This report identifies significant challenges faced by racialized youth in education and employment due to societal, organizational and community-level barriers. It highlights gaps and inefficiencies in existing programs, such as a lack of industry-led initiatives and limited outreach.

There has been an increase in the number of youth-focused employment programs at the national, provincial and local levels. Yet, the authors point out that these programs are fragmented and lack coordination, leading to uneven impacts and evaluation data, and leaving marginalized youth underserved. They also note a shortage of accessible mentors and role models. In addition, community-level initiatives, which are often more resonant with racialized youth, receive less funding and recognition than their national and provincial counterparts.

The report also recognizes a need for employer-driven programs that address discrimination and harassment. It recommends developing a national strategy to better design and evaluate policies and programs that support employment for racialized youth. The strategy should aim to better understand the nuanced experiences of racialized youth by considering the entire skills and employment ecosystem through a disaggregated and standardized data lens. It should emphasize valuing employment outcomes, rewarding effective programs, applying wraparound supports, incorporating equity, diversity and inclusion principles in policy-making, and programming design and delivery to address embedded bias and discrimination.

The report concludes with recommendations for governments and organizations involved in initiating and funding programs for racialized youth employment.