Skills and job training program for Sault youth will now offer one-on-one support

The Sault Community Career Centre will continue a skills training program for young people after it recently received an additional $1.07 million in funding from the federal government.

The Transition to Independence Program operated by the Sault Community Career Centre (SCCC) is a personalized program for youth aged 15 to 30 that has so far assisted about 100 youth, said executive director Adam Pinder.

The program is intended to assist youth who may have some barriers to employment, which could include lack of experience, mental health or other health challenges, and trauma, among others.

"People who need a lot more help than just a resume and a cover letter or some interview prep and maybe a little bit of coaching here and there," said Pinder.

The most recent funding announced on Friday includes $1.07 million to SCCC over four years to operate TIP, with the goal of assisting an additional 66 youth.

The funding is provided through the federal government's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program, offered through Employment and Social Development Canada.

On hand for the announcement, Sault MP Terry Sheehan said YESS has an 80 per cent success rate between June 2019 and December 2022 for youth finding employment or returning to school following their participation.

"Helping young people facing barriers to find employment in our community and develop skills for the future workforce are how we ensure that we remain a prosperous and thriving city," said Sheehan.

Pinder said some of the youth who have already gone through the program received experience in a number of industries, including construction, sales and marketing and health care, among others. 

One change in the next iteration of the program will be to transition from operating in small cohorts of youth to a new one-on-one model, said Nathan Muto, program director for TIP.

While many youth thrived under the cohort model, Muto said some require a more focused approach.

"Some of them unfortunately weren't able to realize some of their goals and I do believe that this approach, where we're meeting them where they're at and maybe go with their pace, will help us to meet their needs."

"We want to make sure that we're moving those barriers," said Pinder. "To build some confidence, help them to gain some experience and some knowledge and have them expand opportunities for them in the future."

Some youth find the program through the SCCC's outreach, while others are referred by other agencies.

Pinder said SCCC is always looking for more agencies to partner with to find youth who can be helped through the program.

"We're more than happy to form partnerships and see if there's a way that we can support those clients through that journey," he said.