EDMONTON, Dec. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - The Honourable Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development), today announced support that will equip young Canadians in Edmonton with the skills and work experience needed to get jobs.
Our government is committed to creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity all across Canada," said Minister Bergen. "Initiatives like this will help connect youth with jobs while ensuring that Canada's economy benefits from the skills and talents of young Canadians."
"Many young people are looking for work but can't get their foot in the door due to a lack of experience," said Mr. Hawn. "Since 2006, our government has helped more than 555 000 young people through our Youth Employment Strategy develop the skills they need to enter and succeed in the job market to the benefit of the Canadian economy."
The Action for Healthy Communities Society of Edmonton is receiving more than $323,000 from the Skills Link program to help youth facing barriers to employment get the skills and knowledge they need to find jobs. This program is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES).
The participants will develop useful skills through workshops and gain valuable hands-on experience to prepare for jobs in the service or construction industries.
"The Action for Healthy Communities Society would like to thank the Government of Canada for funding our project once again," said Keren Schoenberger, Project Coordinator. "This program helps youth in the community obtain the employment skills needed to succeed in today's job market, and enables us to create a positive relationship between employer and employee."
Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada's strategy to connect Canadians with available jobs. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes new measures to equip Canadians with the skills and training they need to fill skills shortages and succeed in the Canadian labour market.
These include the Canada Job Grant, which will invest in skills training for unemployed and underemployed Canadians, better ensuring they are qualified to fill the high-quality, well-paying jobs that are available. Economic Action Plan 2013 is also creating opportunities for apprentices and providing support to under-represented groups such as Canadians with disabilities, Aboriginal people, newcomers and youth.
To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit actionplan.gc.ca.
The Government of Canada is helping youth plan their careers, learn new skills and find jobs through enhanced online services available at youth.gc.ca.
Backgrounder
The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Government of Canada's commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace. With annual funding of approximately $300 million, YES helps youth obtain career information, develop employment skills, find jobs and stay employed. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs and the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment—including youth who are single parents, youth with disabilities, young newcomers and youth in rural and remote areas—to develop the skills and gain the experience needed to find a job or the confidence to return to school. Since 2006, the Skills Link initiative has helped over 179 000 youth get jobs or return to school.
Career Focus helps youth obtain the information, skills and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job or further their education—including providing career-related work experience. Since 2006, the Career Focus initiative has helped over 26 000 youth acquire skills to help them transition into the labour market.
Canada Summer Jobs provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for young people aged 15 to 30 years who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year. The employer application period for Canada Summer Jobs has changed. Applications are now available at servicecanada.gc.ca/csj and must be submitted by January 31, 2014.
SOURCE: Canada's Economic Action Plan
Andrew McGrath
A/Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of State (Social Development)
819-953-2351
[email protected]
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
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IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.
This news release is available online at actionplan.gc.ca.
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