April 13, 2015
Starbucks Canada to hire 10 per cent of employees through the City’s Partnership to Advance Youth Employment (PAYE) program
Toronto Mayor John Tory challenged large employers to hire 10 per cent of their employees through the City’s Partnership to Advance Youth Employment (PAYE) program today.
Mayor Tory was joined by Rossann Williams, President of Starbucks Canada, and Toronto's Youth Equity Advocate Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina) to announce the challenge and Starbucks Canada's commitment to provide 10 per cent of its barista roles to unemployed youth living in Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.
Over the next 12 months, Starbucks will help tackle the issue of youth unemployment in Toronto by filling over 150 barista roles and work placement training opportunities with PAYE candidates.
"This kind of commitment and partnership is exactly what we want to see more of from the private sector to tackle youth unemployment in the city," said Mayor Tory. "Opportunities like these help youth get access to career-track work opportunities and to build skills they will need to succeed. PAYE is a successful City of Toronto initiative and I am committed to making sure we connect more youth to jobs through the program."
“We believe every young person deserves access to meaningful life opportunities and the chance to create positive change within their community,” said Williams. “We also believe every business has a role to play in creating these opportunities to help Canadian youth succeed by providing access to meaningful jobs with great benefits.”
Starbucks will guarantee these candidates a minimum of 20 hours of work per week to ensure that they are eligible for Starbucks’ full suite of benefits, which offer opportunities for financial reward, personal and career development while complementing a competitive wage. Some of those benefits include annual stock grants, tuition reimbursement, RRSP matching, health coverage, life insurance, disability insurance and adoption assistance.
In addition to Starbucks Canada, 31 other Toronto employers have pledged their commitment to PAYE this year. The Mayor is encouraging other companies to also join his call to action to address youth unemployment and to play an active role in shaping the future of Toronto's youth.
The City's PAYE program has successfully connected hundreds of youth aged 18 to 29 from diverse neighbourhoods to job opportunities with some of the City's top employers. At PAYE, unemployed youth are provided with individual guidance and coaching, and are connected to City and community-based services and supports. Qualified candidates are screened and matched to employment opportunities and connect face-to-face with hiring employers.
For nearly 30 years, Starbucks has been hiring and developing Canadian youth. Building on its commitment to creating opportunities for youth, the company is investing in a range of education, training and employment initiatives to help young people across Canada meet their own goals and aspirations.
Today's investment with the City of Toronto further strengthens Starbucks' long-standing commitment to support youth with meaningful work and builds on Starbucks' national work-readiness and barista training program, which offers life skills and job training to help disadvantaged young people build better futures in association with not-for-profit organizations.
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit
http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.
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Media contacts:
Keerthana Kamalavasan, Office of the Mayor, 647-460-7507, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Anna McGrath, Toronto Employment & Social Services, 416-392-9052, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Carly Suppa, Starbucks Canada, 416-228-7423, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
