The County of Wellington’s Economic Development Division received $63,500 in funding from the Ontario 150 Partnership Program, instituted by Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The county is using the funding to develop a one-year labour market project called Promoting Youth Inclusion in Rural Labour Markets.
The initiative has been designed to help employers attract and retain youth workers, and provide youth with the information and skills they need to successfully navigate rural labour markets, states a Aug. 22 press release from the county.
The project launches in mid-August with online surveys for employers and youth followed by skill-building workshops in early 2018.
“Millennials (individuals born between 1980-1995) are currently the largest age cohort in the Canadian workforce. They bring energy and vibrancy to the workplace and are in tune with the technology re-shaping society,” said Warden Dennis Lever.
“Wellington County’s close proximity to world caliber universities and colleges means that employers have a unique opportunity to tap into a very highly skilled labour pool,” Lever continued.
The release states that although millennials “show great potential,” industry research indicates that multi-generational issues are becoming more common in the workplace as this group has different values than other cohorts.
“Our project will help employers navigate multi-generational challenges while providing millennials with information they need to succeed in our local labour markets,” says economic development committee chair George Bridge. “This project is a combination of on-line surveys, customized assessments for participants and skill building workshops for employers and millennials. We believe that working with both sides of the labour market not only makes this initiative distinct, it is the best way to ensure that all stakeholders will benefit from this work.”
Project partners include the University of Guelph, Conestoga College and the Wellington Waterloo Community Futures Development Corporation.
