Student Shelver Hiring Program

Program Policy

Idea Exchange is committed to offering students valuable experience and knowledge that represents an organized path from a school setting to the workplace.

Objectives

The Student Hiring Program aims to provide employment opportunities for candidates enrolled in a secondary school or a General Education Development (GED) Test program (“Students”).

This Program is to help develop Students’ employability skills and improve their ability to find good jobs after graduation; to offer insights into future employment opportunities; and to help Students evaluate their career options within Public Libraries. Other employability skills Students will gain are:

academic skills (the ability to communicate, think and learn);
personal management skills (positive attitudes and behaviours, a sense of responsibility and adaptability in the workplace); and
teamwork skills (the ability to work with others).[1]

Secondary school students in the Region of Waterloo are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding employment when compared to other groups in the labour force as they have a higher unemployment rate (10.6% compared to 5.3% respectively). [2]. Idea Exchange intends to hire only secondary school students for our Student Shelving positions to help curb this statistic.

Under the Human Rights Code this Program is considered a “Special Program”. This program is designed to:

Relieve hardship and/or economic disadvantage; and
Help disadvantaged people or groups to achieve, or try to achieve, equal opportunity[3]

Scope

This Program applies to the Student Shelver positions at any location of Idea Exchange.

Requirements

Eligibility

To be eligible for hire, a candidate must meet the following criteria:

registered as a full-time secondary student in an accredited institution;
registered in a GED program
currently recognized as having full-time status by the academic institution/program; and
enrolled in full-time studies in the current academic term.
Registered as a full-time secondary student in a distance learning program that meets the requirements under the Ontario’s Education Act.

An exception can be made for those students that have graduated from secondary school or a GED program who have not yet completed their contract with Idea Exchange. Continued eligibility would only be extended until the end of the contract.

Responsibilities

HR Manager must:

manage the recruitment of the Student Shelver position
create and offer an approximate 1-year contract, ending every August 31. Renewals of contracts are based on the following criteria:
- The Student will be enrolled in secondary school or a GED program during the course of the next year.
- The Student will have a successful completion of a Performance Review prior to the end of their contract
- Location and/or Department staffing needs
guarantee that all Students employed in the department are considered eligible under our eligibility requirements;
confirm Idea Exchange meets the objectives for this position by evaluating the Policy and Program each year;
ensure all Students are paid minimum wage and provided entitlements to all ESA benefits and provisions. Students will be considered as Trainees and will not receive the same benefits as other employees yet will not be regarded as “lower-cost alternatives to regular employees”.[4]

Location Manager/ Supervisor must:

guarantee all Students are trained in their job as per the current Job Description in a timely manner at the beginning of their employment and by a competent supervisor;
confirm all Students are trained on all Health and Safety requirements at the beginning of their employment by a competent supervisor
create a working environment that will allow Students to help the organization meet its operational needs while developing and enhancing their employability skills;[5]
evaluate the Student’s development during their employment

Communication of Program

This program and any job openings will be posted in the Idea Exchange website. All secondary schools in the City of Cambridge will be notified of open positions and this program.

References

Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, A Portrait of Canadian Youth, 2018 (archived 2020), Catalogue 11-631-X, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/11-631-x2018001-eng.pdf
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, Directive on Student Employment, 2021, https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32638
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, Stepping Up: A Strategic Framework to Help Ontario’s Youth Succeed, 2014, http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/steppingup/contents.aspx
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0286-02: Students and other persons aged 15 to 24 by detailed age group, unadjusted for seasonality, 2021, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200710/t013a-eng.htm
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0287-02: Labour force characteristics by age group and sex, seasonally adjusted, 2021, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200710/t001a-eng.htm
Government of Canada, Student Employment Policy: Appendix A, 1999 (revised 2003; archived 2020), https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12582
Government of Canada, Student Employment Policy: Section 2 Policy Objectives, 1999 (revised 2003; archived 2020), https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12582
Government of Canada, Student Employment Policy: Section 5.2 Policy Requirements – Departmental Responsibilities, 1999 (revised 2003; archived 2020), https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12582
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, 2016 Stepping Up Annual Report: Employment & Entrepreneurship, 2016, http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/steppingup/steppingup2016/employment.aspx
Government of Ontario, Ontario Employment Report: January to March 2020, 2020, https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-employment-reports/january-march-2020#:~:text=The%20youth%20unemployment%20rate%20decreased,the%20first%20quarter%20of%202020.
Government of Ontario, Ontario Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H. 19, www.ohrc.on.ca
Lorinc, Jacob. “The pandemic worsened an age-old Canadian problem — youth unemployment. Will a labour shortage help?” The Waterloo Region Record (Toronto, ON), Jul. 27, 2021, https://www.therecord.com/ts/business/2021/07/27/the-pandemic-worsened-an-age-old-canadian-problem-youth-unemployment-will-a-labour-shortage-help.html
Ontario Human Rights Commission, Your Guide to Special Programs and the Human Rights Code, 2010 (revised 2013), http://www3.ohrc.on.ca/en/your-guide-special-programs-and-human-rights-code
Region of Waterloo, Planning, Development and Legislative Services, Report PDL-CPL-20-10: 2019 Waterloo Region Labour Force Report, 2020, https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regional-government/resources/2019-Labour-Force-Report-and-Council-Update.pdf

[1] Government of Canada, Student Employment Policy: Appendix A, 1999 (revised 2003; archived 2020), https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12582

[2] Region of Waterloo Planning, Development and Legislative Services, Report PDL-CPL-20-10: 2019 Waterloo Region Labour Force Report, 2020, https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regional-government/resources/2019-Labour-Force-Report-and-Council-Update.pdf

[3] Ontario Human Rights Commission, Your Guide to Special Programs and the Human Rights Code, 2010 (revised 2013), http://www3.ohrc.on.ca/en/your-guide-special-programs-and-human-rights-code

[4] Government of Canada, Student Employment Policy: Section 2 Policy Objectives, 1999 (revised 2003; archived 2020), https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12582

[5] Government of Canada, Student Employment Policy: Section 5.2 Policy Requirements – Departmental Responsibilities, 1999 (revised 2003; archived 2020), https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12582