914K
Canadian youth aged 15 to 29 were NEET in 2025.
Source · Government of Canada / ESDC
Research base
The evidence behind Y2O
Y2O is not a research institute.
It is a product built
against public evidence on youth, school, skills, work, and
opportunity.
Government of Canada
Statistics Canada
World Economic Forum
NACE
RBC Future Launch
College Board
Brookings
Ontario Ministry of Education
University of Waterloo
OECD PISA
CAMH
The case
The old signals are too narrow
Grades matter, but public data shows they are not enough to
explain skill, readiness, effort, or opportunity.
Employers
want evidence. Institutions need context.
Students need a
record that starts before applications do.
The signals
Ten signals shaping youth, school, and work
14.7%
Youth unemployment in Canada in September 2025.
Source · Statistics Canada
39%
Workers' core skills expected to change by 2030.
Source · World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025
Nearly 90%
Employers looking for problem-solving evidence on student
resumes.
Source · NACE
More than 25%
Canadian jobs expected to face heavy disruption from technology.
Source · RBC Future Launch, Humans Wanted
Holistic review
Admissions review includes academic, non-academic, and
contextual factors.
Source · College Board
Uneven access
Extracurricular involvement is not a level playing field.
Source · Brookings Institution
40 hours
Ontario community involvement required to graduate.
Source · Ontario Ministry of Education
Adjustment factors
Waterloo Engineering applies school-level adjustment factors.
Source · University of Waterloo Engineering Admissions FAQ
-35 points
Canada's PISA math score declined by about 35 points from 2003
to 2022.
Source · OECD PISA data
Why it matters
The record has to start earlier
Start in Grade 9
Students need a record before applications, résumés, and interviews.
Verify the work
Unverified activity lists are weak evidence.
Named
confirmation makes the record stronger.
Show skills in context
Employers and institutions need proof of how skills were built, not just a list of skills.
Make opportunity visible
Not every student has the same pathway, network, transport, or
support.
A better record helps surface more forms of
effort.
Source library
Public sources behind the product
Each source is public.
Y2O cites third-party research and
public data.
These organizations are not affiliated with Y2O
and do not endorse the product.
Government of Canada / ESDC
Youth labour market challenges and NEET data.
Visit sourceStatistics Canada
Official youth unemployment and labour force data.
Visit sourceWorld Economic Forum
Future of Jobs projections on shifting core skills.
Visit sourceNACE
What employers look for when reviewing student resumes.
Visit sourceRBC Future Launch
Humans Wanted: skills disruption in the Canadian economy.
Visit sourceCollege Board
How holistic admissions review works in practice.
Visit sourceBrookings Institution
Unequal access to extracurricular involvement.
Visit sourceOntario Ministry of Education
The 40-hour community involvement requirement.
Visit sourceUniversity of Waterloo
Engineering admissions school-level adjustment factors.
Visit sourceOECD PISA
International benchmarking of student performance.
Visit sourceCAMH
Youth mental health and wellbeing context.
Visit source
Common questions
About the research base
How we use public evidence, and where it comes from.
Get in touch
Build with the data in mind
Start before the record is needed
If the data above describes the world students are entering, Y2O is the record they will want to have built.