• Overview

• Mission, Vision, Values
• Board of Directors
• Career Opportunities
• FAQs
• Publications
• History of JVS
• Our Partners & Sponsors
• Case Studies
• In the Community
• Request for Proposals

FAQs

What is JVS?

JVS Toronto is a non-profit non-sectarian organization that partners with the government and business sectors to help people succeed at school, work and life.

JVS Toronto is the business name we operate by. Our registered name is “Jewish Vocational Service of Metropolitan Toronto”. We have chosen to brand ourselves as JVS Toronto to eliminate the potential misperception that we only serve the Jewish community.

Our services are currently accessible to the community at large. Since our inception, we have helped more than 400,000 people fulfill their potential

What does JVS Toronto do?

We are a community-based agency that helps individuals to identify their educational and vocational goals, and develop the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve those goals. We offer a full range of employment, training and assessment services in locations throughout the GTA. We are a proud member agency of IAJVS, United Way of Greater Toronto and UJA Federation of Toronto.

Do you have to be Jewish to receive services from JVS Toronto?

Absolutely not!
JVS Toronto was founded in 1947 by the Jewish community in response to the employment needs of survivors of the Second World War. While continuing to serve the Jewish community, JVS Toronto has evolved into a broad-based community organization that helps people from all walks of life to overcome employment and educational barriers.

We work with new Canadians, school children, youth and at-risk youth, single parents, women in transition and people with physical, mental health and developmental disabilities of all races, faiths and nationalities.

How are JVS Toronto’s programs and services funded?

JVS Toronto is generously funded by three levels of government as well as United Way of Greater Toronto, UJA Federation of Toronto, foundations, corporate sponsorships, insurance companies, individual donations and fees-for-service.

Government of Canada
Human Resources Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

Government of Ontario
Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS)
Ontario Trillium Foundation

City of Toronto
Toronto Social Services

Does it cost money to use JVS?

Thanks to the generous support of our funders, most programs are available to clients at no direct cost. Others are offered for a fee on a sliding scale to ensure affordability. We are committed to a philosophy of being accessible to all.

I’m looking for a job. How can you help me?

JVS offers a wide array of career and employment services which aim to find individuals meaningful employment. Programs are designed to cater to the specific needs of our clients, who include newcomers; women; youth; persons on Social Assistance, Employment Insurance or Reachback; persons with disabilities; and members of the community at large. From career counselling and job search assistance to resume workshops and skills assessments, JVS programming provides the guidance and skills needed to improve you job search.

I’m an employer, looking to hire. How can you help me?

If you are an employer looking to hire, JVS can be your search specialist. Put JVS’ 60+ years of experience to work for you in matching the right candidate to the right job. Using our database, along with sharing your recruitment needs with agencies across the GTA, we provide you with a large pool of qualified candidates from whom to choose. Our workforce specialists pre-screen candidates to carefully match their experience, skills, and personal ambitions to your business requirements.

How can I volunteer at JVS?

Volunteer services provide opportunities for individuals to enrich the lives of JVS Toronto clients and make invaluable contributions to agency programs while learning new skills, making new connections and experiencing personal fulfillment. Annually, over 800 volunteers and students donate more than 41, 000 hours to help JVS meet the needs of clients, the agency and the community.

Can you help my child who has a developmental disability?

JVS offers an assortment of useful programs geared toward assisting children and adults with developmental disabilities to develop the skills and training necessary to find gainful employment. Some of these include:

• Real Experience & Access Designed for Youth (Ready): serves youth who have experienced and continue to experience barriers to securing employment.
• AbilityWorks: assists persons with mental health, developmental, learning and physical disabilities, injuries or illnesses to transition to employment or self-employment.
• The Al Green Resource Centre: specializes in creating employment, training and volunteer opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities to assist them to develop work, life and social skills.
• The Learning Disabilities Centre: assists individuals to better understand their learning disabilities/challenges in order to overcome barriers to finding and maintaining meaningful employment.
• Wage Subsidy Program for Persons with Disabilities: assists individuals with self-identified disabilities to obtain workplace experience and long-term employment by offering potential employers a partial wage subsidy as an incentive for hiring new employees.
• Pre-Employment Training Program: focuses on skills development and confidence building for persons with disabilities through a six-week on-the-job training experience that leads to employment in the financial sector.
• Retail Employment Action Career Hub (REACH): focuses on creating employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the retail sector.

I’m a new immigrant. Do you have any programs that can help me?

New immigrants can turn to JVS for help gaining employment in the Canadian workplace, as we offer excellent programs catering to the needs of this group. Such programs include:

• Canadian Workplace Communication: offers opportunities for internationally trained individuals with educational backgrounds in banking/finance, engineering or IT to improve their English language and workplace communication skills, thereby helping them to participate and reach their full potential in the Canadian workplace.
• Mentoring Services: match internationally trained professionals and trades people who are new to Canada with professionals in their field of expertise, who provide valuable information, advice and support for new Canadians. 
• Newcomer Employment Services (NES) and Job Search Workshop (JSW): provide internationally trained professionals with the necessary tools to integrate into the Canadian job market and reach realistic employment goals leading to self-sufficiency.
  

Do you have any programs that are specific to Jewish clients?

JVS offers several key programs to serve the needs of Toronto’s Jewish community. These include:

• ParnossahWorks: this confidential service helps unemployed and underemployed Jewish individuals attain employment.
• Kohn Summer Intern Program: a paid placement program offered to Jewish university and college students, which provides workplace experience at leading Jewish agencies in the Greater Toronto Area, and exposure to issues currently facing the Jewish community.
• Services for Jewish Day Schools: help students, their parents, teachers, and Jewish Day School administrators to better understand and address the learning needs of students, and supports efforts to maintain children in the Jewish Day School system where deemed appropriate.

Are any of your programs geared to people on O.D.S.P. or welfare?

Persons on O.D.S.P. or welfare can turn to JVS for support in career counseling, skill-building and job search. Some helpful programs specifically for this group include:

• Career Decision Making Workshop (CarDM): supports unemployed and underemployed adults requiring direction and support to explore and assess career options, and develop action plans to guide efforts to find both immediate employment and long-term career direction.
• Ontario Works Employment Placement (OWEP): supports social assistance recipients to find long-term sustainable employment.
• Re-Employment Program (REP): identifies and supports the needs of unemployed Reachback clients including those on social assistance as they re-enter the workforce.

Do you have any programs aimed at youth?

Several JVS programs are geared toward serving Toronto’s youth, assisting them to acquire and hone useful skills that will assist them in finding gainful employment. Programs include:

• General Educational Development: provides Pre-GED and GED preparation and certification and literacy training to youth living in the Jane Finch community.
• Toronto Youth Job Corps (TYJC): helps youth address employment barriers, increase self-esteem and ultimately enhance their employment potential.
• Youthinc: serves as a central point of access to a network of valuable youth resources in the GTA (e.g. schools, businesses, community services) that helps connect young people to services, education and employment.
• YouthReach: serves youth who have experienced conflict with the law and are in need of one-on-one employment counseling or referrals to appropriate community resources
• YouthSource (East Willowdale Youth Project): this program reaches out to meet the needs of East Willowdale youth by providing a range of prevention and intervention services including education, training, mentoring, volunteering, co-op placements and employment opportunities.