Kelly Hoey
Executive Director,
HIEC and ApprenticeSearch.com
Canada is facing a crisis with youth unemployment, and it’s time we start talking about it.
A staggering recent report by Deloitte, entitled: Failure to Launch, noted that 850,000 Canadian youth are not working, in training or in school. The youth unemployment rate hit 14.5% in August, the highest it has been in a decade. Concerningly, the number of involuntarily unemployed young people has tripled over the last thirty years.
Last month, Kelly Hoey, the Executive Director of HIEC and ApprenticeSearch.com, took the stage at the 32nd Annual RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards to accept the highly esteemed Social Change Award: National Impact, for her outstanding contributions to Canada’s skilled trades ecosystem, particularly through the launch of ApprenticeSearch.com. The innovative online platform connecting job seekers with skilled trades employers has now become a critical national resource.
The timing of this recognition is noteworthy. It’s becoming clear that the work of organizations like ApprenticeSearch.com, who are actively embracing the undertapped potential of the skilled trades, will need to be a critical part of a future competitive Canada. While the Deloitte report’s data painted a grim picture of youth engagement in the workforce and the societal impacts, the economic opportunity they identified in fixing this problem is substantial.
Given that we are living in a time when skilled workers have never been more in demand, where is the disconnect?
First, there is still a misperception of careers in the skilled trades. Reshaping these perceptions has been a critical part of Hoey’s mission since the organization’s beginning.
Secondly, for those seeking to join the workforce, the initial steps can seem overwhelming. What sets ApprenticeSearch.com apart is the recognition and leveraging of the importance of the human connection.
“Most people who come to us require more than just a simple employer match – 90 per cent of the job seekers who register with us request individualized support,” said Hoey. “The demand is there, the drive to work is there, the missing piece when it comes to entering the workforce is the lack of network, experience, and skills to advocate for themselves to employers.”
Notably, in the context of the youth unemployment crisis, ApprenticeSearch.com has had significant interest and success with the vulnerable groups who have been identified by the report as having the highest rates of unemployment. In fact, the platform is very proud that 47% of its users identify as being part of at least one equity-seeking group. By bridging employment gaps and providing a vital next step for young people pursuing apprenticeship as their post-secondary pathway, ApprenticeSearch.com fosters a more inclusive workforce and continues to transform opportunities across Canada’s skilled trades.
Specifically, the report notes that newcomers to Canada are one of the most vulnerable groups facing increased barriers when getting their start in the job market.
In 2022, Bhanu arrived in Canada from India. He had three years of experience in industrial maintenance and was dedicated to becoming a millwright in Canada. He quickly realized that his ambition would only get him so far; he required additional support. After completing a pre-apprenticeship program, he met Becky, one of the coaches from ApprenticeSearch.com, who visited his campus and informed him of their services. According to Bhanu, that’s when things started to fall into place. Becky guided him through the job search process, helped him tailor his resume to the skilled trades, and worked with him to hone his interview skills. He emerged as a confident applicant and secured a great apprenticeship.
The impact of this type of mentorship cannot be overstated when it comes to bridging the gap to employment with newcomers.
Deloitte projects that a reduction of youth under and unemployment in Canada could result in an increase of real GDP by $18.5 billion by 2034. More importantly, as the authors of the report note, governments need to understand the material social and economic consequences if left unresolved.
ApprenticeSearch.com was pleased to see the Government of Ontario introduce several measures in acknowledgement of the need for the skilled trades in driving economic growth in their recent Fall Economic Statement.
It’s time for an all-hands-on-deck approach, bringing together governments, businesses, educational institutions, and tried-and-true innovative social enterprises like ApprenticeSearch.com.
“For more than 25 years, we have been making tremendous strides in workforce development,” said Hoey. “As we continue to expand and adapt to emerging technologies and changing social demands, we remain eager and confident in our ability to be a key part of the solution.”
To learn more, visit apprenticesearch.com.
