It has been a long summer for Oscar Ludzik, 18, who has been looking for work since finishing high school in June.

But reality sunk in last week when, as many of his friends returned to their studies, Ludzik killed time playing video games, surfing the Internet and going for walks around his west-end Toronto neighbourhood.

“It’s a little bit harder when you realize that people have things that they’re doing,” he said. “Sometimes it feels a little bit hopeless, like, what if I never get an interview? What if everything I’m doing is pointless? It’s hard to think about.”

For Ludzik and others like him, however, help may be on the way. The business community could soon play a pivotal role in breaking down the barriers to employment in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), where an estimated 83,000 of those aged 15 to 24 are not in school or training or don’t have jobs.

In partnership with the province, the Toronto-based non-profit Civic Action unveils a strategy on Monday that seeks to jump-start a more collaborative approach to tackling the roots of youth joblessness. The goal is to spearhead several private-sector job and mentorships programs, to be piloted in the region next year.

If effective, Minister of Children and Youth Services Tracy MacCharles said these programs could be rolled out across the province.

“People are recognizing more and more that government alone can’t be successful in helping our youth, and helping our youth that face barriers,” MacCharles said. “Employers are really keen to look at how to attract and retain qualified young people.”

The Civic Action report released Monday follows months of consultations with private-sector employers, community agencies and affected youth.

The report pinpoints “roadblocks to opportunity,” such as structural discrimination and a lack of meaningful connections, as well as several “actions” to address these concerns. They include:

Creating a regional mentorship initiative: Empowering an existing agency to act as a regional co-ordinating body to connect youth with role models.

Creating employer-designed training and internships: With youth facing barriers in mind, these programs should be a partnership between employers and the non-profit sector to include “wraparound services and life skills.”

Engaging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Encouraging SMEs, which account for nearly 90 per cent of private sector jobs in Ontario, to share their labour needs, get support with hiring and participate in centralized job recruiting platforms.

Making the job market more transparent: Using existing technologies to develop a GTHA job search prototype for a mobile app that centralizes job opportunities for target youth.

The pilot programs, developed with $375,000 in provincial funding, will seek to put these actions in place.

MacCharles said the ministry tapped Civic Action to explore the issue as part of the province’s effort to fulfil the commitments made in response to youth violence in the region in 2012.

“Youth unemployment was unacceptably high then, and it’s still quite high,” she said.

Youth joblessness in Ontario was upwards of 17 per cent in Ontario last year and is estimated to be even higher now, according to Civic Action.

“we are looking at the potential of a lost generation,” said Civic Action CEO Sevaun Palvetzian. “This will cost us.”

“We need to target youth unemployment with 21st century solutions. This means using new technologies, partners and approaches to get our young people plugged in,” Palvetzian said.

Meaningful interventions are in high demand among youth in the region facing unemployment — and underemployment.

Kevia Cooper, 22, is in nursing school and has a part-time job in a grocery store but is struggling to land a better-paying gig to help her save money to repay student loans.

Cooper, who was raised in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood and now lives in Brampton, said she has not had a strong support system.

“I grew up with a single parent and she was always working,” she said. “I wasn’t taught how to dress professionally or go to an interview. Many jobs missed, absolutely.”

She also believes racism is to blame.

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“Because my name is hard to pronounce, and comes across as ghetto, when people hear me articulate I can really see they’re amazed. It surprises me,” she said. “I think that more should be done. I don’t work with a lot of black people.”

The challenges are more substantial for visible minorities. Nearly 33 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds and more than 20 per cent of 20- to 24-year-olds are unemployed, according to the Civic Action report. The unemployment numbers are also higher than average for aboriginal youth and newcomers.

“A one-size-fits-all answer isn’t going to work,” said Zabeen Hirji, chief human resources officer at RBC and a member of the Civic Action board.

Hirji said big employers with resources, such as RBC, should take the lead in developing mentorship and networking opportunities so that youth can learn the skills they need to start their careers.

Nancy Schaefer, president the non-profit agency Youth Employment Services (YES), agrees.

“It’s time now that the business sector steps up,” she said. “We’re talking about medium and large businesses that have got the capital.”

As for Ludzik, he is interested in pursuing cosmology or robotic engineering one day, but doesn’t want to go to college or university until he figures it out. He said he feels fortunate to be living with his parents (he splits his time between his mom’s place and his dad’s) while he looks for work.

Late last week he visited a local YES office to learn how to write a more effective resumé and cover letter.

“I don’t know how I would do it by myself,” he said.

Youth unemployment by the numbers

83,000: Youth aged 15 to 24 in the GTHA who are not in education, employment or training

19.5: Unemployment rate in Toronto for nonvisible minority youth

23.9: Unemployment rate in Toronto for visible minority youth

24.9: Unemployment rate in Toronto for aboriginal youth

$115 billion: Estimated collective loss of tax revenue from high school dropouts in Canada over 35 years

Source: Civic Action

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