June 19, 2019
Newly graduated women who are unemployed or underemployed will get some additional help to find a job in their field of study, thanks to a new partnership between Toronto Pearson International Airport’s community investment program, the Propeller Project, and Job Skills, a local not-for-profit employment service Agency.
Over two years, Toronto Pearson will invest $115,000 in Job Skills to support the new Propel Your Career (PYC) initiative, designed to assist 80 women with higher education who have not been able to find meaningful employment in their chosen career.
“Toronto Pearson is thrilled to be able to support Brampton and area residents develop career opportunities through the Propel Your Career initiative,” said Hillary Marshall, Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Communications at Toronto Pearson. “Our research shows that many area residents face underemployment and this new partnership between the Job Skills Brampton site and our community investment fund, the Propeller Project, will provide meaningful tools to aid in the job search for local residents.”
Using an intensive “bootcamp” model, Job Skills will provide the resources, supports and motivation to help these young women overcome the challenges of underemployment and inspire them to reach their career goals.
Six three-day bootcamps will take place in the Brampton area during the course of the initiative, taking place in July and October 2019, and in January, April, July and October 2020.
“We are thrilled to be offering an exciting new initiative to help these women graduates leverage their education and find work that is truly rewarding—both professionally and financially,” said Nella Iasci, Executive Director of Job Skills. “Through Propel Your Career, we can provide participants with the tools and skills necessary to break out from being stuck in the underemployment trap into a career that better matches their education, training and experience.”
The program is aimed at women who have graduated within the last three years with a degree/diploma outside of the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Research has indicated that this group is more likely to be underemployed than women graduates of STEM programs. Additional eligibility criteria include being unemployed, working in a job not related to career aspirations, or work that does not leverage education, training and experience.
The bootcamps are designed to be an immersive, intensive, highly experiential and applied short-term training intervention.
Following the “bootcamp”, all participants will be connected with an Employment Ontario Employment Services provider to receive additional assistance if required, ensuring that they continue to move forward in their career aspirations.
For more information about the Propel Your Career initiative or to register for a bootcamp visit: www.jobskills.org/pyc or call 905-453-7896 / 1-866-592-6278.
About Job Skills
Job Skills is a non-profit charitable community-based employment and training organization that has successfully delivered employment solutions to create a more vibrant community for more than 30 years. From job seekers to employers, Job Skills’ outreach and referral services extend to over 20,000 individuals and more than 1,200 small to medium sized businesses delivered across seven sites in the Greater Toronto Area. For more, visit www.jobskills.org.
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