Reboot Plus Expanded

The project

This program helps marginalized young people re-engage in both education and career development and explore fields of interest. At the same time, it allows potential employers to see the potential in this demographic and support their entry into the workforce.

Young people who do not finish high school are less likely to find jobs and more likely to become dependent on government support. The Reboot Plus project adds a layer of support to catch these young people before they fall through the cracks.

Future Skills Centre is investing $2.84 million to expand the innovative Reboot Plus program for youth 17 to 24 who have not finished or are not on track to graduate high school. This follows a previous investment of $1 million in the Metro Vancouver program, but the next phase will expand the program locally and to three new partners in other Canadian cities.

Skills training/career services provided

Reboot Plus is specifically for youth who have not or may not graduate high school, and includes Indigenous Peoples, new immigrants and refugees, racialized peoples, LGBTQ2S+, people who are on the autism spectrum, living with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities, living with depression and anxiety, and those with essential skills gaps who lack post-secondary education.

The program offers participants the chance to meet four to seven professionals in their fields of interest to get to know the sector, what the job market is like, job requirements, and get guidance on developing their careers.

Early results

To date, Reboot Plus has worked with over 60 young people and over 200 professionals who run informational interviews with the youth participants. Three cohorts of 20+ youth took part in training that includes essential skills, hope-centred career development, résumé and job search portfolio development, and networking, presentation skills, and practice.

In the first phase, Douglas College provided the training, and interviews took place with local Burnaby and Surrey employers and professionals, helping participants build confidence and understand the labour market and potential career paths — maybe even get a job. The project also helped employers understand this pool of talent and develop specific onboarding strategies and tools for them.

Next phase

Reboot Plus is continuing its partnership in Metro Vancouver and expanding to three new cities in Canada to test the portability and scalability of this initiative. It also expands delivery and evaluation to over 150 youth in Metro Vancouver and over 120 youth in three other jurisdictions, engaging up to 2,000 employers and professionals. Organizers anticipate that the new partners will provide new contexts and identify issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, demographics, labour shortages and skills gaps that the expanded program can address.

Evaluation Strategy

This project will be evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation will focus on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.