National youth program launches to address Canadian skills shortage
TORONTO, ON – Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada has partnered with Kal Tire to create a new national youth program called Skilled4Success. With a national shortage forecasted in the skilled trades sector, Skilled4Success will provide essential pre-employment exploration opportunities, job skills training and job shadowing experiences for youth across Canada.
Skilled4Success is being implemented in 12 Boys and Girls Clubs for young Canadians aged 13 to 18 years. They will have access to reliable information about the skilled trades, provincially-regulated apprenticeship opportunities and career planning. The two-phase program begins with a workshop setting, from January through to March, followed by a job shadowing experience at a Kal Tire store, during February and March.
“Our Skilled4Success program, supported by Kal Tire, is built on Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada’s awareness of the shortage in the skilled trades sector and the importance of promoting this option to youth in our clubs,” said Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada president and CEO Pam Jolliffe.
“Skilled4 Success will inform young people about the skilled trades, offer on-site job shadowing, reliable career planning information, and support in pursuing a certified apprenticeship.
“Of the many and varied programs Boys and Girls Clubs offer, this is the first to focus on skilled trades, an area we know already is in high demand and will continue to be so well into the future.”
While there is a focus on the skilled trades, Skilled4Success is designed to help youth become skilled for a career. In addition to mechanic or auto technician apprenticeship experience, Kal Tire offers other career opportunities for youth to explore, everything from sales and service to operations and management.
“We are delighted to partner with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada,” said Kal Tire president Robert Foord. “Kal Tire has a strong culture of training and developing our team members’ careers and being involved in an initiative that helps to better prepare youth for the workforce is a natural fit for us.”
The following Boys and Girls Clubs will be running the Skilled4Success program:
Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Vancouver Island, South Side Teen Centre, BC
Boys and Girls Club of Charlottetown, PE
Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area, AB
Boys and Girls Club of Durham, ON
Gander Boys and Girls Club, NL
Boys and Girls Clubs of Hamilton, ON
Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, Kelowna Club and West Kelowna Club, BC
Boys and Girls Club of Riverview, NB
Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC, Hillside Club and Wintemute Club
Boys and Girls Clubs of Thunder Bay, ON
Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough, ON
Boys and Girls Club of Whitehorse, YT
About Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada is a leading charitable organization providing after school programs that support the physical, educational and social development of children, youth and their families each year. Found in 650 community locations across Canada, Boys and Girls Clubs have been helping young Canadians to discover, develop and achieve their potential for more than 110 years. To learn more, visit bgccan.com.
About Kal Tire
Kal Tire is Canada’s largest independent tire dealer. Founded in 1953 in Vernon, BC, by Tom Foord, Kal Tire has grown to include over 240 stores across Canada servicing both retail and commercial customers. Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group is a global leader delivering best-in-class customized solutions for all tire service, supply and safety needs on five continents and in 20 countries. Kal Tire employs over 5,000 team members world-wide. To learn more, visit www.kaltire.com.
For more information, please contact:
Travis Parnaby, Senior Communications Specialist, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, 905.477.7272 ext. 270 tparnaby@bgccan.com
Bree Cawley, Communications Specialist, External Relations, Kal Tire, 250.558.3273 bree_cawley@kaltire.com
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