The YMCA Sudbury Employment Services hope a new project will help up to 60 youths on the autism spectrum get jobs over the next two years.
The YMCA's Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Project will help young people between the ages of 14 and 30 determine the skills and talents they can bring to the workforce.
“During that assessment, we find out what their unique skills and talents are, and then we customize our pre-employment training to fit their individual needs,” said Sherry Mayer, the YMCA Sudbury Employment Services' quality assurance supervisor.
Mayer said employers sometimes hesitate to hire an individual on the autism spectrum because of the extra training they might require.
But she added the benefits of hiring such individuals greatly outweigh any negatives.
“What we see a lot is loyalty, dedication, an eagerness to learn, wanting to be on the job, motivated, reliable, dependable,” she said. “They're very trusting of the person who is supporting them.”
One major component of the project will be an education campaign, to teach the YMCA's 700 local employer partners about those benefits.
Highlighting those advantages are especially important because job opportunities in Greater Sudbury are not as prevalent as they are in southern Ontario, said Mayer.
In March 2015, Sudbury's jobless rate increased to 8.6 per cent, according to Statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey.
The jobless rate was 6.5 per cent the same month last year.
The Ministry of Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Community and Social Services are supporting the two-year Autism Spectrum Disorder Project pilot.
Mayer said the YMCA will report back on its successes, and what can be improved, throughout the two-year period. If the project proves to be a success, the funding could be extended.
The YMCA encourages job applicants who want to participate in the program, and employers open to hiring people on the autism spectrum, to call them at 705-675-JOBS.
