RBC Future Launch is a 10-year $500 million commitment to help Canadian youth prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.
RBC is moving beyond financial investment by engaging the public and private sectors to further understand the issue and make a significant impact on the lives of young Canadians.
RBC Future Launch is a catalyst for change-bringing people together to co-create solutions so young people are better prepared for the future of work.
Young people today are faced with three critical barriers they need to overcome to be successful:
1. Solutions for lack of relevant experience
The lack of relevant experience will be addressed by giving young people equitable access to quality work-integrated learning experiences, to not only prepare them for the realities of the workplace, but also give them valuable resume building opportunities to meet the needs of employers.
Work experience opportunities may include:
- Work-integrated or experiential learning
- Co-ops
- Paid internships (for at least the minimum wage)
- Entrepreneurships
- Apprenticeships
- Vocational training
- Solutions for lack of relevant skills
- Solutions for lack of professional networks and mentoring
2. Solutions for lack of relevant skills
The skills gap will be addressed by ensuring that young people are future-ready by providing equitable access to 21st century skills including:
- Critical thinking
- Complex problem solving
- Social Perceptiveness
- Financial literacy
- Information communication/technology/Digital literacy
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Communication
- Creativity and innovation
- Adaptability
- Persistence/Grit
3. Solutions for lack of professional networks and mentoring
We will harness vast knowledge and goodwill of Canadians to guide young people to the opportunities that exist, and will exist, across Canada. We want to provide them with career development support, advice, and networks critical to gaining employment including:
- Work-relevant networks
- Mentorships
- Skills assessments and relevant job matching
- Career counseling
- Job shadowing
- Access to labour market information
Creating solutions through RBC Future Launch
RBC will donate to charitable programs that:
- Target young people in their transitional years, specifically ages 15-29
- Focus on one or more of our solution areas (providing equitable access to work-integrated learning experiences, building long-term sustainable partnerships to address the skills gap, harnessing the knowledge and goodwill of Canadians using social media, mentorships and other resources to guide young people to opportunities)
- Demonstrate a thoughtful, evidence-based design that considers:
- Scale of intended impact
- Specific costs associated with creating impact
- Time required to achieve and report on impact
- Relevant risks
4. Are inclusive, are informed by and enable us to reach and meet the needs of young people from diverse communities, including but not limited to people who are:
- Of different genders, sexual orientations or identities
- Indigenous, Inuit or Metis
- From diverse cultural, linguistic or ethnic backgrounds (e.g. newcomer populations)
- Geographically diverse (e.g. rural, remote or on-reserve)
- Living with physical or mental disabilities
- Various ages (e.g. mid or late teens: early, mid or late twenties)
Learn more and apply here.