Talking Points: A Cross-Regional Dialogue on Youth Employment

From the end of October 2007, until early April 2008, a stakeholder-driven needs assessment was conducted by EVIDENCE Evaluation and Consulting.

The overall purpose of the research was to:

• Explore what contributes to success in the working relationship between job developers and employers in support of youth employment and job retention.

• Foster dialogue between local training boards and youth employment centres in London, Toronto and Peterborough.

The Talking Points needs assessment examined the interface between employers and service providers to assess what works and what does not work. Other practices or information that would be useful to assist the youth employment sector in better matching employers with clients were also examined.

The key findings are summarized under three headings:

• Youth Characteristics and Behaviours

• Employer Characteristics and Practices

• Job Developer Characteristics and Practices.

Recommended strategic actions, arising from the key research findings, are grouped according to three themes:

1. Job Developer Roles, Challenges and Building JD Capacity
2. Understanding Employer Perspectives and Building Capacity
3. Effective Practices and Tools to assist Youth in Getting and Retaining Work.

Related documents: 

TalkingPoints4.pdf