The Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre, a non-profit agency that serves its community through programs to help low-income and vulnerable people, is
currently hiring 16 youth aged 16-30 for a variety of positions ranging from junior marketing assitant to culinary arts worker to junior fashion designer.
The positions are full-time 24-week contracts, funded by Service Canada to help youth who face barriers to the job market, and are especially suitable for youth who have not completed high school, according to program worker Irfan Ali, although all youth are welcome to apply.
The hiring is being done through the agency's youth program "The L.O.F.T.", which aims to give local youth -- especially immigrant, aboriginal, low-income and others who are at-risk -- job skills development opportunities while engaging them as citizens in the development of their own community. Lynn Daly, Executive Director of the Centre, said
upon accepting Service Canada funding this summer that this program would be "life changing" for participants, noting that Toronto has the "highest high-school dropout rates in the Greater Toronto Area."
These hiring announcements follow an earlier six job postings also funded by Service Canada -- those employees were scheduled to begin starting work this month.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Sources: Irfan Ali, Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre; Michelle Bakos, Press Secretary, Office of Minister Diane Finley