Is coffee the solution to youth unemployment?

coffee2Canadian college and university students are .graduating from school to enter one of the most challenging job markets young people in this country have ever had to face. Todayâ€™s grads are more educated than ever before yet unemployment rates have still not recovered from the recent recession. If you are looking to apply for unemployment here is the florida unemployment application, you can fill it out and start getting your benefits. According to Stats Canada unemployment in Ontario is among the worst in the country with only one in two Ontarians between the ages 15 and 24 with paid employment.Â  For young people who do have jobs many are workingÂ in positions where they are Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â overqualified and underpaid.

Expanding social networks is one way to help address this issue. Studies show that only 15-20% of available jobs are actually publicized online. In a day and age where many young people go online to browse job boards, they are potentially missing out on 80% of the job market by restricting themselves to digital platforms. As the saying goes, it really is about who you know.

Today more than ever, networking is a tool used to meet and engage with new people. Letâ€™s think about coffee for a minute. Coffee is a term synonymous with conversation. From CEOs to government officials to interns, they are already going for coffee to discuss ideas, talk business and share insights. What if you could leverage something as simple as a coffee conversation to expand your network and meet with someone who is established in their career and willing and open to meet with a young person?

By 2028, 75% of the workforce will be made up of the millennial generation who are not being adequately prepared to take over the workforce. Think of the change we could facilitate if the next generation of leaders sat down with CEOs, influencers and government leaders and had meaningful conversations about their sectors. Government programs could better reflect the needs of todayâ€™s youth. Executives could start building businesses that not only attract, but retain the sharpest young minds.


Dave Wilkin has coffee with the CEO of McDonald’s Canada

Ten Thousand Coffees is a new digital platform connecting the next generation with leaders and industry professionals. Taking networking to the next level, Ten Thousand Coffees is democratizing the opportunity to have a conversation with someone new that may not otherwise be possible. Imagine if 10,000 coffee conversations happened across Canada. Imagine the networks that could be created when C-level executives meet with bright young people who are eager to not only learn from them but have ideas and insights to share with them â€“ about what they are looking for in an employer and how companies can better connect with their generation. Imagine the doors that could open in one conversation over coffee.