Consultations with key informants and information collected during the literature review indicated that youth and young adults face a number of challenges associated with living in a rural location. Examples of these issues include the following:
- Youth and young adults lacking suitable employment and/or education opportunities, or who are looking to pursue social/recreational activities not found in rural areas, is leading to a net migration of youth and young adults to urban areas;
- The age composition of Vegreville and surrounding area is causing some youth/young adults to feel like they have no control or input into various aspects of the community;
- Rural locations often do not provide public transportation systems. In addition, some youth/young adults may be required to commute to Vegreville from the surrounding area for work and may find access to reliable transportation to be a challenge.
- Youth and young adults may find attaining employment in a small community to be a challenge in terms of the area’s population size and how the community perceives their reputation or their family’s reputation.
The main objectives of this report are as follows:
- An identification of the assets, gaps, needs and priorities related to youth/young adults employment programming;
- Recommendations for the coordination and improvement of employment services for youth and young adults in Vegreville and the surrounding area, including an implementation strategy;
- A communication strategy to ensure that all relevant parties in the community and all levels of government are aware of the recommendations; and
- Recommendations for an evaluation strategy plan.
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