In summer 2011 I was contracted by Workforce Planning Hamilton (formerly the Hamilton Training Advisory Board) to conduct a landscape assessment of groups, reports, research, and any other stakeholders/items that should be taken into account in the potential compilation of a Youth Strategy for Hamilton, Ontario. Big thanks go out to Judy Travis and Cyndi Ingle at WPH for providing me with this opportunity, and for the support in its development!
The project was initiated in May 2011, and the final draft was produced by October. This work was resultant from a a number of initiatives, including a report on Youth Retention and Attraction in Hamilton, that I had prepared for the 2010 Hamilton Economic Development Strategy.
This landscape assessment, essentially, looks to highlight and "kick-off" all the work that needs to be done in support of making Hamilton, Ontario a destination for young people, of which there is much. However, in the meantime, I am simply happy to say that all over 40 pages of the report have now been officially published and can be accessed here.
To peak your interest, below is the executive summary:
Executive Summary
As Canada braces for large-scale shifts in its workforce demographics, its cities must prepare themselves to be places of opportunity and prosperity in order to attract the most skilled talent to fill the best jobs. In looking at creating such a base of skilled, talented citizens, cities must take into account how the differences in age, culture, ethnicity, and education affect their workforce development strategies.The goal of this report is to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive Youth Strategy in Hamilton, a strategy that will contribute to the development and expansion of the city's skilled workforce and prepare us for future challenges. This report identifies four objectives of a made-in-Hamilton youth strategy: attraction, retention, engagement, and development. Through use of a local environmental scan of written and organizational resources, the report identifies strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in knowledge around these four objectives. It also names stakeholders and community partners that should be involved in the development and delivery of such a strategy. An environmental scan of youth strategy resources outside Hamilton is also included. Following this, the report identifies key issues that Hamilton faces and identifies opportunities in place to move forward.
