The CANADIAN PRESS
Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the province is putting $12 million toward helping people with criminal records find employment.
The government says more than one million people in the province have a criminal record, which decreases their likelihood of getting a job and increases their likelihood of long-term poverty.
“Across Ontario, tens of thousands of people have paid their dues and just want to roll up their sleeves and give back,” McNaughton said. “We’re investing in them to help break the cycle of poverty that can lead to crime.
“The money would fund nine projects that could help prepare up to 2,000 job-seekers for careers in construction, manufacturing, hospitality, food and beverage processing and other industries.”
The programs are set to give apprenticeship and technical training, on-the-job learning, and interview skills.
Funding recipients include:
Building Up – $593,956 for a holistic project aimed at improving job retention and career progression for individuals who face significant barriers to employment and that have completed their pre-apprenticeship program.
Calibre Recruitment Inc. – $590,365 for a project that aims to reduce the barriers that people with previous interactions with the criminal justice system face when trying to access employment, while also helping local employers address critical labour shortages.
Community Justice Initiatives of Waterloo Region – $119,552 for a project that will work with people who have lived experience of incarceration or criminalization and local business leaders to co-design an approach to training and employment that supports both the needs of the employer, along with the needs of program participants.
Fernie Youth Services – $514,459 for a project focusing on removing barriers in education and skills training opportunities for justice-involved and racialized youth by delivering new and innovative approaches to skills training. This includes providing tools, equipment, and wrap-around supports to jobseekers, such as mentorship, job placement and coaching, mental health supports, educational supports, career and learning plans, and social supports, such as housing and medical care.
Hammer Heads Program – $204,850 to support a project aimed at improving job retention and career progression for apprentices in their program, by guiding them through the first years of their employment with regular follow-ups in the field to ensure sustainability and long-term success.
This project will help 200 people work in the skilled trades in communities in the Toronto area.
Prison Fellowship Canada – $500,000 for a comprehensive project that will provide in-class and on-the-job training support for apprentices, including tutoring, exam preparation, mentorship, and wrap-around supports that promote apprentice progression and obtaining the highest level of certification possible in a particular trade. It will also provide on-the-job supports to help journeypersons provide the training that apprentices need to successfully progress through their program.
SPOT App – $1.6 million for a specialized program that will provide jobseekers from the second chances population with job opportunities and training through a new mobile job placement app. They will also work with employers to reduce stigma and promote the benefits of giving people with prior involvement in the criminal justice system a second chance.
The Oaks Revitalization Association – $2 million for a project that will support young offenders by training them as apprentices and helping them to transition into employment in the Skilled Trade industry.
The Skilled Trade Development program provides access to the Skilled Trade labour market and rehabilitates and reintegrates young offenders back into society. The mentorship program will provide core life skills, mental health support, reintegration, anti gangs/crime, and support dealing with on-the-job challenges. Clients will be mentored and placed into apprenticeships within the skilled trades industry.
Funding will help 16 people find work in communities in Central Toronto in the first cohort.