Employment Specialist - Base 4 Success

360 kids is a vitally important community agency serving all of the York Region. We have been a leader in the delivery of innovative support services for more than 35 years as we work to improve the lives of unhoused and marginalized youth and families in the York Region.

At 360 kids, we provide a unique continuum-of-care approach with programs and services that are essential to the health and well-being of youth.

These proven strategies help to keep youth safe by providing stable housing options with 360 wraparound supports.

Base 4 Success (B4S) is a 12-week youth employment program providing higher needs, unemployed, and out-of-school York Region youth between the ages of 15 and 30, combining career counseling;

employability skill-building workshops and certifications; and hands-on workforce opportunities to foster successful entry to the working world and develop a path to living wages.

The Employment Specialist will plan and execute career counseling and skill-building programming to provide youth with skills to obtain and maintain employment and successfully transition youth into the labour market.

The Employment Specialist will foster a referral stream for participants with community partners, conduct participant intakes, and onboard youth to the program.

The focus is on supporting youth who have barriers to employment and are at risk of experiencing poor transitions between education and work.

Key responsibilities :

• Schedule and conduct intake to determine eligibility and program / employment readiness, and onboard youth to the program.
• Explores participant’s career-related aspirations, concerns, and uncertainties.
• Reviews participant’s personal and educational undertakings and how they may inform clients of prospective job-related choices.
• Guides participants through the completion of aptitude and / or personality tests proposing career-related options / informing them of potential shortcomings in their skill sets and devising strategies to remedy these.
• Track activities and attendance in sessions for accurate payment to youth in the program.
• Shop for and buy necessary participant supplies (i.e. transit passes, backpacks) and other as well as appropriate snacks for youth to have at training session breaks.
• Develop partnerships with community resources for enhanced hands-on customer service exposure.
• Builds a positive referral base with community partners.
• Marketing, outreach, and promotion of the program to employers and the community.
• Represents the organization and program as required with various aspects of the community including agency partners, employers, donors, coworkers, volunteers, schools, clients, and family members.
• Develop positive relations with the communities being served by the program and with the general public.
• Support interactive culinary team-building exercises to enhance employment readiness skills.
• Follows appropriate policies and procedures of 360 kids. Ensures that the program operates in line with 360 kids’ mission, vision, and values and that activities comply with applicable standards and laws.
• In the event of a crisis or critical incident, immediately report to the appropriate level.
• Reports on a regular basis to the Team Lead regarding issues of need and / or concern
• Assess the employment needs and barriers of youth enrolled in the program and assist and provide support in the development of youth career / action / safety plans.

Assists youth to access community programs and provides resources, counseling, referrals, and advocacy services within their community.

• Assists the Workforce Specialist in monitoring job placements, and liaises with employers, youth, and other team members regarding progress.
• Acts as a support to employers for questions and concerns regarding the program and the youth placements.
• Work alongside Workforce Specialists, Social Innovation Facilitators, and Team leaders to ensure job opportunities reflect youth needs, abilities, employment goals, and overall suitability.
• Support participants by transporting to / from interviews, and being present for the start of first shifts, as needed. Updates and maintains records / activities and case notes.
• Assists in up-to-date records of programming, volunteer, and employer databases. Works with the program and 360 kids’ staff to ensure program success while positively contributing to 360 kids as an organization.
• Participates in regular supervision meetings and performance appraisal meetings on a semi-annual basis.

Education and Skills Required :

• Post-Secondary degree / diploma in a Child / youth-related field (e.g. Child Youth, Social Service Worker, Social Worker, Psychology, Sociology) or the equivalent combination of education and experience working with youth.
• Minimum of three years experience working with at-risk or street-involved youth, including at least one year of facilitation / coordination experience.
• Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) training is an asset.
• Safetalk / ASIST - Suicide Prevention training is an asset.
• Current First Aid / CPR certification.
• Current vulnerable sector screening (criminal background check).Car and valid driver’s license with a clean driver’s abstract, and $2M liability insurance required.
• Demonstrated experience working with street-involved youth, awareness of at-risk youth homelessness, sexual, mental health, abuse, and addiction needs.
• Ability to make decisions and work as part of a team.
• Strong personal ethics, integrity, reliability, time management, and organization skills; excellent relationship-building, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated client-focused counseling skills and role modeling.
• Ability to make decisions and work independently, strong personal ethics, integrity, reliability, time management, and organization skills.
• Able to work independently in a dynamic, complex environment and organize time and workload effectively.
• Must possess excellent communication skills and have the ability to be adaptable with a flexible approach taking into consideration the unique qualities of each client.
• Strong demonstrable oral and written communication with all levels of staff, the public, and clients while maintaining objectivity.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, employment partners, community agencies, and the public with a working knowledge of York Region services.

Work location will vary throughout the York Region with 10415 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill as the primary address and requirement to be onsite at 130 Davis Drive, Newmarket as program delivery requires.

360 kids is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible organization.

We are dedicated to having a workforce that reflects the diversity of the York Region with a variety of perspectives and lived experiences.

We welcome and encourage applicants from equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous, Black, and racialized people, 2SLGBTQ+ communities, people with disabilities, and individuals with lived experience of homelessness.

Accommodation will be provided throughout the hiring process in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Applicants who require accommodation during the recruitment process are encouraged to notify the People and Culture Department when contacted for an interview.

We will work with you to meet your access needs in an equitable and inclusive way.

Upon joining 360 kids, you'll be welcomed into a fun and collaborative environment where we truly value our employees and want to see them succeed.

We thank everyone for their interest and appreciate the time put into applying, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.