Youth Skills Connections Program (industry stream)

• Part of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy

The industry stream brings together industry, educational institutions and not-for-profits to better connect skills-training with industry needs.

The program will fund collaborative projects that:

• identify a skills-gap or labour shortage faced by industry
• provide training that addresses skills-gaps and improves the employability of youth, including youth facing multiple barriers to employment
• result in long-term employment opportunities for youth enrolled in the program

Focus areas

1. partnerships (2 or more parties): collaboration among groups that want to find solutions to industry skills-gaps
2. targeting the needs of youth:
   1. helping young people gain skills that meet business needs
   2. increasing the number of young people finding jobs
3. industry participation: enlisting the support of industry to ensure that relevant skills are developed and participants become more employable

Program criteria

Projects must:

• identify a skills-gap that currently affects a sector’s competitiveness
• provide training and supports to address the skills-gap among youth
• demonstrate the intent of employers to hire participants after they have finished training

Who is eligible

Eligible organizations include:

• not-for-profit organizations with:
  • at least 3 years of operations (as of the application date)
  • a presence in Ontario
• associations (professional, sector/industry, labour, community)
• public post-secondary institutions
• private career colleges
• boards of education
• municipalities
• unions

Other criteria

• you must be a primary project partner to apply
• lead organizations must be registered as a legal entity in Ontario or Canada
• not-for-profits must provide proof of their status

Grant amount

Up to $1 million per project (depending on the project)

Applications involving several projects, at various locations in Ontario, could receive a larger amount.

Funding rules

• applicants must provide a minimum 10% cash contribution
• the Ministry will match funds up to a maximum of 50% of total eligible project expenses (cash or in-kind)
• projects can combine contributions from the federal government, foundations and other sources
• other Ontario provincial funding cannot be deemed as a contribution to a project; however, organizations receiving provincial funding for core operations may apply

How to apply

The program uses a 2-phase application process:

1. an Expression of Interest
2. a full proposal

An applicant cannot submit a full proposal unless an Expression of Interest is submitted in the required format within the stated deadline.

Expression of Interest

You must submit a brief and compelling overview of the project, including:

• youth target audience
• implementation activities
• partners
• intended measures of success
• cost of implementation

Based on this submission, Ministry staff will provide feedback to all applicants that they may find useful in developing a full proposal.

You will have access to an information session, before the submission deadline. You can participate via webinar and teleconference.

Application process

• download the application form (PDF)
• read the application guide
• complete all sections of the Expression for Interest template
• have a designate with appropriate authority sign the document

Full proposal

You will be invited to submit a full proposal, after we receive an Expression of Interest application and the project is considered eligible.

In the proposal, you need to include more details about:

• project activities
• deliverables, targets and outcomes
• budget, including additional project funding sources
• confirmation of partnerships including partner contributions

Application process

• download the application form (PDF)
• read the application guide
• complete all sections of the full proposal template

Where to submit an application

You can submit an Expression of Interest or full proposal:

• by email
• by mail to:
  Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment
  Research, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Division
  Entrepreneurship Branch
  5th Floor
  Attention: Senior Policy Advisor (Youth Skills Connections Program – industry stream)
  56 Wellesley St W
  Toronto ON  M7A 2E7

An application that does not follow the prescribed format, or is incomplete, will not be reviewed.

Additional materials other than those requested will not considered part of the application.

Application deadlines

Deadlines	Date
Information session(s)	October 23, 2013
Expression of Interest deadline	November 4, 2013
Proposal deadline	December 11, 2013
Successful applicants notified	February 7, 2014
Project implementation	February to March, 2014

Selection process

Review process

Full proposals will be reviewed through a multi-phase process that involves inter-ministerial and external representatives.

Selection criteria

All proposals will be reviewed, recommended and approved based on  a clear outline of:

• the skills-gap(s) to be addressed and its importance to the relevant sector using qualitative/quantitative evidence
• what training will be provided or coordinated to address the skills-gap (including appropriate length, relevance and transferability of training)
• the existing or planned partnerships that will implement the project (with industry participation and relevant partner contributions identified and confirmed)
• the project’s outreach, marketing and recruitment plan for building awareness of the project among youth (including vulnerable youth)
• the job placements to be  provided by the project or of the long-term sustainable hiring commitments/intentions of participating employers
• the application process for youth participants
• the applicant’s organizational capacity to develop and implement the project (including previous experience and human resources capacity)
• the project’s plan for risk management and effective responses
• the project’s budget (which must have ‘value for money’)
• the realistic and relevant outcomes of the project

The project will also be evaluated on:

• the supports provided to facilitate youth success in the program (if applicable)
• how clear the path will be for youth – from application to job placement/maintenance
• how the project addresses government priorities

The Province reserves the right to give preference to projects that reflect regional equity and diversity in the ministry’s sole opinion.

Successful applicants

Proposals will be reviewed and decisions made within 60 days.

Approved projects will sign a funding agreement with Ontario, setting out details of the project, including:

• services to be delivered
• milestones
• expected outcomes