Last week’s Statistics Canada youth unemployment figures—the highest in a generation—were alarming but not surprising.

During a recent National CDP Advocacy Campaign meeting, colleagues from across Canada and I shared how we’re advocating for Career Development in today’s economic and funding climate. We identified five priority themes for short-term advocacy:

• Youth Unemployment Crisis & Need for Targeted Interventions

• Positioning Career Development as an Economic Driver

• AI & Technology Impacts on Career Services

• Funding Cuts & Structural Changes in Employment Services

You may recall from past CEO reports that this CERIC-led campaign has created valuable tools for CDPs, including the Beyond Decent Work Playbook and Meet the Moment: Essential Value of Career Development in Uncertain Times. 

Some of my advocacy working group colleagues’ recent work is worth noting:

• Kim Patel, The Neighbourhood Group - Toronto Youth Employment Postcard Project Report
• Lisa Taylor, The Challenge Factory - Stop Telling Young People to Adapt: We Need to Meet Them Halfway
• Amy Widdow, Ontario Disability Employment Network - Still Tangled in Red Tape report 
• CERIC Webinar featuring several of the working group members - The State of Career Development: Insights from Canada’s Career Service Professionals

In this environment, CBC News and CBC Radio One invited me to comment on the youth employment crisis. I aimed to highlight community-based employment service providers as an underused resource. While production edits and my less-than-polished media skills meant the message wasn’t exactly as intended, the core idea still reached audiences. I hope this leads to more youth seeking your help and more employers engaging with your centres.

Janet Morris-Reade, CEO
ASPECT BC