Participant Support Worker – Focused on Youth Employment

About The Career Foundation: The Career Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization that offers a wide range of employment, training, and HR services to job seekers and employers. Since its inception in 1988, The Career Foundation has steadily expanded its services. Operating out of seven locations, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals have described The Career Foundation as caring, compassionate, innovative, and team oriented. For more information about us and our services, please visit our website at CareerFoundation.com.

Program and Role Description: The Career Foundation’s Completing the Circle (CTC) program is a youth employment and skills development project funded by Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS). CTC provides individualized support to youth with barriers to employment. Through the program, youth participants are empowered to find employment, and are equipped with tools, supports, new skills, and confidence to start and maintain work.  The Participant Support Worker is an important member of the CTC program team, responsible for providing wraparound support services to help ensure that youth participants successfully complete the program and retain employment.

• Position type: Full-time (37.5 hours per week) contract until August 25, 2023 with good potential to lead to permanent employment opportunities with The Career Foundation
• Reporting to: Program Manager
• Start date: As soon as possible

Location requirements: This opportunity is comprised of frequent, on-site work at The Career Foundation’s three (3) Completing the Circle (CTC) program offices in Mississauga, Hamilton, and York, in-person work within those communities to serve program participants and employers, and some remote-based, work-from-home functions. The successful candidate must have a valid G driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle to meet the essential requirements of the position that require local travel between all three locations. The option to have some remote-based, work-from-home functions is contingent on the successful candidate possessing a private work-from-home space with reliable, high-speed internet. Company laptop, cell phone and other equipment provided.

• Provides job coaching to youth participants of The Career Foundation’s Completing the Circle (CTC) program from all three (3) locations (Mississauga, Hamilton and York), as assigned, to help guide their development of appropriate work habits, behaviours, and attitudes during their participation in the program and in the workplace.
• Provides job-specific coaching based on the participant’s job search goals and barriers to employment.
• Interprets collected information to assist youth in targeting the most suitable employment based on experience, education, and existing labour market factors.
• Conducts employer outreach on behalf of individual youth program participants to assist in marketing them to specific job opportunities.
• Accompanies youth participants to employer sites on their scheduled interview days, as needed, to help provide additional support and encouragement.
• Performs job retention activities with youth participants and employers, including contacting program participants for updates on their employment status, when required.
• Helps to mediate issues between employers and youth participants.
• Facilitates workshops and helps to arrange for mentors to participate in the program as guest speakers.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Administration of Program Supports for Youth Participants:

• Assesses youth participants’ needs for personal supports, including interview and work-related clothing, transportation needs and allowances, personal protective equipment, training, certifications, and other supports available through the program.
• Participates in taking youth participants shopping for interview and job clothing, as well as fittings for safety equipment.
• Organizes efforts to ensure that youth participants receive program support funds securely.
• Meets program participants in-person and organizes deliveries to ensure each youth receives the personal supports required.
• Opens participant files, supports with case management, and maintains accurate and up-to-date documentation in required files and online systems.
• Coordinates training schedules for youth participants completing job-specific training (e.g., forklift certification).
• Ensures that the Finance department receives all necessary expenditure reports, receipts, and supporting documentation.
• Prepares and submits weekly activity reports.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date documentation of all participant support expenditures for youth participants across the three (3) CTC program offices, and supports program management to monitor total support expenditures for the program’s budget. 
• Other related duties as assigned.

• College diploma or university degree in human services or a related field is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience in job coaching or job development, or other experience that is directly transferrable to the duties of the role is required. 
• Candidates who possess the above qualifications and previous experience working with youth with barriers to employment will be prioritized. 
• Excellent communication skills with the confidence to engage and develop rapport with youth.
• Must be results-driven with strong time management skills and ability to multi-task in order to meet deadlines and achieve program targets and objectives.
• A friendly and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the youth participants served.
• Exceptional customer service skills and ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills with ability to clearly communicate information.
• Ability to maintain sensitive information, exhibit tact, diplomacy and good judgment, with high standards of professionalism, ethics and confidentiality.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Office 365 applications, including MS Teams and SharePoint. Must possess aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
• A positive and flexible team player with a willingness to occasionally work outside of normal business hours, when needed, to support youth participants in real-time.
• Must be willing to work on-site at The Career Foundation’s three (3) CTC program offices in Mississauga, Hamilton, and York and conduct in-person work within those communities to serve program participants and employers.
• Must have a valid G driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle to meet the essential requirements of the position that require local travel between all three locations.

How to Apply:

Please visit the ‘Join Our Team’ page on our website at https://careerfoundation.com/join-our-team and select the position for which you would like to submit your application. You may complete the application form directly through our website. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls please. Thank you for your interest in The Career Foundation.

The Career Foundation’s Commitment:

The Career Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy and rewarding environment for all. We welcome applications from qualified individuals who represent the diversity of the people we proudly serve, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of all genders and sexual orientation. The Career Foundation, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), is also committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. We will work with candidates requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.