The Province is investing $761,038 to provide 75 at-risk youth with valuable work experience through temporary employment placements with social enterprises in the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria regions.  

The funding has been provided to the BC Centre for Employment Excellence, which is partnering with the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, local WorkBC Employment Services Centres, social entrepreneurs and other employers to provide youth with work experience and skill development that is in line with local labour-market needs.

Following the work placements, employer partners will assess the job readiness of youth participants and consider them for permanent positions.

The BC Centre for Employment Excellence will test whether work placements in social enterprises lead to better outcomes for at-risk youth. The results will be compared with youth who have received services and supports from WorkBC centres but are not offered placements with the pilot’s social enterprise partners.

The research project is funded through the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation’s Community and Employer Partnerships program.

Employment social enterprises like Potluck Café – an award-winning social enterprise in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that creates jobs for neighbourhood residents  – aim to help people who face barriers to employment. They provide real-life work experiences, along with additional support and training to help people transition into the labour market, while operating successful, profitable businesses.

The Province has proclaimed May 2016 as Social Enterprise Month to help raise awareness of the diversity of social enterprises in B.C. and the contributions these business ventures make to communities and B.C.’s economy. 

The Community and Employer Partnerships program is featured in B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint and provides more support to people who are struggling to gain a foothold in the job market.

To date, more than 1,000 job seekers benefited from work experience and over 200 projects have been funded throughout the province.

Research and Innovation (R&I) projects funded through Community and Employer Partnerships use progressive research and leading-edge innovation to discover better ways of helping unemployed British Columbians join the workforce as quickly as possible. R&I has been developed to fund projects that examine untried and untested solutions to specific labour market issues.

Quotes:

Michelle Stilwell, Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation –

“Our government is committed to supporting social innovation as a tool to address complex challenges, and this project is a great example of that. Dozens of at risk-youth will receive targeted work experience in social enterprises and they will benefit from the involvement of employers who are keen to play a role in helping these youth achieve employment success.”

Coralee Oakes, Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction –

“Hiring young people for their first job gives them experience and mentorship that will launch their careers and possibly inspire their own social enterprise and business ventures. Small businesses like the Potluck Café Society are helping give young people their start in the job market, which has a tremendous positive impact in local communities."

Sam Sullivan, MLA for Vancouver-False Creek –

“Employment social enterprises are such an important part of our B.C. economy – they create jobs, change lives and help us meet labour-market challenges. I am excited for all the youth who will benefit from this research and I want to thank all the partners involved in the project.”

Shawn de Raaf, research coordinator, BC Centre for Employment Excellence –

“The BC Centre for Employment Excellence is thrilled to be launching this exciting new pilot project with its partner, the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, which will evaluate the role that social enterprises can play in supporting young job seekers facing significant barriers to employment. Working together with WorkBC, service agencies, social enterprises and other employer partners in different regions of B.C., we aim to fill a gap in knowledge and practice about how such placements can give participating youth the opportunity to develop the skills and experience they need to gain a foothold in the job market.”

Colin Stansfield, executive director, Potluck Café Society –

“Potluck Café Society is proud to support the Youth Employment Social Enterprises Pilot Project. The invitation to collaborate with sector leaders and to contribute research for evidence-based policy innovation is perfectly aligned with our mission to promote and support the adoption of inclusive hiring practices. We believe that demonstration projects like this –projects that involve cross-sector partnerships and that are informed by real-world experience – are the best path to achieving meaningful impact for people facing barriers to traditional employment.”

Jarett Rude, program director, OPEN DOOR GROUP, Vancouver Downtown Eastside WorkBC centre –

“Open Door Group is really excited to partner with the BC Centre for Employment Excellence in carrying out the Youth Employment Social Enterprises Pilot Project. As the largest non-profit employment service provider in B.C., we are very interested in piloting new ways to provide services that can empower those we work with to achieve their employment goals. By partnering in this study we hope to collaborate in providing complementary supports to youth so they can develop the necessary experience and skills they need to become competitive in the labour market.”

Quick Facts:

• The research project includes an advisory committee made up of stakeholders including WorkBC centres, social enterprises, community groups and employers who will identify youth employment opportunities and provide insights into the role of stakeholder partnerships in addressing local labour-market skill shortages.
• WorkBC centres can help youth aged 16 to 30 years, who are no longer in school find a job, access training, or pursue self-employment. Employment services and supports are tailored to the youth’s circumstances, skills and abilities.
• Overall, nearly 10,000 youth between the ages of 19 and 24 years, who received personalized supports through their local WorkBC centre have found employment.
• Social Enterprise Month is part of the B.C. government’s work to promote social innovation in B.C. and is supported by the BC Partners for Social Impact (BCPSI), a group that includes more than 100 partners from government, business, non-profit organizations and academic and financial institutions.
• Social enterprises use business strategies to create a social or environmental impact. They range from thrift stores to businesses that provide skills training, affordable housing and jobs for people with disabilities. They can also be a for-profit business that focuses on social objectives.
• Like any other business, a social enterprise aims to create revenue. What sets a social enterprise apart is that its revenue is directed to a social or environmental goal.
• The ministry will invest $331 million in employment and labour market programs this year under the Employment Program of BC.
• The Employment Program of BC is funded by the Province of British Columbia, as well as the Government of Canada, through the Labour Market Development Agreement.
• Funding supports 84 WorkBC Employment Services Centres throughout the province and the four components of the Community and Employer Partnerships fund:
  • Job Creation Partnerships
  • Labour Market Partnerships
  • Project-Based Labour Market Training
  • Research and Innovation

Who is eligible?

• Businesses
• Non-profit organizations
• Crown corporations
• Municipalities, agencies or territorial governments
• Bands/tribal councils
• Public health and educational institutions

Learn More:

BC Centre for Employment Excellence:  http://www.cfeebc.org/

Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria: http://www.communitycouncil.ca/

Potluck Café: http://potluckcatering.org/

For more information on Community and Employer Partnerships: www.workbc.ca/CEP

Find a local WorkBC Employment Services Centre: www.workbccentres.ca

Learn more about the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation: www.gov.bc.ca/sdsi

For more information on B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: www.workbc.ca/skills

To find out more about the BC Jobs Plan: www.engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/