Literacy Basics - Employment Ontario

Why the Need for Change?

Prior to the launch of Employment Ontario in January 2007, there were two levels of government (federal and provincial) delivering training and employment programs in Ontario. This resulted in inefficiencies in the use of resources as there were duplications and overlaps of services in some regions and entire gaps of services in other areas. While some delivery agencies worked well together, in some parts of the province information sharing and referrals was fragmented.

It was also confusing for Ontarians seeking services, as it was not always clear who offered services and how to access them.

Added to that were the challenges the Ontario labour market was facing:

• Attracting new workers
• Retaining a skilled workforce
• Improving access to provincially-funded apprenticeship programs
• Expanding Ontario's apprenticeship training system to meet demand
• Improving literacy skills
• Ensuring equity and access to service delivery
• Understanding how layoffs and labour shortages impact each region differently
• Being responsive to labour shifts

An integrated training and employment network is needed so that the provincial government can meet its goal to have the most educated people and highly skilled workforce in North America in order to build the province's competitive advantage.

To achieve this goal, the integrated network needs to offer:

• Modernized services and incentives
• Clear, consistent access through branding and service delivery models.
• Clear and consistent access across channels (web, phone and face-to-face)
• Service delivery that is responsive to customer needs
• Improved customer service through use of a common case management model and technology
• Continuous improvement through consistent measurement of results, including customer satisfaction
• Regional management of programs and services

Today, Employment Ontario has a network of over 1,200 third-party service providers that includes colleges, school boards, community-based not-for-profit organizations, private organizations such as career colleges, and union training centres. Through a $1 billion annual investment, Employment Ontario works with an estimated 900,000 customers annually to provide support and information, regardless of the customer's point of entry. (Source: Presentation by Kevin French, MTCU Assistant Deputy Minister, April 2008, Pan-Canadian Literacy Conference)

Merging the federal and provincial programs under Employment Ontario brought together agencies that worked with many of the same customers, had many of the same goals, but that had different outcomes and accountability frameworks and access points in the community.

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