New Program — Digital Skills for Youth

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a program that offered employers a wage subsidy to hire a new grad? And wouldn’t it be great if that recent grad could get paid to take courses for free and gain digital skills as a way of boosting their burgeoning career?

It’s not quite utopia but, rather, it’s a federally funded program called Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y).

Continuing Education and Career Services at the University of Calgary are collaborating to deliver this unique online program for eligible participants across the prairie provinces.

Employers (with fewer than 100 employees):

• Visit DS4Y on the Career Services website
• Post a job in a field that requires digital skills such as web development, digital media, social media marketing or database administration
• Provide a six-month internship to the employee

Recent grads (two years maximum and unemployed or underemployed):

• Search the Career Services portal for these jobs
• Take Continuing Education courses, choosing from the six different pathways to help build their digital skill set

We recently spoke with alumni Kate Jackson, BA’18, and Kevin Lea, BComm’11, of Fuse Insurance. Kevin hired Kate through the DS4Y program.

What prompted you to get involved in DS4Y and how did you hear about it? 

Kevin: I learned about it from a business colleague who recruits through UCalgary Career Services. I reached out to the DS4Y program manager there and posted a job for the program on the Career Services job board.

Kate: I got an email about the program from the University of Calgary. The timing was perfect because I was just finishing an internship at another company and was starting to look for a full-time job when I read the email. I applied through the Career Services portal and got matched up with Kevin’s company where I’m now the Marketing & Advertising Manager.

How has it been going so far?

Kate: A lot of marketing and communications jobs want you to have graphic-design skills, like Adobe Illustrator, which was a gap in my portfolio. The courses I’m taking right now are relevant for what I’m doing at Fuse Insurance, and doing the courses at the same time as working has helped me develop my skills quickly.

Kevin: It’s been going really well — for Kate and me as an employer. We are small, so Kate wears lots of hats. And, because she already has a degree, she can jump into the new marketing role quite easily.

What was the sign-up process like?

Kevin: Although the process is easy (it’s the same as posting a job on the Career Services job board), I was very specific about the role and the skills I was looking for. I looked at the different course pathways available in the DS4Y program and made sure the role I was posting matched at least one or two of the pathways. I got a lot of great applicants that way. And the DS4Y program co-ordinator is always there to help.

Kate: It’s a pretty quick process. I heard back from jobs that I applied to really quickly . . . within one week. I also took a Launch Your Career program when I was a co-op student during my undergrad, so my resume was ready to go.

What have been the benefits of participating in DS4Y?

Kate: For me, this program and the internship is a good stepping stone. It’s what I needed in marketing to move forward. Learning Illustrator is helping me develop skills now and that will help me in the future. Also, this internship is in an industry that I haven’t considered in a marketing and communications role. The marketing and advertising for an insurance company is really practical — I find that it’s applicable to a lot of industries.

Kevin: For us, it’s obviously the wage subsidy. Without the DS4Y program, we wouldn’t have been able to fill this position as a full-time role. The full-time role helps in our growth, the growth of the individual and the growth of the economy. It’s a win for everyone involved.

What would you tell others about the program?

Kevin: The only other benefit would be that the applicants are recent grads, so they’re still in learning mode. Their study skills are still in place, so they pick up new information and on-the-job training really quickly.

Kate: Because the companies in the program are small means you get to see all sides of a business and its processes that you wouldn’t see in a larger company. It just adds to your experience.