Youth program · Ages 16 to 30
PIEJ: Integrated Youth Employment Project
The PIEJ supports young people aged 16 to 30 who face barriers to employment or who live with a disability. The goal is to develop their skills, boost their confidence, and facilitate their access to stable employment.
16 to 30 years oldNo matter the route
6 months12 weeks of training, then 12 weeks of internship
3 provincesQuebec, Ontario and New Brunswick
The problem it addresses
Qualified, motivated young people, yet kept out of the loop
The obstacles recur from one province to another and accumulate. The PIEJ tackles each of them.
Lack of a professional network
Without contacts in the industry, doors remain closed, even with the right skills.
Degrees obtained abroad
Training programs that are difficult to recognize, and uneven mastery of the working language.
Digital tools and implicit codes
A limited familiarity with the tools required for hiring, and the unwritten rules of a job market that are not taught anywhere.
How the project works
Comprehensive support, by cohorts
Each participant benefits from individual support combined with group programming: training, workshops, mentoring and networking with employers.
Individual and collective
Personalized support, training, workshops, mentoring and meetings with employers.
Ways to participate
Laptop, phone plan and participation allowance. A young person who has to choose between looking for a job and paying for transportation doesn't look for a job: the program removes this obstacle.
Paths that reflect their own experiences
The program features figures from the communities concerned: a writer, a psychologist, representatives of the Armed Forces. Concrete rather than abstract role models.
Three provinces, three realities
Montreal, Moncton and Toronto
Each region has its own specific conditions: labor market, density of community networks, status of French, employer profiles. Support is tailored accordingly rather than applied uniformly.
Montreal (Quebec)
Delivered by LAKAY.
Moncton (New Brunswick)
Delivered by the Afro-Canadian Community Cultural Centre of New Brunswick.
Toronto (Ontario)
Delivered by the Haitian Association of Toronto.
Beyond job placements, the PIEJ constitutes a network of young graduates in three provinces. Several former participants now act as mentors to subsequent cohorts: a chain rather than a succession of unrelated programs.
A network that is being built, cohort after cohort.
Fourth cohort
A six-month journey in two stages
The participant receives 1,500 $ per month throughout the training period, then completes a paid internship with an employer of their choice.
Training, 12 weeks
From September 7 to November 28, 2026. The participant receives 1,500 $ per month for the entire duration of the training.
Workplace internship, 12 weeks
From November 30, 2026 to February 27, 2027, with an employer of their choice, paid the minimum wage.
Training location
Premises of the Socio-Economic Summit for Youth Development in Communities
3332 Jarry Street East, Montreal (Quebec)
Eligibility requirements
Be between 16 and 30 years old inclusive, and:
- be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person as defined by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
- be legally authorized to work in Canada;
- to have the right to work in accordance with applicable provincial or territorial laws and regulations.
Register
Young people, employers and organizations: let's talk about it
Call the 514 532-0484, write to info@lakay.quebec or go through our Contact page. Employers and organizations wishing to host an intern or discuss a partnership can contact us using the same contact details.
Participate in or support the PIEJ
Are you between 16 and 30 years old and looking for a job? Are you an employer willing to take on an intern? Let's talk.