Applied Research on Supportive Training, Social Enterprise and Employment First Practices for the Future of NL

About

Choices for Youth (CFY) is committed to building programs, systems, and opportunities that are focused on providing individualized support for young people, celebrating who they are, and working together to unlock their potential to build a brighter future.

According to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada, unemployment has risen to 15.5 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador. Specifically, the unemployment rate for youth ages 15-24 is 17.1% (Statistics Canada, July 2018). Compared to the Canadian unemployment rate at 11.1%, this statistic presents many questions that requires valid research and community engagement.

After more than 25 years on the ground, CFY recognizes there are many barriers to vulnerable young people entering and being successful in the workplace. Mental health challenges, substance use issues, criminal justice issues, literacy and learning disabilities and behavioral issues are all on that list. We further recognize that there is a large correlation between poverty, the social determinants of health, adverse childhood experiences, and unemployment.

By exploring the impact that social complexities and inequities have on educational and employment participation, we can validate policy and programmatic approaches to assisting youth and emerging adults to achieve success in the labour market. This work will also connect the changing realities of work and explore leveraging youth skills in a modern economy.

This project aims to analyze options for education, training and work to gain a stronger understanding of how it relates to changing economic and social conditions of the 21st century, particularly in the context of marginalized youth and emerging adults in our province. We want to understand how the future changing nature of work and the rapid social changes experienced by our most vulnerable youth are influencing educational and labour market engagement.  

This applied research project will test the fidelity of the CFY Employment First approach in St. John’s and three other rural locations through the modernization of traditional labour market development training options, built specifically for youth with the social determinants of health embedded in program design; providing supportive employment opportunities through social enterprise; and measuring the impact of individualized case management on youth labour market attachment in both supportive and competitive employment environments.

Primary Research Questions:

  1. What are the common principles/elements of successful labour market engagement efforts, and can these be adapted to different jurisdictions in Canada interacting with marginalized youth?
  2. What is the relationship between social inclusion and employability for marginalized youth in Newfoundland and Labrador?
  3. When given dedicated social supports based on a timeframe reflective of their needs, such as access to safe and appropriate housing, income, nutrition, social and health supports, does employment and training programming attain better outcomes for youth when compared to traditional employment programs?
  4. What outcomes can social enterprise models achieve when employing youth who face multiple barriers to employment? What impact does social supports have on their employment success?

Who

Research led by Choices for Youth.

Where

St. John’s

When

October 2019 – November 2022 *This research project is completed.

Research Project Deliverables

The Choices for Youth/NL-Workforce Innovation project was first initiated in January of 2019 and was designed to research, and build capacity for, the employment development of young people aged 16-29 in Newfoundland and Labrador. This project, led by the Department of Education, Employment and Social Enterprise (EESE) at Choices For Youth (CFY) was structured to gather data through community consultations, allowing us to gain insight on the economical and educational gaps that young people are experiencing.

The data collected would, in turn, inform the development and testing of training programs with wrap-around supports to assist young people as they navigate employment and education in the  province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was believed that through this research CFY can illustrate that young people can be an asset to community development and the labour market when enabled and empowered to do so.

Click here to read the CFY Final Report.

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This slide deck was presented at a Stakeholder Briefing on November 17, 2022.

This video was presented at the NL Workforce Innovators Roundtable 2021 on October 5.

Choices For Youth presented the NL Youth Employment & Education Summit in November 2022, supported by NLWIC. Watch the video detailing the research project findings and other panels throughout the day by clicking here.

– Back to NLWIC-Funded Research Projects Home –