City of Vaughan

Talent City Vaughan is a first-of-its-kind municipal workforce development initiative that supports purpose-driven training initiatives across Vaughan. The 2026 cohort of grant recipients offers a host of in-demand training programs for Vaughan residents and employees of Vaughan-based businesses

About DANI Toronto (Developing and Nurturing Independence)

DANI (Developing and Nurturing Independence) is a registered charity established in 2006 by a group of parents who recognized that structured support largely disappears once a young person with a developmental disability finishes school. Anchored by its Clark Campus in Vaughan, DANI serves over 400 individuals each year through social, recreational, vocational, and educational programming and advocacy work. The organization provides a full continuum of individualized services guided by a philosophy that places each person’s goals, interests, and strengths at the centre of their own development, an approach DANI describes as a hand up rather than a handout.

The Program: STEP Training Program

The Skills Training Employment Program, known as STEP, delivers industry-recognized certification training designed specifically for neurodivergent adults through small classes, adaptive teaching, and individualized support. The thirteen-week semester runs in person on weekday evenings, opening with baseline assessment, then ten weeks of core instruction, and concluding with certification examinations administered with appropriate accommodations. The Hospitality and Service Excellence stream awards Barista, Food Handler, and Service Excellence credentials. The Digital Skills Development stream builds proficiency in Google Workspace, Python, artificial intelligence literacy, and data tools. STEP has certified 87.5 percent of its students.

DANI has been part of Vaughan’s community fabric since establishing its Clark Campus as a permanent program hub in 2013, and the families it serves are concentrated in Vaughan and the surrounding York Region communities. Its social enterprises, including the DANI Café, a catering business, and a retail gift shop, operate as training floors that connect neurodiverse adults with customers and employers. The City has recognized this work through the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award in 2019 and the Order of Vaughan in 2022. STEP advances that record by preparing Vaughan residents with credentials employers can verify.