ECO Canada Announces New Employment Program for Young Professionals
ECO Canada has announced a new employment program for young professionals: Environmental Employability Pathways (EEP) Program. This program is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) to help youth who have faced barriers navigate the labour market and develop skills to successfully transition into sustainable employment.
Labour Market Research
With nearly 30% of the current workforce expected to retire in the next decade, there is a growing need to attract new talent, including young professionals and equity-seeking groups. By 2025, there are over 170,0000 environmental job openings expected to be filled. Labour shortages are predicted across a wide range of different occupations, including senior government managers, physical and life science professionals, inspectors in public and environmental health, occupational health and safety, and urban and land use planners.
Quick facts, according to ECO Canada:
- The environmental sector is expected to grow 8% by 2029.
- Close to 30% of the current workforce is poised to retire within the next decade.
- The combination of new jobs and replacement demand may contribute as many as 233,500 net openings by 2029.
- The demand for environmental workers will impact every region and nearly every occupation.
- Related labour and skills shortages can be addressed to meet the demand in a sustainable way.
About our EEP Program
ECO Canada has announced our new employment program for young professionals. Through the Environmental Employability Pathways (EEP) program, small and medium-sized businesses can receive up to $12,000 in wage funding for their next hire. Funding will cover full-time or part-time placements that are 6 weeks to 12 months long. This program is open to participants who are ages 15-30, with a focus on an environmentally related role. Candidates and employers can fill out the eligibility application and will be informed by email once they are pre-qualified to participate in the program. Organizations and individuals are required to find their own placement, but ECO Canada provides support in the process.
Learn more and apply here.
Interested in our other employment programs? Learn more here.
What green jobs are out there?
According to Business Insider and LinkedIn, the fastest-growing green job titles between 2016 and 2021 included sustainability manager, wind turbine technician, solar consultant, ecologist, and environmental health and safety specialist. With the number of expected retirements in the coming years, it’s a good thing Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to have green skills already. According to Pew Research Center data, people between the ages of 25 and 40 have been more active than others in addressing climate change.
Across the different sectors, employers are looking for individuals with experience in sustainable fashion, sustainable business strategies, oil-spill response, and environmental services. Basically – this means there’s a green job for anyone.
ECO Canada Job Board
ECO Canada offers a job board where job seekers can browse environmental opportunities and employers can post their job openings. Using AI matching systems, ECO Canada’s job board guarantees to reduce the time commitment for employers and professionals. Job seekers can upload their resume to be notified of jobs matching their skills and experience, ultimately creating an easier way for individuals to find jobs. The ECO Canada job board recently reached over 10,000 resume uploads.
Want to start your environmental education journey first?
Take your environmental career further with post-secondary training both online and in-person! As partners with Royal Roads University and in accordance with the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Environmental Employment, ECO Canada’s goal of higher education programs is to provide students advanced education, training, and professional development tailored to the Canadian environment industry. There are four different post-secondary programs to suit your career needs and interests. The best part? You can take all programs 100% online!
Programs offered:
- Indigenous Environmental Leadership Pathways Certificate
- Bachelors in Environmental Practice
- Graduate Certificate in Science and Policy of Climate Change
- Masters in Environmental Practice
ECO Canada’s ongoing commitment
ECO Canada’s commitment to the environmental workforce has created more than 15,000 job placements, and the federal subsidies released through our program oversight amounted to over $150 million in the last five years.
The organization remains dedicated to building a robust environmental workforce by helping students transition from post-secondary institutions to the workforce. The organization remains committed to ensuring Canada has an adequate supply of professionals with the demonstrated skills and knowledge to meet the environmental human resource needs. This includes the public and private sectors with training, certification, employment programs and partnerships.
