The Work and Learning Knowledge Centre (WLKC) contracted with the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) to compile an inventory of current Canadian practices, programs and polices aimed at improving school-to-work transitions for school-leavers (both from secondary and post-secondary groups). Part of the purpose of creating this inventory is to raise the visibility of school-to-work initiatives in Canada. This project also aims to use the inventory as a forum for knowledge exchange: to make the inventory database available to any interested party in Canada so people can get ideas for creating or enhancing their own programs and to continue to build the inventory through others sharing the outcomes of their school-to-work initiatives.
The impetus for developing the inventory came from WLKC’s Transitions and Access Working Groups. The WLKC’s Working Group members consist of a wide range of government, education, business and industry organizations. They recognized that together, they possess a wide range of knowledge about school-to-work transition practices, programs and policies. Based on this collective knowledge, they wanted to develop an inventory of school-to-work measures so that career and youth practitioners, educators, business owners and community development organizations could find out about some of the programs, practices and policies that exist.
Data for this inventory was primarily drawn from the members of the WLKC Transition and Access Working Groups and supplemented by a Canadian literature review. The inventory consists of school-to-work transition programs, policies and practices for school-leavers (including youth at-risk) and for those graduating from high school or post-secondary institutions. The inventory is made up of promising, innovative and effective measures. WLKC’s aim is that it will become a valuable reference for career and youth practitioners, educators and others who address school-to-work transition issues.