Abstracts
Abstract
The Youth Job Connection program in Ontario, Canada is designed to help multi-barriered youth transition into the workforce. As part of an evaluation of the program, a review of comparable employment programs in Canada and similar English-speaking countries was conducted, which involved 57 national and 36 international programs. The purpose of the review was to identify promising programs and explore how they support the successful transition of NEET (not in education, employment, or training) youth into the labour market. A major finding was that promising youth employment programs not only address the work needs of marginalized youth, but also life skills and life stabilization. Such programs incorporate pre-employment training, mentoring and job coaching, paid work placements, life skills training, and life stabilization supports. Life stabilization supports varied across programs, with different amounts and types offered; further research is needed to determine what life stabilization supports best help NEET youth to secure and maintain employment. Considerations for improving the quality of employment programs for NEET youth are discussed. Lastly, given that NEET youth are not a homogeneous group, youth employment programs should target subpopulations of NEET youth, like those that are marginalized.
Keywords:
- marginalized youth,
- youth unemployment,
- workplace transitions,
- NEET youth,
- youth development,
- young workers
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Alexandra Youmans PhD (corresponding author) is a continuing adjunct assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, 511 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7M 5R7. Email: sandy.youmans@queensu.ca
Alicia Hussain PhD is a senior research associate at the Conference Board of Canada, 135 Laurier Avenue West. Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J2. Email: hussain@conferenceboard.ca
Lorraine Godden PhD is the FUSION National Lead, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6. Email: lorrainegodden@cunet.carleton.ca
Benjamin Kutsyuruba PhD is a professor in the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, 511 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7M 5R7. Email: ben.kutsyuruba@queensu.ca
Alana Butler PhD is a professor in the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, 511 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7M 5R7. Email: alana.butler@queensu.ca
Christopher DeLuca PhD is an associate dean in the School of Graduate Studies and a professor in the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, 511 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7M 5R7. Email: cdeluca@queensu.ca
Samantha Shewchuk PhD is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Research Use in Education at the University of Delaware, 210 S College Ave, Newark, Delaware, 19716, United States. Email: shewchuk@udel.edu
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