Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) connects underemployed post-secondary graduates with small businesses and not-for-profit organizations where they can gain meaningful work experience to help them transition to career-oriented employment.
The program supports delivery organizations that have a strong network of small to medium-sized businesses (under 500 employees) and not-for-profit organizations that can create employment opportunities to help youth build the digital skills needed for the digital economy. The opportunities should help prepare youth to adapt to the major changes expected in tomorrow’s workplace, including in emerging areas where the jobs may not yet exist, such as those related to cybersecurity, the automation of knowledge tasks, big data and artificial intelligence, among others.
DS4Y is part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), an initiative involving several federal departments and agencies. DS4Y contributes to YESS programming by supporting, through wage-subsidy opportunities, youth who are more or less job-ready but who may require a first employment experience and skills development to enter and succeed in the labour market.
