By Sheldon Spackman

Youth Connections

EPSS Red Deer launches youth employment initiative

Nov 12, 2021 | 2:38 PM

A local organization that enables individuals to explore their employment potential and career options by providing experienced and qualified employment counselling, has launched a new youth employment initiative in Central Alberta .

Tammy Norris, employment specialist with Employment Placement and Support Services (EPSS) in Red Deer, says the Youth Connections program began Oct. 12 and will continue to have additional intakes until roughly June of next year.

“It is a federally funded program. The federal government considers youth to be between 15-30 and what we can offer them is an eight week, paid work experience,” she explains. “So we bring them in and ask them what direction they want to go into and we set them up an employer. They’re going to gain new skills and new experience to help them on their road to finding full-time employment.”

Norris notes many individuals that are taking advantage of the program, are often those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and need to start looking at a career change, or perhaps have never had a job before.

“From an employer’s point of view, they’re saying they can’t find people. They’re saying that even resumes being sent in are considerably less than it usually is,” says Norris. “But from a job seekers point of view, they’re not getting any attention at all and not getting interviews. So we just feel that we can help bridge that gap for people that are job seeking and need a little bit of extra help or an incentive for employers, because we do pay $15/hr towards their wages for an eight week period of time, so it’s good incentive for the employer and it’s great experience for the person looking for work and puts a paycheque in their pocket.”

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With an apparent disconnect between employers and job seekers, Norris says she routinely encourages those looking for work to start going in-person again, and not just submit their resumes online.

“They should feel free to mask-up, go door-to-door, show people who they are, have a chat if they can and put that paper resume right in somebody’s hands,” she exclaims. “Some people have found that that is more helpful than just dealing with a computer and doing everything online.”

Norris says the Youth Connections program also prepares their clients to be ‘interview ready’.

“We work with them to make sure they are comfortable interviewing,” shares Norris. “We work with them on their resume, on cover letters, we seek employment that’s going to teach them new skills or brush-up on old skills. In the workplace, they learn workplace communication, they learn all types of different things that will either take them to a permanent job offer after the work experience or lead them into a different direction and help them on their way.”

Norris says there is no cost to take part in the Youth Connections program.

“We’re just seeking participants who are ready, willing and able to get to work, and to be able to work full-time, according to that workplace,” states Norris.

For more information, visit epssreddeer.com.