Announced today, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Holland Bloorview) receives the award for being one of Canada’s top employers for young people. This is the 13th consecutive year where the hospital has been recognized for attracting and retaining younger employees. 

"It continues to be a great honour to be recognized as a top employer for young people,” says Golda Milo-Manson, vice president, medicine & academic affairs, Holland Bloorview. “Equipping learners and young health-care professionals with the resources and support they need to succeed not only helps us with making a meaningful impact in the lives of the children, youth and families with disabilities we serve – its impact goes beyond our walls.”

Canada’s Top Employers for Young People Award highlights employers offering the best workplaces and programs for young people starting their careers. Some of the key reasons why Holland Bloorview was selected in 2025 include:

• The Ward Summer Student Research Program provides undergraduate students with opportunities to conduct research within the childhood disability research field alongside leading children’s rehabilitation scientists.
• The Leading the Way Youth Employment Initiative provides dedicated co-op placements to students who are current or former clients of Holland Bloorview that require an accessible workplace, including support from an occupational therapist or job coach, if needed.
• A formal student wellness program to provide mental health support and opportunities for connection with peers.

“We believe that everyone who wants to work deserves to,” says Carolyn McDougall, manager, employment pathways, Holland Bloorview, who coordinates employment experience programs for 80+ youth with disabilities annually. “We promote change by raising awareness about the significance of employment for all young people, including those with disabilities. Facilitating accommodations for young employees with disabilities not only enables them to do their best on the job, but also creates an atmosphere of social inclusion in the organization.”

Since 2019, Holland Bloorview has been a site host for Project SEARCH, a 10-month school-to-work transition program for youth with developmental disabilities in their final year of high school. The program helps students develop competitive, transferable skills required for entry-level employment. Holland Blooview also coordinates the national community of practice for the 22 (and growing) Canadian Project SEARCH programs.

As a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Holland Bloorview provides an extraordinary learning environment and support for learners in medicine, nursing, health disciplines, research and across a wide variety of other fields. We are dedicated to training the next generation of innovative, diversely skilled and adaptive health-care leaders to serve the system well into the future.

“Being a summer medical student at Holland Bloorview not only deepened my understanding of clinical practice but also opened my eyes to the potential of a career in developmental pediatrics,” says Dr. Nicole Fischer, developmental pediatrician, Holland Bloorview. “Working with experienced clinicians and fellow students, I was able to develop the collaboration and interprofessional skills necessary for my future medical career.”

The official announcement of the award can be found on the Canada's Top 100 website.

This award closely follows Holland Bloorview’s 15th consecutive award for Greater Toronto’s Top Employers, announced December 2, 2024.

About Canada’s Top Employers for Young People

Canada’s Top Employers for Young People is an editorial competition organized by the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. This special designation recognizes the employers that offer the nation's best workplaces and programs for young people just starting their careers. The employers on this list are Canada's leaders in attracting and retaining younger employees to their organizations. Each employer is evaluated by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers in terms of the programs they have to attract and retain younger workers. These include benefits such as tuition assistance and the availability of co-op or work-study programs.