Youth Employment Strategy (YES)

What is the Youth Employment Strategy?

The Government of Canada created the Youth Employment Strategy (YES) to help young Canadians (aged 15 to 30) obtain career information, develop skills, find good jobs and stay employed. In some cases, the Government of Canada funds employers and community organizations to hire youth and help them gain practical work experience and develop employment skills. In other cases, federal departments and agencies offer initiatives that give youth work experience in specialized fields, such as international development or science and technology.

This national strategy offers a broad range of initiatives:

  • Skills Link helps young people, who face more barriers to employment than others, find employment to help them gain valuable work skills. They could be high school dropouts, single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, youth in rural areas or newcomers.
  • Career Focus provides funding for employers and organizations to create career-related work experiences for post-secondary graduates.
  • The Summer Work Experience provides wage subsidies to employers to create summer employment for secondary and post-secondary students, and support the operation of summer employment offices. The Summer Work Experience initiative includes:
    • Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative that provides funding for not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for students between the ages of 15 and 30.

Why was YES created?

During the 1990's, many young Canadians were having a hard time finding work. They often faced the "No experience, no job / no job, no experience" dilemma.

The Government of Canada introduced the Youth Employment Strategy in 1997 as one solution to this problem. It was designed to help young Canadians find those important first jobs that enable them to get the experience they need. The Strategy continues to help youth find jobs, but now places greater emphasis on helping youth develop the skills they need to get those jobs. The Government has also improved assistance for youth who face barriers to employment and helps them develop the skills they need to get and keep a job.

Who can participate?

Youth can participate in the Youth Employment Strategy if they are:

  • between 15 and 30 years of age;
  • a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada
  • legally able to work in Canada; and
  • not receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.

To participate in Skills Link, youth must also be:

  • out of school; and
  • facing barriers to employment such as having dropped out of school, living in a rural area, have a disability, a single parent, Aboriginal, or newcomers to Canada.

To participate in the Summer Work Experience programs youth must also be:

  • a secondary or post-secondary student; and
  • returning to full-time studies.

To participate in Career Focus, youth must also be:

  • a post-secondary graduate.

Additional Information for Employers and Youth

Eleven Government of Canada departments and agencies partner with other governments, businesses and communities to deliver the initiatives under these programs. If you know which federal department or agency offers the initiative you are interested in, contact that department or agency directly.

Employers can visit their nearest Service Canada Centre for information on applying for Skills Link, Career Focus and Canada Summer Jobs funding.

Many employers who receive funding to hire young Canadians through the Youth Employment Strategy post their jobs on the Job Bank Web site.

Other Information Contacts: