Connecting Youth to Jobs in Cornwall
June 2, 2021Cornwall Ontario – Looking for work in today’s new world has many youth wondering where they fit in. The Youth Job Connection (YJC) team is here to help young job seekers secure and maintain employment during and after the pandemic.
The Youth Job Connection program has been successful in helping over 500 young adults to find a job in the Cornwall region. The program focuses on helping participants discover who they are, understand employer expectations and develop skills that are essential to keep a job. The Youth Job Connection team offers individual job coaching, on the job mentorship, supervised training by the employer and financial supports to help youth get started.
The YJC program includes three weeks of paid pre-employment workshops. These workshops serve as the stepping-stone to a guided job search and provides participants with a paycheck, while they attend. One participant commented that the teacher kept it interactive and had a great attitude, commenting that: “the workshops were actually very useful in showing me all the services and connections I didn’t know I had access to, to help my friends as well. I wish I could’ve attended in person, but online was pretty cool.”
During the pandemic Job Zone d’emploi has pivoted to offer the workshops online. Once restrictions lift youth will have the option to access the program virtually or in–person.
“Our team has the knowledge and connections to help youth navigate through their job search and assist them to maintain employment,” said Laurie Lafrance, YJC Employment Consultant with Job Zone d’emploi. “Whether they are searching for that first job, or wanting to figure out their future – we are here to help.”
Job Zone d’emploi has had long-standing relationships with many local employers, including Olymel.
“The Job Developers at Job Zone have taken the time to visit the plant to really understand our environment and jobs so that a good match is made,” says Heather Jiujias, Human Resources Director at Olymel Cornwall. “The involvement does not end with the candidate placement and contract. Job Zone d’emploi continues to follow-up with both us, the employer and the employee helping to facilitate long term success.”
Another big supporter of the program is St. Hubert Restaurant.
“We have been in partnership with Job Zone since the mid 1990’s achieving excellent results for their clients,” says Debbier Cooper of St. Hubert Cornwall. ‘Together with their dedicated, dynamic and professional job consultants, we have been able to fill job positions. We are able to coach and train candidates whether they are young or inexperienced, a mature adult, a new immigrant, changing careers or simply just looking for a job within the hospitality sector.”
Youth Job Connection is one program in a new, more comprehensive and targeted suite of employment programs and services the Ontario government has implemented to more effectively help young people across a broader spectrum of needs improve their skills and find work. This includes Youth Job Connection and the existing Employment Service.
The Youth Job Connection program serves youth aged 15 to 29 who are seeking employment by providing the following supports:
- Paid pre-employment training to promote job-readiness;
- Job matching and paid job placements, with placement supports for participants and hiring incentives for employers;
- Mentorship services; and
- Education and work transitions supports.
The Youth Job Connection program is funded by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. For more information about the Youth Job Connection program in Cornwall contact Job Zone d’emploi at 613-933-9675 or in Winchester at 613-774-5627.
About Job Zone d’emploi
Job Zone d’emploi has been providing assistance and helpful resources to employers in the City of Cornwall and counties of Stormont and Dundas for over 30 years. Job Zone d’emploi offers a variety of bilingual employment related programs and services, and is located at 144 Pitt Street in Downtown Cornwall. Information can be found on their website at: