:
I call the meeting to order. Good afternoon, everybody.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Thursday, November 9, 2017, the committee is resuming its study of experiential learning and pathways to employment for Canadian youth.
Today the committee will be hearing from officials from the Department of Employment and Social Development, the Public Service Commission of Canada, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.
For the first hour, we have a number of witnesses here from the Department of Employment and Social Development: Ms. Rachel Wernick, senior assistant deputy minister, skills and employment branch; Monika Bertrand, director general of the employment program policy and design directorate; Benoit Tessier, executive director of employer liaison services; and Christopher Bates, director of trades and apprenticeship.
Good afternoon.
I believe we are going to get opening remarks from you, Rachel. You have seven minutes.
My apologies for the slight delay. I went to Centre Block.
I'm glad I'm here, and I am really pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you about experiential learning and what we are currently doing.
We know that investing in work-integrated learning pays off huge dividends in the labour market success of youth. We know that 60% of youth say that on-the-job training and hands-on learning are the most effective instructional techniques, but fewer than half of those youth are actually enrolled in curricula that prioritize this approach.
[Translation]
Getting a foot in the door, or a chance to learn about the profession, is particularly crucial for vulnerable youth who many not have the networks to get that first chance.
Nearly four in 10 recent graduates in Canada take more than three months to land their first job, with one in 10 taking longer than a year. Moreover, perception from industry is that young people exiting post-secondary degrees are not job ready.
Graduates with relevant work experience are ahead of their peers. Data shows that bachelor's level graduates with co-op experience earn more than their peers, have higher employment and full-time employment rates, and are more likely to have paid off debt two years after graduation.
[English]
Overall, in Canada, labour market indicators for youth are very positive and compare very favourably internationally. Canadian youth ranked sixth among OECD countries, with an employment rate of 56%, compared to the OECD average of 41%. Canadian youth also ranked first in post-secondary education attainment among OECD countries.
You are looking at experiential learning, and evidence demonstrates that work experience is key to successful transitions for youth. Sixty per cent of post-secondary education, PSE, students say that on-the-job training is the most effective. In fact, enrolment in co-op programs at universities jumped by 25% in less than a decade. University students who graduate from these co-op programs earn $15,000 more than their peers. For college students, this is $8,000 more than their peers. We know that employers are more likely to hire students with work experience: 61% of employers selected graduates who had participated in some form of work-integrated learning in their programs.
[Translation]
Providing experiential learning opportunities is already a key element of our programming for youth.
Career Focus provides wage subsidies to employers and helps close to 7,000 youth obtain work placements.
Last year, Canada Summer Jobs nearly doubled the number of summer jobs for Canadian students, with a total investment of almost $200 million serving more than 65,000 students.
[English]
Apprenticeship is another proven model for transitioning into well-paid jobs in demand across the skilled trades: 89% of apprentices who completed apprenticeships held a job related to their trade, and 25,000 apprenticeship grants were issued to youth aged 15 to 24 in 2016-17, representing about $30 million in funding.
Most recently, the government launched a new partnership with industry and PSE institutions to offer work placements for students in STEM and business. This is an investment of $73 million over four years that will create 10,000 new work-integrated learning placements.
This is how it works.
Employers are provided with a maximum of $5,000 in wage subsidies for each new placement created. This amount goes up to a maximum of $7,000 for students in under-represented groups, including women in STEM programs, indigenous students, persons with disabilities, and recent immigrants. We have had overwhelming demand from industry and PSE in the first six months, and we are almost fully subscribed for our first year.
[Translation]
Internships can give young Canadians the hands-on work experience they need to make a successful transition into the workforce. However, some internships—in particular those that are unpaid—can be unfair and exploitative.
Bill includes amendments to the Canada Labour Code that would prohibit unpaid internships unless they are part of the requirements of an educational program. Unpaid internships that are part of an educational program are covered by labour standard protections.
[English]
We also know that not all young Canadians are positioned for success in the same way and that tailored support is needed for vulnerable youth. Indigenous youth are less likely to finish high school at a rate that is three times greater than non-indigenous youth. Also, 26% of youth with disabilities were unemployed, compared to 15% of youth without disabilities. Skills Link, a stream under the youth employment strategy, helps young Canadians with multiple barriers get ready for a job through skills development. Pathways to Education is a program whereby participants from the poorest urban communities across Canada are now having above-average high school graduation rates and entries into post-secondary education.
[Translation]
We also believe that good quality and timely information and advice play an important role to inform career aspirations and support successful transitions.
Job Bank has been enhanced and we will continue to modernize it with current technology platforms to be youth-centred and user-friendly.
The recently launched Labour Market Information Council will focus on timely, consistent, and local labour market information for all Canadians.
[English]
Financial assistance is essential to removing barriers to post-secondary education access, and here again we have made some important enhancements. Increased non-repayable Canada student grants are now available to more students in low- and middle-income families. We've introduced the fixed student contribution, allowing students who work to continue to do so without having to worry about a reduction in their levels of financial assistance, and now no student has to repay their Canada student loan until they are earning at least $25,000 per year. This amount is even higher for students with children.
[Translation]
Skills requirements continue to evolve, and credentials don't always represent the skills employers are seeking.
[English]
Despite significant investments and overall positive labour market indicators, when internationally compared, too many young Canadians are either not pursuing their education or not getting jobs aligned with their skills and training. Successful transitions from school to work will require more involvement of employers, and this is where increasing efforts on experiential learning and placements to meet the demand across all professions and sectors will be key. There is an opportunity to continue to enhance partnerships with educational institutions and employers. In this way, we get the win-win situation of students getting the experience they need and employers finding the talent they want.
[Translation]
We are exploring some promising practices for approaches that are most effective with particular groups, such as immigrant and refugee youth, indigenous youth, and gender specific youth.
[English]
We are in the very early stages of exploring our renewed youth employment strategy, and your study will inform our work. The key areas for action that we are considering include supporting smoother transitions from school to work, supported by quality learning and labour market information as well as work experience opportunities; ensuring that youth develop skills that keep pace with the changing nature of work; providing all youth a fair opportunity to enter the labour market and receive the support they need; and obtaining greater involvement of employers in youth employment.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this information on our work, and now we're happy to answer your questions.
:
Thank you for that. It makes a ton of sense.
What I was actually referring to is the StatsCan data that shows that the real number of youth working is pretty much neutral, within 5,000 or 10,000, since this Parliament started sitting, which means that despite massive investments, the actual real number of jobs for young people hasn't increased at all. What has happened is that the participation rate or the number of youth seeking employment has actually gone down. That's what StatsCan shows on a monthly basis.
In fact, until July of this year, there were 40,000 fewer jobs for young people overall, despite huge investments in the summer jobs program and many other areas.
When we're looking at the trades and the co-ops, we see a lot of strong experiential learning opportunities there, no matter where you are in the country. Do we find that there is a higher rate for those who go directly into employment in the trades, or is it about on level with other sectors that youth are graduating from?
:
Yes. In terms of increasing the number of youth for the Canada summer jobs program, a significant investment went into Canada summer jobs. You know that. There was $339 million in budget 2016 to essentially double the number of Canada summer jobs.
Jobs with not-for-profit organizations are 100% subsidized at the minimum wage level. For businesses, it's at 50%. Of course, the rise in minimum wage, which is a good thing, puts pressure on the envelope.
There are a couple of reasons we are trying to get businesses more interested in the Canada summer jobs program. It is the quality of the work experience, of course, that's important, but it is also about being able to increase the number of Canada summer jobs youth who can benefit from the program. When you have 50% of the salary paid for by the employer, then of course you can double the number.
In terms of the quality of jobs, this is something that we are always striving towards. We advertise as much as possible, we make sure MPs advertise as much as possible, and we make sure that businesses are out there proactively looking for young people and advertising to young people. This is an ongoing challenge, but it's also an ongoing opportunity for us to make sure that people know about the program.
This topic is of great concern to me. You talked in your presentation about a youth rate of employment of 55.9%. So that is about one in two. Even though our average is above that of OECD countries, that merely shows that young people are facing difficulties all around the world.
I really like the program called How It's Made. I often visit companies in my riding. In particular, I visited the Neptune company. Someone was applying for a job at the human resources department. I continued my visit and, 45 minutes later, I ran into that same person who was already getting an introduction to the job. The owner said he could have hired 10 people that day.
On one hand, there is a labour shortage, but on the other, all these young people are out of work. We have to find a solution. There is also a demographic reality. Employers say that some employees are getting ready to retire, but that they cannot necessarily afford—especially SMEs—to hire a young person before the older employee leaves to pass on their knowledge. The older employee walks out the door with their knowledge. That is why a buddy or learning system has so much to offer.
In your presentation, you talked about a broad range of youth. As our study begins, I think it is important to lay out the federal government's role in youth education. Provincial governments have jurisdiction over labour laws. Federal jurisdiction extends only to the education of aboriginal persons, members of the Canadian forces, the Coast Guard, and offenders. The federal government can of course make investments through the Canada Social Transfer.
That said, I do not want to reinvent the wheel. We met with the Expert Panel on Youth Employment, which tabled a report last June and had met a lot of people. Its third recommendation is to rethink the delivery of youth employment programming. It recommends transferring all youth employment programs to the provincial and territorial governments.
What dealings does your department have with the provincial ministries that share the objectives and work with these youth?
In your minister's mandate letter, the Prime Minister asked her to work with provincial governments and post-secondary institutions to achieve objectives. I would like to know how that cooperation has been established.
Based on your shared objectives, how do you work together, while respecting your areas of jurisdiction?
:
Let me give you a very specific example.
The new student career placement program, in which we have invested $73 million over four years, draws directly on the dual training model in Germany.
So we launched a pilot project, together with Siemens Canada, a German company whose main office already had German experience.
The Canadian office in Oakville launched a pilot project that matches up post-secondary institutions with an employer to offer very valuable work placements that included skills development. The skills in question were more than just technical skills, including more basic skills such as negotiation, communication, and so forth. It was a great success for the young people.
Siemens Canada saw this project as an opportunity to look for its next Canadian CEO.
On the basis of this project, the program has been expanded across Canada and further developed.
:
Thank you for your question.
In many cases, vulnerable youth lack certain basic skills. They need job training. They are not yet ready for a work placement or to do well in it.
With regard to aboriginal youth and promising practices, I am familiar with the
[English]
aboriginal skills and employment training strategy. It's called BladeRunners, and it's in British Columbia. It's an example of a best practice, with a full wraparound service for the youth. You have to get at the desires and drivers of the youth themselves, and go through that process of what they want to do and why.
There are mentors and counsellors who are there with them as they go. They are the people who are in between the youth client and the employer, who do what is needed to help provide youth with sustained and successful experiences. For example, if employers don't have time and don't want to be bothered if the youth is late or doesn't show up or doesn't call to explain what's going on, then the intervenor does.
It's often for vulnerable youth, with what we call wraparound supports and case management. It's with those kinds of supports that address other barriers that are impeding them from reaching their full potential that we see success. In our renewal of the strategy, we're looking at how we can tailor more of these types of approaches for the different groups, whether they're indigenous youth, refugee youth, or youth with disabilities.
Grosso modo, that's the kind of intervention that seems to work.
:
My next question involves young people with challenges.
Inclusion B.C. came to my office today. I'm sure they have gone to many of our other MPs' offices. One thing they have been doing very successfully is matching the skills of those young people, including adults, actually, with potential jobs. At the same time they're going to rural areas.
Very often young people don't want to leave their comfort zone. They want to stay. What they mean by a good job is to be very comfortable, sitting in front of a computer, with air conditioning. They never want to leave their comfort zone. There's a challenge of matching skills to jobs. There are people who don't have the skills, but then there are jobs looking for people. That's a mismatch, as we're sure, in some remote areas.
What I'm trying to say is that there used to be an employer panel for people with disabilities, including youth, of course. That was very successful because you had champions who were hiring people with challenges, yet they were very good employees. They proved it is a good business practice to hire those with challenges. They are punctual. They value their jobs. They're excellent. Instead of being a so-called burden to those employers, they actually reach out to other employers. I don't want to mention which one of the coffee giants is hiring a lot of those people. I won't mention names here.
Do you think that the federal government should encourage that pattern? I don't think that it's still on, still there.
:
There were a couple of questions in there. I'll try to unpack that.
In terms of the skills mismatch, we don't just have it for young people, of course; we have it for all Canadians, and that is one of the biggest challenges we are trying to tackle. In that respect, we are looking at better labour market information—not looking at degrees as much as competencies and skills that are required for the jobs of the future—and providing the right information to young people, and all Canadians, so they can make the right choices in terms of the training they need for the jobs that are available.
In terms of the matching function for young Canadians, or any Canadian who might have multiple barriers to employment, for persons with disabilities, yes, we have the panel, and there is a champions' table. We know that when it comes to employers, it is not a charity question and it is not about convincing employers to hire somebody simply because it's a good thing to do. There is always the corporate social responsibility, but it's really the return on investment that matters. For example, a young person with a disability brings a lot of benefits to an organization or a business in terms of diversity and loyalty.
Employer champions' tables have been effective at that and passing that message on. We probably need to do a lot more of that and encourage employers who are really active in this space. We have a very good example in the United States. There are several examples, but Starbucks in the United States, of course, is a big champion in that respect, with the 100,000 youth employment initiative.
Again, it's championing the message that there is a good return on investment for the organization, but there is also something in it for the economy at large. It provides a good, stable job and career laddering. Combining multiple employers in their efforts to hire youth, starting with those who might have more barriers in terms of entry-level jobs, means youth can then ladder up in their career to other organizations.
We definitely have some good examples out there that we are looking at as we move forward with the renewal of the youth employment strategy.
:
Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit about my experience as the PSC's Youth Engagement Ambassador.
I am new to the role, having only been appointed to the position about three months ago. I am the PSC's third Youth Engagement Ambassador and the chair of our Young Professionals Network.
[English]
I came into the public service as an FSWEP student, and as is the case for many, I did not get a job that was related to my field of study. Once I graduated, I was appointed to a clerical position. I stayed in that position for five years, as there were few opportunities for development or advancement. It was only after joining a young professionals' network and getting involved in my organization that I acquired more experience and expanded my network. I was then able to move around and eventually get a promotion in another department.
[Translation]
Since that time, these networks have been a crucial part of my career development. Even though I am only now getting to work on projects that are related to my degree, I believe that the path I followed helped me define the kind of professional I am and want to be.
A major part of my job is to help young professionals within the PSC lead, share and learn. I represent the voice of young professionals at various committees and events.
I am also called on to review things like policies, presentations and communications to ensure they will resonate with younger audiences.
[English]
Another part of my role is to support students and to make them an important part of the network. I find that students engage well with the network members, in part because they themselves were students not too long ago, and they are able to relate to what the students are experiencing. I try to engage them as much as possible and utilize their interests. For example, this summer our students were called upon to develop a communications plan for active work stations. They successfully completed this job, and we're very proud to say that they contributed something meaningful to the PSC.
[Translation]
This job has opened many new doors for me—doing things I would never have had a chance to do in other jobs. For example, appearing before this committee, participating in last week's President's Leaders GC Twitter chat on renewal of the public service, and assisting in designing and implementing the PSC's student onboarding program.
[English]
It is also an honour to have the chance to help young Canadians at a time when the public service is placing such a strong emphasis on renewal and on attracting young Canadians into its workforce.
I would like to thank you once again for the experience of appearing before this committee.
:
That's a bonus. Thank you.
You will see from my remarks that the Public Service Commission is certainly a very active participant in the renewal of the public service through our programs, through the programs for hiring students to give them experience through what we call the FSWEP, the summer student work experience program, as well as the co-op programs, which are very important and very valuable.
[Translation]
Of course, we also do recruitment at the post-secondary level. We are conducting a recruitment campaign at the post-secondary level, and we hope that students from one end of the country to the other will think of us as a career option. We encourage them to apply for positions in various career categories.
There are personnel shortages in the public service, for instance in information technology. We also need good communications agents and scientists. We need personnel in all areas. We hope that young people will choose careers in the public service.
We have a lot of activities to move this forward, and we can do more. Our programs are sometimes a bit slow and cumbersome, but we are working a great deal on modernizing them.
[English]
We have a very ambitious program to modernize our suite of programs, to provide better services, to provide better real-time feedback to participants and potential candidates, and also to support managers who are looking to match the skills that are required with what's available in the Canadian labour force.
Hiring young Canadians has to be a priority. We need to do a better job. We need to rejuvenate the public service. If you look at the statistics, we are not keeping up with the labour force. We need to do better. That means a fair amount of external hiring over the next few years.
As soon as we open up to external hiring, as my notes say, we also open ourselves up to greater diversity. There are a lot of Canadians from all kinds of backgrounds across the country, coast to coast to coast, who want to be part of the public service of the future, and our job is to make that happen.
Thank you. Merci.
:
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
My name is Paula Isaak, and as was mentioned, I'm the assistant deputy minister responsible for education and social programs and partnerships in the Department of Indigenous Services.
[Translation]
I would like to thank the committee for the invitation to appear here today.
I would like to also acknowledge that we are gathered on traditional Algonquin territory.
[English]
I'm happy to be here to contribute to your study on experiential learning and pathways to employment for Canadian youth. Indigenous Services funds programs and services that contribute to these issues in a number of ways, and I'll provide a brief overview in the next couple of minutes.
First, to address the critical need to improve education outcomes, the Government of Canada is making substantial investments in elementary and secondary education on reserve, totalling $2.6 billion over five years, which started last fiscal year. This includes new targeted investments in language and culture, special education, and literacy and numeracy.
The department supports innovative and experiential learning activities through one of our programs, called new paths for education. Two key themes for this program in this current fiscal year are land-based education and physical activity and sport.
Land-based learning provides students with the opportunity to learn while connecting with the land. It provides culturally relevant experiences outdoors, with the land acting as the classroom and teacher, and it makes use of indigenous knowledge.
A holistic approach to physical activity and sport has the potential to improve the well-being, mental health, physical health, and academic success of indigenous students, as well as to enhance student engagement in school. Sports and physical activities can promote the use of indigenous languages, the involvement of parents and community members in learning, and the enhancement of curriculum.
[Translation]
Additionally, we have worked closely with first nation partners to implement an inclusive and comprehensive engagement process aimed at developing recommendations for strenghtening first nation education on reserve, based on the principle of first nations control of first nation education.
We are now working closely with first nation partners to jointly develop a policy framework that will shape the way forward for how the department supports different first nation approaches to ensuring first nations students on reserve receive a quality education that improves outcomes.
[English]
Second, we provide support for indigenous students to access and succeed at post-secondary education, since it is an important component of individual and community success. Post-secondary education not only helps to increase individuals' job opportunities and earning power but also helps communities build capacity and promotes learning for future generations.
To ensure that indigenous students have the same opportunities for success as other Canadian students, the Government of Canada is increasing funding to support indigenous students pursuing post-secondary education.
Budget 2017 provided an enhancement of $90 million over two years, beginning this fiscal year, for post-secondary student support, to provide financial assistance to first nation and eligible Inuit students enrolled in post-secondary programs and to help offset tuition, travel, and other expenses. Approximately 22,000 first nation and Inuit students are supported annually by this program, and the enhancement from budget 2017 will support an additional 4,600 students over that two-year period.
Budget 2017 also provides support for Indspire, which is an indigenous-led charity that assists indigenous students with the financial support they need to pursue education, become self-sufficient, contribute to the economy, and give back to their communities. The Government of Canada is providing $5 million per year for five years, starting this fiscal year. Altogether, this will provide over $40 million over five years in bursaries and scholarships for more than 12,000 indigenous students through Indspire.
[Translation]
The department is undertaking a comprehensive and collaborative review of post-secondary education for indigenous students, together with Employment and Social Development Canada and indigenous partners.
In the review, we are engaging first nation, Inuit and Métis leadership to examine current federal supports, to understand what works and what requires adjustment, and to develop ideas and solutions that will improve access and promote post-secondary education attainment for indigenous students.
[English]
Another way in which we are supporting youth to succeed in the job market is through the first nations and Inuit youth employment strategy, which you would have just heard about from your previous witnesses. It is part of the youth employment strategy led by ESDC.
It helps first nations and Inuit youth between the ages of 15 and 30 to develop essential employability skills, gain exposure to career options, understand the relationship between education and labour market participation, and access co-operative work and study opportunities.
To enrich opportunities for first nations and Inuit youth, budget 2017 is investing $100 million for this strategy over three years, which includes two programs: the first nations and Inuit summer work experience program to acquire skills, prepare for full-time employment, and earn income to support post-secondary education through summer work experience, and the first nations and Inuit Skills Link program to acquire essential job-related skills, learn about career options, and prepare for employment and career development.
[Translation]
The department has been taking action to improve the wellness of indigenous peoples by addressing the socioeconomic challenges that they face.
[English]
We are committed to working on a nation-to-nation basis with indigenous partners to improve education outcomes. The government has already taken some immediate actions with historic investments with respect to on-reserve education, post-secondary education, and skills acquisition. This work is an important start, but we know that much remains to be done.
Thank you.
I thank the witnesses for their presentations, and I congratulate Ms. Poitras.
My questions are for Ms. Isaak.
Earlier, the representatives of Employment and Social Development Canada told us that young indigenous people were three times more likely than non-indigenous students to drop out of post-secondary studies. Since the education of indigenous youth is a federal responsibility, I think that our reflection and the committee's study should focus particularly on that aspect.
We are not starting from zero. Some studies are already ongoing. Among others, according to recommendations from the Expert Panel on Youth Employment, we need to target aboriginal youth. The panel asked the government to create urban healing and employment centres for aboriginal people, to invest in essential and educational infrastructure projects, to provide distance vocational training, as well as to create a fund for graduates to provide mentorship and participate and the entrepreneurial development of aboriginal youth.
Last week, at the Youth Strategy round table on “A Common Vision for Youth Employment in Canada”, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations made recommendations pertaining to aboriginal youth.
How does your department take into account recommendations like this that concern you? How do they influence your programs?
:
That's a great question. In fact, in some cases I think we need to intervene before university and reach into high school. For example, there are initiatives to try to encourage young women to study in science and the STEM areas, and that has to be done at the high school level. By the time you get to the university level, it's a little bit too late. That's one of the things we're looking at, whether in some cases we have to reach down a little further.
We consult across the public service with managers to find out what their hiring needs are. We'll go to a specific department.
For example, we know that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is going to be hiring significant numbers of people to deliver on the oceans management program. It's a government priority. Then we ask what specific skills they are looking for. Then we try to make a match with some of the universities across the country that have programs that produce graduates in these areas.
After that, we have targeted outreach strategies. We did this recently with the University of Victoria, for example. The Public Service Commission, in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, went to the University of Victoria and had a very focused job fair. That's a way to be able to identify those needs.
Some skills are required across the public service, such as computer science, which I mentioned. There we created a specific stream on our post-secondary recruitment, sending strong signals to all institutions that this is an area that we're going to be hiring in.
:
We had 272 outreach events—job fairs—last year, quite often involving deputy minister champions as partners. There's quite a lot that's being done.
We are trying to be more targeted in our approach. For example, over the last year we've prioritized universities with a strong aboriginal or indigenous student population. We're being a little bit more targeted because we know there's certainly a demand, and when we look at our stats, we don't get as many applicants who are self-identifying as indigenous, as we do, for example, with visible minorities. Certainly with women, we don't have a problem. Much more than 50% of our applicants are women.
We try to be targeted in our outreach so that we're not using a shotgun approach. Partnerships of the kind you've described, that bring a number of universities or colleges together, are also a good way to maximize the use of our resources.
What we've been guilty of over the last years is not having a consistent presence on campus. We'll show up from time to time, and then we expect everybody to know who we are and the value that we bring, the career streams. We're glad we have people promoting careers in the public service, but we haven't done enough of that ourselves. Just showing up once a year or once every second year will not create that sustained relationship, which we also have to develop with the professors and the faculty so that they can also be part of our messaging.