Targeted Initiative for Older Workers
Posted In: Canada, Employer Resources, Government Programs · By: Seniors for Jobs.com · Date: 19 Jan 2009
Source: Government of Canada - Human Resources & Social Development Canada
The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers(TIOW) is a federal-provincial/territorial cost-shared initiative providing support to unemployed older workers in communities affected by significant downsizing or closures through programming aimed at reintegrating them into employment. In situations where there is little likelihood of immediate employment, programming may be aimed at increasing the employability of older workers, and ensuring they remain active and productive labour market participants while their communities undergo adjustment.
TIOW is a temporary two year initiative to respond to the immediate needs of unemployed older workers while a feasibility study of measures for older workers is undertaken to inform a longer-term approach. TIOW projects will incorporate the most successful practices and lessons learned from domestic and international evaluations of labour market adjustment and employment programs for older workers, and offer programming that is not available to clients through Employment Insurance (EI) Part II Employment Benefits and Support Measures.
Initiative Delivery
The Government of Canada (as represented by Human Resources and Social Development Canada [HRSDC]) will enter into a contribution agreement with each interested province and territory. There will be one agreement with each jurisdiction, with approved project proposals forming part of the agreement.
Participating provinces and territories will work with community organizations and partners to develop proposals based on the needs of older workers and their communities.
All proposals being considered for funding must be approved at the provincial/territorial level then recommended to HRSDC for ministerial approval.
Provinces and territories will sign agreements with community organizations, and monitor and support projects.
Targeted Communities
To be eligible for the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, communities (example:municipalities) must be experiencing ongoing high unemployment and/or a high reliance on a single employer or industry (i.e. 20% of labour force) affected by downsizing or a closure or closures1. Census Metropolitan Areas with a population greater than 250,000 are not eligible for TIOW programming.Priority should be given to communities affected by closures or downsizing in traditional industries, such as forestry, fishing, textiles (& apparel), and mining. As well, targeting should give priority to remote communities that do not have employment services, training facilities, etc. readily available to residents.
Who Can Participate?
In order to be eligible to participate, older workers must meet all of the following criteria:
be unemployed;
be legally entitled to work in Canada;
lack skills needed for successful integration
into new employment; and
live in an eligible community.
All projects must be designed for, and marketed to workers aged 55 to 64. In exceptional circumstances, workers aged 50 to 54 may be recruited.Priority should be given to individuals most in need i.e. involuntarily displaced2 and not in receipt of Employment Insurance benefits.
Unemployed individuals in receipt of EI benefits may be accepted to participate on a project but must discuss the impact on their claim with Service Canada.
Project Sponsors
Projects will normally be coordinated by communitybased organizations with expertise in delivery of employment programming and, ideally, in addressing the special needs of older workers – or with the necessary community partnerships to ensure appropriate programming for older worker participants.
Eligible Activities
Projects will normally offer group-based programming for older workers. All projects must ensure provision of employment assistance activities such as assessment, counseling, résumé writing, interview techniques, and job finding clubs.
In addition, all projects must include at least two other employability improvement activities such as:
vocational and/or learning assessments;
peer mentoring;
basic skills upgrading;
skills training;
employer-based work experience;
preparation for self-employment;
community-based work experience;
direct marketing to employers;
post-project follow-up mentoring and support; or
other employability approaches with demonstrated success may be included.
All projects must offer at least 25 hours per week of programming. Projects may involve a single intake of participants, or offer programming over a longer period of time to more than one intake of participants.
Where possible and appropriate, TIOW activities should support community economic development strategies and activities. As an example, skills development activities may prepare TIOW participants for emerging employment opportunities.
Income Support for Participants
All projects must provide income support to participants.
This support will be in the form of the following:
Allowances – Participants who are engaged primarily in developmental activities such as assessment and skills upgrading will be paid allowances by project sponsors.
Wages – If a project includes a community-based work experience module, the participant will be paid a wage.
Wage Subsidies – If a project includes an employer-based work experience module, the employer may receive a wage subsidy from the sponsor.
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2 For the purpose of this program, the definition of a displaced worker is a worker who became unemployed as a result of a closure or downsizing,
either directly (worked in the affected industry), or indirectly (lost employment due to the economic effect the closure or downsizing had on the community).Financial Contributions
Federal funding for this initiative will be allocated to all provinces and territories. Provincial and territorial allocations have been determined based on their relative share of unemployed older workers in Canada (with a minimum allocation). If a province or territory chooses not to participate, its share of the funding will not be reallocated.
Projects will be cost-shared between the federal government (a maximum of 70% of total program costs) and participating provinces and territories (a minimum of 30% of total program costs).
Provincial/territorial contributions may include costs of program administration, at a rate of 20% of total project costs. (This would result in 16:84 provincial/territorial-federal cost-sharing of eligible project expenses.)
EI Part II funds can not be included in the provincial/territorial contribution.
Eligible Project Expenditures
All reasonable and proper direct costs of operating and delivering eligible project activities are considered eligible for reimbursement, including:
support to individuals; and
overhead costs as required for delivery of effective programming.Agreement
Duration
The maximum duration of a federalprovincial/ territorial agreement is two years, and no agreement can end later than March 31, 2009.
Expected Results
Following project participation, participants should:
be employed or self-employed; or
have increased skills and confidence increasing their employability
Participant Information
Participating provinces and territories must submit to HRSDC participant intake and exit information using nationally consistent templates.Evaluation
TIOW will be evaluated by HRSDC. The results will be shared with all provinces and territories.