Number one, we can't just offer skills development. This also has to come with wraparound supports. It's about paying attention to the life stabilization of a young person, because even if they find a job, if their mental health is not where it needs to be or they are experiencing housing or food insecurity, it will be very difficult for them to show up for their job as their best self.
Number two, I think the government can play a much better role in coordinating with non-profits like ours. In terms of government corporations, there needs to be significant collaboration, using the government as a connector. Most of the time, what we're doing is looking at the labour gaps, doing a study, figuring out where there are labour gaps and looking at where the government is putting its money.
I'll use the example of critical minerals. The government has been talking highly about it and has been investing money in that industry. There will be jobs, so we develop a program. However, there seems to be a disconnect between what we're seeing and where the government sees value in an organization like ours creating an opportunity for that to happen.
We're following where we see labour gaps, but that doesn't always mean that employers are going to be flocking to us just because we're doing that. Like I said, we're a charity. We don't have much of a reach or many resources, so if the government is investing in industry, it needs to initiate those relationships with community organizations to better collaborate. That would be a huge help, because we are looking at where the government is putting its money and we're looking at what the labour trends are. We have the young people and we have their readiness. The reality is that there needs to be an assist in getting to industry. That's one thing.
The other thing is that a lot of the industries we're doing work on are very foreign to our communities. Ms. Ricketts spoke about this. Talking about critical minerals, for instance, when we decided we wanted to go into that industry, we had to run an exploratory program so that people could understand what critical minerals were and what types of jobs they could have. We can then see the interest of young people and narrow down exactly where we should be running the skilled trades part of the program.
It's about access and understanding what opportunities are out there, because our young people are exploring this in their schools. We run an entertainment trades program so that people understand you can have trades in the entertainment industry, such as carpenters, electricians and set designers. All of those folks are also needed in the entertainment industry, and that is something new to the young people we're serving. We have 125 applicants for 15 spots.
It's about exposure and having access to employers who are doing this work. It's not as easy as following where the labour gaps are, because industry needs encouragement to engage with not-for-profit organizations as well.