Idea acf3845:

Building Greater Halifax's Youth 2 Employer Connection

Posted November 12, 2009

• Posted by: Y2E Connection - Linking Youth to Employers in Greater Halifax
• Location: halifax regional municipality
• Category: Support Youth
• Cost: Big ($50,000 – $250,000)

The Y2E Connection – Linking Youth to Employment Opportunities in Greater Halifax

Our community has a vision and a plan for Greater Halifax. We want to make it easier for young people to connect with the right career services and employment opportunities in Halifax Regional Municipality. For the past 12 months, hundreds of community members, employers, educators and others have worked together to develop the Y2E Framework, a plan that will make the business connection between youth, local employers, and jobs. We’re now ready to take action and make it happen.

Why Do We Need This?

In Greater Halifax, there are thousands of talented young people 15-30 years who have difficulty finding and keeping a job. These youth could be newcomers with skills but no Canadian experience, educated youth who are unemployed, minority groups, rural youth challenged by transportation issues, single parents, those who have not completed high school, etc. At the same time, there are hundreds of employers who are having difficulty finding and hiring the right employee – a person whose skills, interests, and passion match their job opportunity.

Youth and Employers both have trouble connecting to the right community services that will put them on the path to a successful match. Organizations like the YMCA, FutureWorx, CEED, and the Black Business Initiative run a variety of excellent programs that help youth reach their learning and career goals and that help employers find candidates who will be successful in their workplace. But there’s not one accessible, comprehensive, tool or system that makes it possible for youth, service providers, and employers throughout Greater Halifax to connect and be successful.

Our Solution - the Y2E Connection

Our community needs funding to build Greater Halifax's Youth Employment Connection – an online community operating system that makes the right connections…between the right information…and the right people…at the right time.

The Y2E Framework, and specifically the Y2E Connection tool, completes the circle - connecting youth not only to jobs but to the education, training, development opportunities, and support services they need to reach their goals and start their career right here in Halifax where employers are looking to hire young people who bring energy, new ideas, and valuable skills to their businesses.

This tool will bring our community’s vision to life!

The Y2E Connection will:

• Match, refer, and connect people to the right information and services - life services (food, housing, health), career development (education, training, interest assessments, internships, job shadowing), employer resources and support (youth friendly designation, employability certification), etc.

• Enable e-mentorship and online support (i.e. online counseling)

• Make it possible for organizations to refer their clients between agencies and collaboratively manage cases – coordinating service delivery to help organizations better serve youth and employers throughout Greater Halifax.

• Engage employers in workforce development – helping youth explore and train for local career opportunities

• Make the right match between an employer’s job opportunities and a youth’s career interests, skill, and fit within a workplace

• Illuminate and complete the education pathway - youth identify and explore career interests --> youth are connected to education/ training opportunities that qualify them for actual career opportunities in Greater Halifax --> employable youth are matched to local job opportunities.

We have the Vision. We have the Plan. We have the People to Make it Happen!

Vote now for the Y2E Connection and build the buzz – share it on Facebook and MySpace, Tweet and Blog about it, Digg it, forward your e-vite, or voice your support on YouTube….you get the jist.

If you want to learn more about the Y2E Framework visit www.greaterhalifax.com/y2e.

• 

  Connecting Youth and Employers in Greater Halifax
  
  November 13, 2009 @ 10:39 AM

  
  

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• CindyG.

  This is a terrific community initiative that is the first of is unique to Nova Scotia and to Canada! The Y2E connection connects people to the right information at the right time and then supports them in their jobs. It also highlights education and career pathways! please vote.
  November 16, 2009 @ 1:51 PM EST

  
  

• CindyG.

  This is a terrific community initiative that is unique to Nova Scotia and to Canada! The Y2E connection connects people to the right information at the right time and then supports them in their jobs. It also highlights education and career pathways! please vote.
  November 16, 2009 @ 1:51 PM EST

  
  

• BrentP

  As a 23 year old unemployed graduate here in Halifax, this sounds great to me.. Looking forward to seeing what comes of it!
  November 17, 2009 @ 8:34 PM EST

  
  

• Go Halifax!

  Great tool for connecting the services in Halifax to act in a coordinated manner. We really need everyone to vote everyday for this and tell all their friends.
  November 18, 2009 @ 8:01 AM EST

  
  

• Careerdriven

  I'm interested in how this will show me the right path to train for the job that i really want. We all hear about the traditional jobs, but there's so many other choices and no clear cut "map" to follow to get the right kind of education or where to go or who to contact! I hear this will also connect me to any funding that i'd be eligible for. Very nice.
  November 18, 2009 @ 8:39 AM EST

  
  

• Brian Austin

  From my experience in the labour market after graduating university I feel like employers are not always hiring the candidates who would have the best ability to add value to the job (for a combination of reasons). I see this happen all too much. However, a community development project like this could really help connect the right people with a "perfect match" for the themeselves and the employers. It makes things easier for everyone, which leads to more productivity in Nova Scotia. When this much collaboration happens, everyone wins ! Best of luck. :)
  November 19, 2009 @ 10:36 AM EST

  
  

• Chris

  I agree with Brian Austin 169%
  November 19, 2009 @ 11:01 AM EST

  
  

• Chelsey W.

  I see untapped talent in Nova Scotia all the time. So many talented people here who experience difficulties getting a meaningful employment experience. You don't see this as much anywhere else that I know of. Something like this needs to be done. I also agree with Brian Austin 100% !
  November 19, 2009 @ 12:05 PM EST

  
  

• AndrewFraser

  Nova Scotia is such a beautiful place we need to invest this to help keep our brightest and best around! I totally agree with Brian Austin. You the man!
  November 19, 2009 @ 1:54 PM EST

  
  

• Jere

  haha, Brian Austin ! you would be part of this.... well it sounds good to me ! I can def. say that something needs to be done. I know tonnes of people finding it hard to get a job and they have to leave our province. We just need to be creative!
  November 19, 2009 @ 2:02 PM EST

  
  

• Justin L.

  Hey, thanks for inviting me B! They need to get something like this on the go cause there's something not right when all kinds of talent including myself have to leave to find work. I could be doing something productive at home if it was easier to find work.
  November 19, 2009 @ 2:09 PM EST

  
  

• Jillian

  Hey Brian, thanks for inviting me! I'd like to see this happen :) Goodluck!
  November 19, 2009 @ 4:08 PM EST

  
  

• natalie_corm

  Everybody keep on voting!!:) As an upcoming graduate wanting to stay in Halifax, this initiative is something I strongly believe in!
  November 20, 2009 @ 9:22 AM EST

  
  

• Brian Austin

  Be like me, i'm voting everyday !
  November 24, 2009 @ 1:31 PM EST

  
  

• MATLANTIVEX

  I want to help match, refer, and connect people..... Help people promote others rather than promote themselves..... "Reverse Networking" ........ I want to help enable mentorships ........ I want to help today's youth explore and train for local career opportunities and make the right match between an employer’s job opportunities and a youth’s career interests, skill, and fit within a workplace.... www.mattwhitman.ca
  November 27, 2009 @ 4:57 AM EST

  
  

• yourfuturehr

  Important Initiative - youth are the future and we need skilled, confident and capable young people in our communities. there are many young people in the region that we work with everyday- they are skilled, creative and talented - but need mentor ship, and support. They simply need a "leg up" to follow their dreams and become engaged. Everyone wants to have meaningful experiences, and at CEED - we help people realize their dreams through supportive and professional skill development - and programming - targetted towards priority youth. This initiative will help us to broadent he reach in our community and create greater capacity, influencing success for young people in our region for our community and for the greater economy.
  December 2, 2009 @ 9:25 AM EST