, non-recurring, non-standard/non-basic amounts over and above the regular, day-to-day operational costs):
- i. Telephone (installation and extraordinary costs related to telephones and/or fax lines required over and above regular operating requirements);
- ii. Postage (significant costs associated with project activities, which increase expected costs of postage beyond normal operating requirements);
- iii. Internet (web page design, etc.) and other IT requirements (significant costs associated with project activities, which increase expected internet related costs beyond normal operating requirements);
- iv. Printing (significant costs associated with project activities, which increase expected printing costs beyond normal operating requirements); and
- v. Staff professional development (courses required by staff, which are not part of the routine development courses required by the organization's policies);
x) Costs related to transition/wind-down (severance pay, other HR related costs, penalties for breaking leases, etc.).

B. Participant Related Direct Project Costs: Expenses associated with the participant of a particular project. Reimbursement will be supported by invoices and will be subject to monitoring and audit.

Examples of costs for which a contribution can be considered include, but are not limited to:

7) Participant Wages

a) Participant wages and Mandatory Employment-Related Costs (MERCS);
b) Stipends, bonuses;
c) Other employment-related benefit costs (WCB, medical, dental, pension, etc.) where warranted by current organizational HR policies and/or provincial labour standards;

8) Participant Tuition Costs

d) Tuition costs public;
e) Tuition costs private;

9) Other Participant Related Project Costs

f) Living expenses;
g) Disability-related supports (attendant care, note takers, sign language interpreters);
h) Disability-related incremental costs (i.e. additional per diems for fees for assistance provided, etc.);
i) Professional fees related to participants sub-contracting (i.e. vocational assessments, needs assessments, guest speakers, etc.);
j) Dependant care;
k) Adaptive-technology set-up;
l) Materials and supplies, books and testing materials, to be used by/for participants;
m) Travel, transportation; and
n) Participation and completion of recognition activities.

C. Other Direct Project Costs: Expenses associated with the project under this heading can be included in payments that are based on a formula.

10) Other Direct Project Costs

Examples of costs for which a contribution can be considered include, but are not limited to:

Insurance (fire, theft, liability);
Standard, regular, day-to-day, operational, recurring costs related to:
- i. Basic telephone charges (including fax lines);
  ii. Postage and courier;
  iii. Monthly internet fees;
  iv. Operational printing contracted externally (business cards, letterhead, ad hoc unanticipated print jobs, minor updates and/or printing of organizational or program brochures, etc.);
  v. Equipment repair and maintenance (includes photocopy meter charges); and
  vi. Staff professional development - amount to cover basic training needs as per organization's existing policies; employment related requirements, which can include, but is not limited to, health and safety, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), self-defense, crisis intervention, anti-racism, anti-oppression, sensitivity, conflict resolution, etc..
c) Materials and supplies (e.g. pens, pencils, paper, envelopes, cleaning supplies, subscriptions);
d) Bank charges;
e) IT maintenance;
f) Other non participant-based costs (e.g. water where public water not safe for drinking, staff and volunteer recognition);
g) Staff and volunteer transportation (bus fare, taxi and parking required for delivery of project activities but not part of travel claims; does NOT include monthly parking fees; travel is noted in category 1A).

2. Organizational Infrastructure Costs

Also known as centralized administrative costs, these are expenses incurred for main office , head office , or administration office type costs, which guide and enable effective program delivery and contribute to the success of the project by providing support through overall organization governance, management, planning, finance, communications, human resources and information technology. These are costs related to functions which are not project specific i.e. wages/salaries and related office costs of management or other staff whose time is not spent specifically on management or delivery of project activities.

11) Organizational Infrastructure Costs

Examples of costs for which a contribution can be considered include, but are not limited to:

Staff wages and MERCS;
Other employment-related benefit costs (WCB, medical, dental, pension, etc.) where warranted by current organizational HR policies;
Other HR costs such as extended illness and maternity leave, vacation leave pay out, severance pay, etc. where warranted by current organizational HR policies and provincial labour standards. (This is not a contingency option. Costs must be foreseeable to be negotiated in the original agreement and will otherwise require a negotiation and amendment when incurred.);
Rent, lease (including applicant owned premises) and minor repairs and leasehold improvements;
Utilities;
Furniture;
Signage;
Equipment purchase, lease or rental (including computers);
Costs associated with use of applicant-owned assets other than premises (e.g. computers and other equipment, furniture, etc.);
Equipment maintenance and repairs;
Software;
Professional fees contracting (e.g. bookkeeping, janitorial services, IT, equipment maintenance services, security);
Audit costs;
Staff disability supports (duty to accommodate);
Telephone costs;
Postage and courier;
Internet costs (web page design, etc.) and other IT requirements;
Printing costs;
Advertising costs;
General insurance (e.g. directors liability insurance);
Travel and transportation (including board members);
Training and development costs (volunteer and staff);
Office supplies;
Bank charges;
Memberships and affiliation fees (professional, inter- and intra-organizational, etc.).

3. Ineligible Cost

Costs associated with fundraising activities;
Canada Revenue Agency or payroll penalties;
Parking tickets;
Legal fees and court awards for inappropriate dismissal or other inappropriate/illegal activity;
Membership fees for privates clubs, etc. (golf clubs, gyms, etc.) unless part of existing (non-monetary) employment benefits package;
Staff salary bonuses if not originally negotiated into agreement;
Purchase of alcoholic beverages;
Purchase of any illegal substances;
Mentor wages (under Youth projects);
Unreasonable gifts or unreasonable payments for recognition;
Other costs ineligible as per program terms and conditions.

Costing Options for Skills Link

Service Canada has developed an approach whereby applicants to Skills Link can choose one of three costing options. Two of these costing options include a flat percentage rate developed to represent actual costs of delivering a project and/or operating a business. Contribution recipients must keep receipts and supporting documents that support the expenditures under the flat rate as they could be subject to an audit; and if chosen must supply supporting documentation for the amounts indicated in 1C and 2. The three options available to applicants are:

Departmental Flat Percentage Rate: a flat percentage rate that is offered by the department for Other Direct Projects Costs (type 1C in the Eligible Costs Listing) and, if applicable, Organizational Infrastructure Costs (type 2). The rates offered by Service Canada to applicants for Skills Link projects are:
- 4% for Other Direct Project Costs (Type 1C) = multiplied by the sum of cost type 1A + 1B; and
- 10% for Organizational Infrastructure Costs (Type 2) = multiplied by the sum of cost types 1A + 1B + 1C; or
Organization Specific Flat Percentage Rate: an independent flat percentage rate for Other Direct Project Costs (type 1C) and, if applicable, Organizational Infrastructure Costs (type 2), which is established through an assessment of a submission (based on an applicant organization's own methodology) to a centralized group in the department; or
Reimbursement of Actual Costs: reimbursement is based on actual expenditures incurred.

The applicant will select a costing option and submit a proposal and application based on that chosen method. The costing option cannot be changed over the course of an agreement.

Also, choosing a costing option using a flat percentage rate requires that a flat percentage rate be used for cost type 1C as well as, if relevant, type 2 costs. In other words, applicants cannot choose a flat percentage rate for cost type 2 and request reimbursement for actual costs incurred for cost type 1C.

The departmental flat rates can currently be applied for Skills Link (Project) agreements delivered by Service Canada that include:

Skills Link Employment Services for Youth:
- Youth Outreach,
- Client Assessment,
- Case Management, and
- Employment Sessions; and/or

Skills Link Employment Interventions for Youth:
- Group-based Employability Skills,
- Employability Skills through Community Service,
- Employability Skills through Work Experience,
- Employability Skills through Entrepreneurship,
- Work Experience; and/or
- Individual Skills Enhancement (Community Coordinator only); and

Any combination of the Employment Services and/or Employment Interventions listed above.

The departmental flat rates cannot be applied for Skills Link agreements that include the following activities:

Community-based Planning
Pre-operational Assistance
Individual Work Experience
Individual Skills Enhancement (with/for an individual)

For more information about Skills Link activities, please refer to the Skills Link section of this Guide.

Costing Options for Career Focus

Presently, the flat rate options are not available for the Career Focus program. Therefore, reimbursement is based solely on actual expenditures incurred. Service Canada is in the process of developing a departmental flat percentage rate for Career Focus.

Assessment of Proposals

The criteria-based assessment process for evaluating proposals ensures that all project proposals are evaluated objectively against the Terms and Conditions of the respective program, client and community needs, availability of funds, and themes and priorities of the current year. To obtain information about local, regional and/or national priorities, applicants should contact their local Service Canada Centre.

Proposals are assessed, recommended and approved based on the following criteria:

eligibility of the applicant;
experience in delivering this type of activity;
results achieved in delivering any previous projects under the Youth Employment Strategy;
quality of the proposal;
extent to which the project will assist participants in making a transition into the labour market;
extent to which the project will meet identified community and labour market needs;
means to measure the progress of the participants and the success of project activities;
adherence to local, regional and/or national priorities;
clarity of objectives, outcomes and scheduled time frames;
potential of project to address employability gaps;
involvement and commitment of partners;
demonstrated administrative procedures for the management of the project; and
demonstrated bookkeeping and financial controls.

Following the assessment and approval of proposals, applicants will be notified in writing of Service Canada's decision.Please note that project recommendation and approval are subject to the availability of funds. In addition, funding of proposals may be approved in part or in their entirety.

Contribution Agreement

Approved proposals become the subject of a formal contribution agreement between Service Canada and the applicant. Project activities must not commence until an agreement is signed by the applicant and Service Canada. Costs incurred prior to both parties signing the contribution agreement will not be reimbursed.

Both Skills Link and Career Focus allow for multi-year contribution agreements, up to three years in duration. The duration of each agreement will vary depending upon factors such as strategies identified during the planning process, types of activities, the applicant's previous experience with program delivery, financial viability, and organizational capacity, and the availability of funds.

Payment and Advances

To avoid delays in processing claims, the contribution recipient must ensure that:

expense claims are submitted in a timely manner and;
all expenses claimed are allowable under the contribution agreement.

Monitoring and Follow-up

Contribution recipients will be instructed to submit both financial and progress reports to assess the project's effectiveness. Contribution recipients will also be required to provide reports on participant results following the project's completion.

Contribution recipients can expect Service Canada to monitor the project, reconcile expenses against the contribution funding paid and to verify the results achieved. This may include on-site visit(s), direct contact with the contribution recipient and/or participants, or a paper-based review of any claims presented to Service Canada for payment.

Previous Table of Contents Next

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.