A new youth employment centre that offers a range of services "based on participants' needs" has opened at Paradise Market in Weyburn.

TOP (Trades, Occupations and Professions) Youth Employment Services is run by on-site employment consultants Tammie Jack and Gena Ferguson.

The centre is for unemployed or underemployed youth between the ages of 16 and 30, who are unsure of what career to pursue, how to achieve that career or just needing "a little extra assistance" in their job hunt, said Ferguson.

To access the service, youth need only drop in to their office; no referral is needed from another agency, she said. A needs assessment is then completed to determine how TOP can best help the client.

Every youth is going to have a different level of need, so TOP offers a range of services, including one-on-one career counselling, one-week and four-week classes in job hunting and job skills, and a comprehensive 14-week life skills training program.

For select individuals and employers, there is also the option of paid work experience.

"If somebody comes here and they need a lot of help, we've got something for them, we've got training classes and so on. If someone comes and they're feeling a little unsure about how to do a job search and would like some support while they do it, that's the four-week class. If there's folks who just want to rip in and get a resume-to-go, we can do that as well."

"It is truly based on our client's needs," said Ferguson.

For those who are entered in the one-week, four-week or 14-week programs, TOP offers a small living allowance that is awarded to participants based on attendance.

Between the two of them, both Tammie and Gena have a combined 28 years of experience facilitating individuals to sustainable employment. Tammie has managed successful youth skills programs in Weyburn for the past four years, and Ferguson entered the field of life skills training back in 1987.

The need for a multi-service youth employment centre in Weyburn was identified in the findings of a three-month survey of local youth, also referred to as TOP (Targeted Outreach Program).

TOP was run by Ferguson from December of 2004 until March of this year. As part of TOP, youth were asked about barriers to gaining employment, attitudes towards agencies that offer employment services, and a number of other areas.

Based on feedback from over 200 participants, as well as 49 written surveys, the conclusions were clear: there was a need for a more hands-on, less "official" youth employment centre in the city of Weyburn.

"They said that they needed a place where they could feel comfortable, where the issues that affected youth particularly could be dealt with," said Ferguson. "I think they wanted more of a one-to-one approach."

It is estimated approximately 1,610 individuals in Weyburn are between the ages of 16 to 30. This is roughly 32 percent of the working age population within the city.

TOP Youth Employment Services opened on June 20, so those interested in using the free service can stop in any time during working hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday).

The service is partially funded through the Government of Canada Youth Employment Strategy. It is currently funded until December of 2006, with the potential of it running longer, Tammie said.