A toolkit to help you hire youth
Easy-to-use tools, guides, and insights for hiring and retaining Opportunity Youth (OY)
Who are Opportunity Youth (OY)?
Young people ages 18–29
Not currently in school, training, or work
Face barriers to employment
They’re ready and keen for a chance to grow, contribute, and succeed.
About this
toolkit
What?
Discover easy-to-use tools, guides, and insights for hiring OY
This toolkit will help you:
- Attract, hire, and retain OY
- Build inclusive onboarding and mentoring processes
- Explore wage subsidies
- Strengthen your workplace culture – while expanding your talent pipeline
Why?
Unlock the untapped potential of young people in Calgary who need it most
Young people aren’t just good for your business – they’re good for our city.
Calgary is full of untapped potential, and with the right support, OY can become some of your most loyal, creative, and hardworking team members. This toolkit helps you unlock that potential while aligning with your organization’s values; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments; and workforce needs.
Who?
Are you ready to make youth hiring more successful, equitable, and rewarding?
Whether you’re already hiring young people or just starting to explore the opportunity, this toolkit meets you where you are – with actionable tools and guidance to support your goals.
This will assist:
- HR professionals
- Hiring managers
- Business owners and leaders
- And anyone in Calgary who’s ready to make youth hiring more successful, equitable, and rewarding
Build your pathway to inclusive recruitment.
Hiring OY begins with how and where you look for talent – and how you tell your story as an employer. This section helps you: write job postings that are designed to appeal to young people, connect with youth where they already are, and partner with non-profit agencies that provide a supported recruitment pipeline.
Welcome with care. Lead with structure.
OY thrive when their first days and weeks on the job are welcoming and designed with their needs in mind. Learn how to enhance the onboarding experience, empower supervisors to lead with empathy, and set up mentorship that builds confidence from Day One.
Invest in growth. Unlock potential.
Retention isn’t about perks – it’s about purpose. In this section, discover strategies to support OY to see a meaningful future with your organization. You’ll find practical tools on mentorship, advancement pathways, learning investments, and creating workplace cultures that foster belonging and loyalty.
You’re not in this alone
Hiring Opportunity Youth isn’t a solo journey – it’s a shared commitment. Behind every successful hire is a network of support, rooted in trust, partnership, and the belief that work can be a powerful force for equity.
Non-profit agencies are ready to walk beside you. They understand the barriers youth face and can help you shape inclusive hiring, onboarding, and mentorship supports.
By collaborating with agencies, you’re not just filling roles – you’re building relationships that strengthen culture, advance DEI, and help youth build stable, purposeful lives. You don’t need all the answers – just the right partners.
Success story
One leader’s “Yes” led to fourteen years of belonging
At 24, Cody joined the Calgary Winter Club on a referral from the incoming CEO, who’d noticed his drive and potential. HR Manager Chantelle met with Cody and his parents, then carved a role in the fitness centre – equipment care, floor resets, towel service – that freed trainers to focus on members. Fourteen years later, Cody still chooses to work at the fitness centre and is a trusted, part-time teammate who lifts up the whole club.
“When the CEO championed Cody’s employment, it signalled to managers that we include everyone here.” – Chantelle, HR Manager
Why it worked: Leadership made the commitment, job carving helped to match strengths, and a supportive team made inclusion stick.
When the CEO championed Cody’s employment, it signalled to managers that we include everyone here.
Chantelle, HR Manager
Lead with purpose, hire with courage
A powerful briefing tool to help leaders and teams understand the business, social, and economic case for hiring Opportunity Youth.