The vendor is required to provide among these services is career, employment and information services (CEIS), which facilitate the development of a skilled workforce.
- The contractor will actively market and promote the services to single parents and families, as well as throughout the broader community, to raise program awareness and support the recruitment of both clients and employers. 
- Referrals may also be received through the following sources:
• Ministry staff;
• Other community service providers;
• Community organizations;
• Social housing providers; and
• The general public, including self-referrals.
- Service overview
• Assisting individuals to assess their strengths, abilities and skill development needs; 
• Assisting individuals to learn about the labor market, occupational choices, work search and career planning; 
• Encouraging individuals to make well-informed decisions about their education, training and career goals; 
• Assisting individuals to develop an action plan that matches individual career and employment needs and goals; 
• Supporting and assisting individuals in managing transitions from school to work/work to school and within the labor market; 
• Establishing, delivering and maintaining quality labor market information services within local communities; and/or 
• Encouraging individuals to engage in self-directed activities such as self-assessment and accessing a wide range of labor market, career and educational information services. 
• Supporting clients through workforce development services that provide skill development, work-based learning and work simulation, and direct connections to employment; 
• Connecting clients to community resources through service navigation, ensuring access to wraparound supports that address barriers to employment and promote life stability.
- Program components
a. Services intake
• Clients may access the program through self-referral, referrals from community agencies, referrals from the ministry, or other sources. 
• Clients will be directed to the most appropriate services based on their needs, such as the resource center for independent, self-directed support, or to a service navigator for further assessment of eligibility and suitability for workforce development services. 
• Proponents must describe their proposed referral and intake processes to ensure no eligible individuals are overlooked, as well as outline how clients who are not suitable for services will be supported or referred elsewhere.
b. Resource center
• The resource center during operating hours to receive employment resources, job search support, résumé and cover letter assistance, interview preparation, workshops, access to a job board, workstations, office equipment, career advising, and career consulting.
• Clients eligible for exposure courses or employment supports must complete an employment readiness assessment (era) to confirm need and funding availability.
• The resource center must remain open for the full duration of the program, including during the job retention and follow-up period.
• Proponents are required to describe the full range of services and resources that will be available through the resource center, explain how they will ensure access to employment supports and job search activities during operating hours, confirm that services will be maintained throughout the entire program term including job retention and follow-up, and outline how they will manage the era process and the follow-up process for clients who complete exposure courses and employment supports.
- Workforce development program
• Eligible clients who are suitable for workforce development activities will be directed to the service navigator.
• The contractor may also use additional recognized employment-focused assessments, such as skill-matching, essential skills, aptitude, or personality tests.
• The service navigator will conduct an era or review a recent era to determine whether the client is best suited for stream 1 (pre-employment development activities) or stream 2 (employment development activities).
1. Stream 1: pre-employment development activities
• Clients with long-term employment goals but significant life stability barriers will start in stream 1. 
• The service navigator helps clients identify barriers, set life stability goals, and complete core stream 1 services, such as workshops on daily routines, emergency planning, community resources, healthy meal planning, stable housing, and financial literacy. 
• Suitable services and life stability goals in this stream will be evidence-informed to ensure effectiveness. 
• Clients who complete at least 50% of the life stability goals set (minimum of 4 goals) and the minimum required stream 1 services are considered stream 1 completers. 
• Those not ready for the labor market will exit the program, with this being recognized as an alternative outcome and progress toward employment. 
• Clients prepared for employment will advance to stream 
• Clients who transition to stream 2 are not classified as stream 1 completers, as they remain in the program to continue receiving services.
2. Stream 2: employment development activities
• Clients who have addressed some life stability barriers (stream 1) or are determined to be best suited for stream 2 (based on the era) will work with both a service navigator and an employment counsellor (or equivalent) throughout their time in the program.
• The client in securing and maintaining employment while managing external barriers
• In stream 2, the service navigator will help clients identify life stability barriers that impact employability or their ability to sustain long-term employment, set life stability goals, and complete minimum service requirements (e.g., assigned life stability workshops) to improve stability and support long-term employment.
- Contract Period/Term: 4 years