Positioning Bulletin
The OAYEC Positioning Bulletin shares OAYEC's positions, values and/or activities related to the youth employment sector, and is available the first Monday of every month.
TOPIC for November 6th, 2006:
OAYEC'S STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
Introduction
OAYEC’s organizational vision is to be the “Go-To” organization for youth employment deliverables, media and policy makers. In order to fulfill this vision, OAYEC needs to be positioned as an organization that is an opinion leader. An OAYEC Strategic Communications Plan has been developed as the framework that will enable the succession of OAYEC as an organization at the forefront of youth employment issues.
What is the OAYEC Strategic Communications Plan?
Strategic Communications is one of OAYEC's four Core Functions. The organization is dedicated to building and maintaining stakeholder relations through strategic communications focused on youth employment. These relations in turn support youth in reaching their employment and life goals through the development and support of a sustainable youth employment delivery network.
In response to these aspirations, this Strategic Communications Plan is designed to answer the questions of what to do, and how to do it within the context of current negotiations between the federal government and the province of Ontario on the transfer of resources and responsibilities for employment services as part of the Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs). OAYEC's interest is to ensure that youth employment programs remain a high priority during this transfer.
Communications Goals
This Plan recommends that:
- OAYEC becomes an opinion leader for developing and implementing youth employment programs and policies during the transition to the LMDAs.
- The government adopts the best youth employment policies as defined by OAYEC during the transition to the LMDAs and thereafter, and that those policies translate into programs that provide youth with the services they need to reach their employment and life goals.
- OAYEC members are supported in their efforts to implement youth employment programs post-LMDA implementation.
Communications Objectives
To accomplish these communications goals, the Plan recommends that OAYEC:
- Develop and implement a consistent message in all its communications about the role and ability of OAYEC members to shape and implement policies and programs for youth employment;
- Coordinate contact between OAYEC members and decision-makers at local, provincial and federal levels to ensure that the best policies and programs for youth employment are implemented during the transition to LMDAs;
- Inspire business leaders served by OAYEC members and OAYEC members themselves to engage with decision-makers at local, provincial and federal levels to ensure that the best youth employment policies and programs are implemented during the transition to LMDAs; and
- Build communications capacity in OAYEC members so they can have a long-term influence on federal and provincial youth employment policies and youth employment programs.
To view the entire Strategic Communications Plan, please click here (pdf, 680 kb).
Who is involved in the plan?
The Board of Directors has spearheaded the creation of the Strategic Communications Plan. The Key stakeholders that have been identified or envisioned to be part of the plan are; members, youth, employers and government. Involvement of each stakeholder varies depending on location, capacity and roles. Government will be the key target of our communication efforts and members, youth and employers will play a role in the execution of the plan.
What has OAYEC done to date to fulfill this plan?
- Employer Engagement:
OAYEC has recently explored incorporating employer engagement into many aspects of its work. Currently, there are two proposed projects in consideration for funding that have employer engagement as their key focus. - Political Engagement:
OAYEC is increasingly becoming involved in governmental advisory groups. For example, our Executive Director, Matt Wood, currently sits on committees within the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Education, and Service Canada. This presence in government provides OAYEC with an effective voice in policy issues.
Recent activities with the Job Connect Coalition have also highlighted increased political engagement of OAYEC and its members. Job Connect deliverers across the province were encouraged and supported in delivering the Coalition's key messages to their local MPPs, thus engaging them in issues affecting youth employment service delivery. - Member Engagement:
In efforts to gauge the communications capacities of our members, and to solicit their suggestions on future OAYEC communications strategies, our annual member survey included several communications-related questions this year. The results will provide vital feedback to inform how OAYEC will move forward in implementing elements of the Strategic Communications Plan.
OAYEC will be hosting a discussion at its AGM about aspects of the plan with all members welcome.
What are the next steps?
- Adopting the Strategic Communication Plan
- Prioritization
- Operationalization
- Developing best possible policies for the LMDA transfer
- Review and Evaluation
How can you be involved to make this plan a success?
OAYEC needs to solidify our communication strategy. This is an open, transparent process, and we would appreciate feedback and engagement from everyone. We welcome your participation and are interested to hear your ideas and thoughts.
Please contact:
Soni Dasmohapatra, Researcher
sdasmohapatra@oayec.org
The GO TO organization for youth employment issues.
The OAYEC Positioning Bulletin is a monthly newsletter provided by the Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres. OAYEC's mission is to support and advocate for a sustainable youth employment delivery network.
Feedback, comments, and suggestions for future Positioning Bulletins are welcome!
Contact: Soni Dasmohapatra, Researcher, sdasmohapatra@oayec.org
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