Passport to Prosperity
For more than a decade, the Passport to Prosperity program has supported educators and employers in developing experiential learning opportunities for high school students as a cost-effective solution to recruiting, training and retaining young workers. Passport to Prosperity is a province wide campaign that seeks to provide communities with the tools and resources to respond to their local workforce development needs and contribute to the growth of the local economy. Today, more than 40,000 employers across Ontario have recognized the value of incorporating student programs into their human resources strategies.
The campaign aims to increase employer participation in experiential learning programs; such as workplace tours, job shadowing, mentoring, cooperative education, school-work transitions, and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.
• Passport to Prosperity's mission is to ensure that every employer in Ontario sees the value of connecting to the future workforce by engaging high school students in meaningful work experiences and essential skills training.
• The Passport to Prosperity campaign encourages employers to provide high school students with experiential learning opportunities as a cost-effective solution to recruiting, training and retaining young workers. The same opportunities help students explore career options and develop essential and citizenship skills. The work experience is an opportunity for students to see how their in-school learning is applied in the workplace. It also assists students to make a successful transition into the labour market.
• The Employer Registry (www.EmployerRegistry.ca) is Ontario’s free online community connecting employers and tomorrow’s workforce. Developed in 2008, the site acts as a single point of contact for employers looking to get involved with short, medium and long-term educational programs, ranging from one-hour career talks to full-semester cooperative education. In less than five minutes, you will be connected to a local Passport to Prosperity Coordinator who will personally assist you in identifying experiential learning opportunities to meet the unique requirements of your business.
• The campaign is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and is implemented in local communities by business-education councils and local training boards.
• Every region of the province has a business-education council or local training board that helps connect employers with schools as part of the Passport to Prosperity campaign.
• The local Passport to Prosperitycontacts help match employers with schools and help employers determine the experiential learning program that works best for their business.
YourPassport to Prosperity Coordinator is Kathryn Tull, Youth Projects Manager, Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board.
Contact Kathryn at 519-672-3499 or kathryn@workforcedevelopment.ca to get connected.
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