Youth Employment Services
(Last Updated 2/5/2009)

The Youth Career Focus Program is a national initiative between Human Resources and Skill Development Canada and CSTEC. This important program aims to create career-oriented employment opportunities for recent graduates from Canada’s post secondary institutions and to provide them an opportunity to gain experience and develop their employment skills working in the broader Canadian steel industry.

The Youth Career Focus Program provides an employer with up to $15,000 in financial support to cover the wages and hiring costs of certain new employees.

Who is eligible for this program?

Employers
All employers in the broader steel sector are eligible to apply to CSTEC for funding from this program. To qualify, employers need to meet certain requirements.

• They need to provide opportunities for full-time work (i.e. at least 30 hours per week) for a minimum of 4 months.
• They need to provide CSTEC employment details for the new hire(s) i.e. start date, contract, wages and benefits.  
• They need to ensure the development of a formal learning plan for participants before the start of a placement.

Participants
New hires need to meet the following requirements.

• They need to be between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the time of selection.
• They need to be out of school.
• They must have a post-secondary graduate
• They must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a protected person within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• They must be legally entitled to work in Canada according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.

For more information on the Youth Career Focus Program and on how you can apply for assistance from this program, please contact Jack McGoldrick at jmcgoldrick@sympatico.ca.