Employment Specialist, Base 4 Success (B4S)- Contract until March 2026

Employment Specialist, Base 4 Success (B4S)- Contract until March 2026

Regional Municipality of York, ON, Canada ● Richmond Hill, ON, Canada Req #333

Thursday, April 10, 2025

360°kids is a vitally important community agency serving all of 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 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 counselling; 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 counselling 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 assist youth to access community program wrap around supports, ensuring access to resources, counselling, referrals, and advocacy services as needed.

Job Responsibilities:

• Schedule and conduct intakes to determine eligibility and program/employment readiness, and onboard youth to program.
• Explore participant’s career-related aspirations, concerns and uncertainties.
• Review participant’s personal and educational undertakings and how they may inform clients' prospective job-related choices.
• Guide 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.
• Develop and facilitate workshops and appropriate program materials/activities for higher needs youth.
• Workshops include but are not limited to job search and interview techniques, resume preparation, career exploration, budgeting, time management, communication, problem solving, self-care/awareness, stress management and leadership.
• Track activities and attendance in sessions for accurate payment to youth in program.
• Shop for and buy necessary participant supplies (i.e. transit passes, backpacks) and other appropriate snacks for youth to have at training session breaks.
• Develop partnerships with community resources for enhanced hands-on customer service exposure.
• Marketing, outreach, and promotion of program to employers and community.
• Report on a regular basis to Team Lead regarding issues of need and/or concern.
• Provide extended employer support and training around mentorship of a young person facing mental health challenges.
• Assist in maintaining up-to-date records of programming, volunteer and employer database.
• Update and maintain records/activities and case notes.
• Work with program and 360°kids’ staff to ensure program success while positively contributing to 360°kids as an organization.
• Other duties as required.

Minimum Requirements:

• Post-Secondary degree/diploma in a social services field of study (e.g. Social Worker, Social Service Worker, Psychology) 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 an asset.
• Safetalk/ASIST - Suicide Prevention training an asset.
• Current First Aid/CPR certification.
• Current Broad Record Check (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.
• Demonstrated client-focused counselling skills and role modelling.
• Ability to make decisions and work independently, strong personal ethics, integrity, reliable, 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.
• 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.
• Will possess a broad knowledge of community resources and the ability to strongly advocate for clients and professional referrals.

Apply Today – We Review Applications as they come in!

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 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.

We recognize that lived experiences shape the way individuals navigate the workplace, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment. If you are a member of an equity-deserving group and feel comfortable sharing this with us, we welcome you to do so. This information is completely voluntary and will be used solely to help us improve our hiring practices and workplace inclusivity.

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 that 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.