Youth On the Rise
Thriving Beyond Barriers
Lacking sufficient education or experience?
If you live in Montreal and you are between 18 and 30 years of age, this employment program could be for you!
About Youth On The Rise
Youth on the Rise empowers young adults (aged 18-30) facing barriers to employment through a paid 7-week hybrid work experience program that emphasizes hard and soft skills development.
What the program offers
Youth on the Rise is a 19-week program including employability and life skills training, followed by entry-level work placement based in Montreal.
Participants are paid for their active participation throughout the program’s duration.
Training includes workshops on CV writing, interviewing, time and stress management, confidence and communication building, networking, and many more.
APPLY NOW!
We are looking for 8 participants, motivated to develop their employability skills and enter the workforce.
FAQs for PARTICIPANTS
1. How do I know if I’m eligible for Youth On The Rise?
You need to fulfill the following criteria:
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- You are between the ages of 18-30 (inclusively)
- You have a social insurance number (SIN)
- You are eligible to work in Canada and are a resident of Quebec living on the island of Montreal
- You are currently unemployed, with little to no work experience
- You are available for full-time, participation and you are not currently in or returning to school, be it part-time or full-time
- You have access to a reliable computer and internet connection
2. Does the program pay its participants full time?
The Youth On The Rise program pays participants minimum wage per hour of training. The training period is from 9:30 am-4:30 pm (with a 1- hour, unpaid lunch break), Mondays to Fridays for 7 consecutive weeks. Once the training is complete, work placement begins.
We cannot guarantee your salary or wage other than Quebec’s minimum wage. Your salary will depend on many factors outside of our control, namely but not limited to: current market trends, your different abilities or qualifications, and the employer’s requirements to name a few.
3. What does work placement look like?
The goal of the work placement is to connect you with an employer who is aware of the program and the additional support that participants require as they face barriers to employment. Therefore, once the 7-week training period is completed you will have had the chance to interview with one or two potential employers and begin your work placement right away. The 12–week work placement period of the program denotes the period in which employers receive a subsidy from us that goes towards your salary/wage. It does NOT mean that your work contract will be over with that employer. In fact, we exclusively partner with employers who understand this fundamental pillar of the program. That is, to help Youth on the Rise participants achieve successful entry into the workforce (as opposed to temporary or short-term entry).
4. Can I participate in the program and work or study part time?
No, you cannot. The program entails full-time participation in its entirety. The program subsidizes participants by offering paid training.
At the start of the program, the training period begins and lasts for 7 weeks. During this 7-week training period, you will need to be prepared and present (online or in person) for your daily workshops (Monday-Friday, 9:30 am-4:30 pm). The workshops take place twice a day and are three hours long each and divided up into different topics and activities.
See BROWSE OUR WORKSHOPS.
Once the training period ends, you will be placed in an entry-level position and will be required to work full-time (a minimum of 30 hours, a maximum of 40). The employer will be subsidized by Youth on the Rise for the remaining period of the program which is 12 weeks. This brings the program to a total of 19 weeks of paid full-time training and work placement combined, which requires complete commitment.
5. What kind of jobs will I be placed in?
You will be placed in a full-time (30-40h/week) entry-level job. We cannot guarantee the type of entry-level position you will receive.
Possible positions include:
- Administrative Assistant
- Data Entry Clerk
- Customer Service Representative
- Warehouse Clerk
- Secretary
6. Do I need to be a Canadian citizen to sign up for this program?
No, but you must have a social insurance number and the ability to work in Canada. We accept permanent residents and those with refugee status.
7. I am receiving government assistance (such as EI or CERB) can I still join the program?
To be eligible for this program, you cannot collect additional social subsidies or income.
8. I have work experience and/or a post-secondary degree, am I still eligible for the program?
Our approach is to determine each candidate’s needs on a case-by-case basis. Before registering for the program, we will have a one-on-one meeting to assess if the program is a good fit. We assess what barriers you are facing and if this program is well-suited to meet your needs. If we cannot meet your needs, we do our best to put you in touch with someone who can.
9. I don’t speak French, am I still eligible for the program?
Yes. The training will be done in English. There are weekly French workshops that will help you improve your speaking, writing, and reading skills.
FAQs for EMPLOYERS
1. I can offer full-time hours but those hours may fluctuate, am I still eligible?
You will need to guarantee a minimum of 30 hours a week for 12 uninterrupted weeks. If the number of hours fluctuates below 30, you will need to offer compensatory hours. For example, if you can only offer 28 hours one week, the remaining 2 hours must be made up in the following weeks. The key takeaway is that by the end of the 12–week subsidized employment period, the employee must have worked a minimum of 360 hours (or 30h/week x 12 weeks).
2. How do the subsidized payments work?
Our Youth on the Rise participant will be your official employee and will therefore be on your payroll as any other employee would. We offer 12 uninterrupted weeks’ worth of subsidized wages/salary through direct deposit. This can be received as a lump sum at the end of the 12-week period, or in two installments (one mid–term and one at the end). The amount of the employee’s salary/wage that is subsidized during their first 12 weeks will depend on several factors such as hours and subsidy percentage (usually between 50-80% of the current minimum wage). Employers must submit the employee’s paystubs to Youth on the Rise before the subsidy can be issued.
3. How does the interview process work?
You can choose to interview as many (or as few) candidates as you like. Once you select who you would like to hire we will discuss their wage, subsidy, and the hours you can offer. Alternatively, if you do not find any candidates that meet your needs, that is no problem.
4. What happens after the 12-week subsidy period is over?
This program is NOT an internship arrangement; rather the incumbent is expected to continue working with your company after the subsidy period concludes.
The only difference is that we will no longer act as intermediary subsidizing wages/ salary past the 12-week mark.
Are you an employer looking to hire?
Partner with Youth On The Rise and you’ll get:
Motivated workers seeking full time employment
Reimbursement of 50-70 % of minimum wage for full-time work
The ability to uplift and empower Montreal youth
The chance to build a long-term relationship with a dynamic non-profit organization
GET INVOLVED – YOUTH ON THE RISE
Employers and Recruiters! Are you looking for fresh, motivated talent to fill your entry-level positions? If so, we are currently seeking employers to hire participants from Youth on the Rise, a paid work placement program that trains young adults aged 18- 30 years old and places them in Montreal-based entry-level jobs (30-40 hours/week at a subsidized rate (50-70% of minimum wage).
Participants are trained over 7 weeks to become workforce-ready through daily online workshops aimed at developing essential power skills.
Interested in learning how you can benefit from this program?
Fill out this form and someone from the Youth on the Rise team will contact you.
Alternatively, you may email Youth on the Rise’s Project Manager, Jiselle Pinheiro-Dallaire at [email protected] for more information.
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Ruken Usta shares her experience with Youth on the Rise
“I am deeply appreciative of the support and assistance I have received from YOTR. The guidance and resources I received have been pivotal in helping me improve my CV, develop my skills, and enhance my professional profile. The encouragement and motivation provided by YOTR have been invaluable to me.
Through the various workshops and programs offered by the organization, I have acquired a wealth of new knowledge and terminology related to professional and personal development. As a result, I no longer feel the same level of loneliness and insecurity that I had previously experienced. Being a part of YOTR has truly been life-changing for me and I believe it was one of the best decisions I have made. I am extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication of the program manager, and the program coordinator in ensuring that I received the support and guidance that I needed to succeed.
The best thing of all, YOTR not only helped me to develop my skills and improve my CV but also, connected me with potential employers and assisted me in finding a job. Their job placement service was decisive in helping me secure a position that aligns with my interests and qualifications. This has been a crucial step in achieving my career goals and improving my overall livelihood.“
Click here to learn more about Ruken’s story here.
Amba Seales looks back on being a participant of Youth on the Rise
“I am so thankful for the five months in the program. Thank you for the 8 weeks of knowledge that have been valuable in understanding my rights in employment and the different channels of education. Thank you for the interview prep and for showing me that skills can be transferrable and aren’t limited to one area of work or job. And lastly, thank you for giving me the tools to thrive, be bold and take the next steps, and put myself out there (even if it still scares me lol).
I can confidently say that these five months have changed me for the better and that the world of jobs isn’t as daunting as I thought it was when you’re well informed and have the right support system to help you navigate it.
Thank you for everything. I appreciate you guys and all the hard work, the researching, the strings pulled and the late nights you’ve done to make all of this happen. I hope that this program is beneficial to others, and everyone finds value in it as I have.”
Meet Najma Hossain, a past participant of YOTR
When Najma joined YOTR she had a dream of becoming a pilot but wasn’t sure to get there as she had little work experience, and did not know anyone in the field. After building her workplace skills as a medical secretary through her YOTR work placement, Najma has gone on to get two other jobs in the field. She now works full-time and loves both of her jobs. She feels fortunate enough to work in environments that are friendly, understanding, and well paid.
When she first started her YOTR work placement, she was shy speaking French with clients and was determined to improve. She said that through the process of working she feels much more confident as her French has improved significantly. Usually, outside of work, she would speak English when ordering a coffee, for example, now she does it in French and she’s so happy she is able to do that!
As a result of this work experience, Najma has been able to gain significant workplace skills, and by applying the ways to save skills and tools from the financial literacy modules in the YOTR training, Najma has been able to save up enough to go to flight school. We are so proud of all the hard work she has put in, and we feel lucky to have been part of her journey toward living out her dreams!
Interested in learning more? Ready to sign up for the program?
Fill out the form with your name, email, and message, and our program coordinator will get back to you within 48 hours!
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Special thanks to our Youth on the Rise employment partners!
