The following case study illustrates how Shift – a prevention of violence initiative based out of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social Work – overcame policy and collective agreement limitations to help young professional immigrant women secure their first Canadian job placements.
CivicAction partnered with Accenture to create an artificial intelligence tool, which provides practical recommendations for employers to improve the language around inclusivity of current entry-level job postings.
The following case study illustrates how RBC’s Career Launch Program – a one-year paid
internship that provides a unique experience for youth to bridge the transition from academics to
employment – overcame the impact of a new world created by COVID-19.
As a large institution, RBC has well-established HR practices and programs. In the case study, RBC set out to identify opportunities to customize current processes to set opportunity youth up for success and make them feel welcomed and supported through recruitment and onboarding.
To say H&M is a popular choice for young people to work at is an understatement. In some markets, recruiters often have to sift through over 1000 applications per week to find candidates, meaning H&M’s recruitment team narrows down applicants based on experience. But experience, is not always an indicator of a great candidate, particularly for entry-level roles. There are many soft skills that make up a quality candidate such as attitude, friendliness, and a set of core values that align with the ideal customer service representative, which cannot be assessed solely based off of experience. This process therefore can make it hard for opportunity youth to make it through the traditional screening processes and unintentionally be screened out before they’re given the chance to meet for an interview.
In 2017, Starbucks’ recognized a new challenge: how do you track and measure the development and impact of opportunity youth in stores beyond anecdotal stories. Because it isn’t just about giving youth a job, it’s about whether they retain it and continue to grow within the company. In order to continue their longstanding commitment to Canada’s youth, the company acknowledged the need for evidence and data to be able to make improvements, share best practices, build a compelling businesses case and promote corporate success. Central to this was identifying the processes of community employment agencies in sourcing youth and the performance outcomes of youth and business pre- and post-hire.
The first 30 to 60 days are critical to successfully integrating new hires. Yet the onboarding process can be overwhelming for opportunity youth trainees or new hires, for whom this may be a first job. Managers’ and trainees’ expectations may be different, and trainees may not feel comfortable asking questions about their role or about any needed accommodations. New hires struggling to navigate the many moving parts and competing job requirements may slip under the radar during onboarding, which can compromise their performance and retention.