Employment Services: Job Quest
This service is offered in the Haliburton & Kawartha Lakes regions only.
The Job Quest program seeks to assist clients with:
- Pre-employment services
- Job retention
- Support to maintain and secure lasting employment
We are assisting in removing barriers to employment and improving the quality of life for those job seekers.
Job Quest offers a wrap around service model that not only deals with the job search model but understands all the
needs of the job seeker and what they require to make their experience successful.
Job Quest helps people experiencing employment barriers to find and keep a good job. We do this by working closely with both the person looking to work and the employers looking to hire.
This often includes matching both the needs and strengths of both.
Job Quest is considered a specialized service that fills a gap in employment services by reaching out to support those who have the greatest difficulty finding and retaining employment, while educating employers about this rich and untapped labour pool.
Ontario’s Employment Service System Transformation
In February 2019 the government announced its plan to transform Ontario’s EmploymentServices by introducing a new model to manage the system more effectively.
Since 2019, Ontario has been undertaking a transformation to the employment support offered through the Ministries of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), and Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS). The transformation will integrate employment programs under Employment Ontario, Ontario Works, and the Ontario Disability Support Program into one system.
The gradual implementation of the new system, starting with three prototypes in fall 2019. Full implementation will be phased in over the next several years, learning from the prototypes. In July 2019 three prototype regions were announced. Community Living Trent Highlands joined the Muskoka Kawarthas Employment Services.
The provincial vision is that as an employment service, Job Quest will be:
- Locally responsive and community-based.
- Outcomes focused.
- Client-centred.
- Offer simplified and effective pathways to find sustainable employment for individuals and businesses.
- Led by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU).
Principles of the New System
Transparency
- Clients are consistently streamed to the right supports.
- Intersections with other health, education and human service systems are more clear
“Employment services match my needs”
Efficiency
- Service providers and social assistance delivery partners are incentivized to innovate and increase efficiency.
- System and data integration provide a single, accurate view of the client.
“I told my story once”
Responsiveness
- Business and community needs are built-in
- Individuals have access to additional supports (people with disabilities, at risk youth, Indigenous people, etc.)
“Services are anchored in my community”
This new Service Delivery Model is designed to:
- Move from many client assessment tools to one Common Assessment tool that will identify client needs, abilities, and barriers from Life Stabilization to Employment.
- Funding will be targeted to clients with the highest needs (e.g. persons with disabilities and other inclusion groups).
- Integrated case management of Social Assistance clients – integrated action plans that incorporate Life Stabilization and Employment milestones and outcomes developed by clients, caseworkers, and providers.
- Information sharing and coordination between employment and social assistance caseworkers to better deliver a seamless client experience.
- Consistency in data collection across employment and social assistance allows for better system planning, measurement of outcomes, and enables outcomes-based funding.
