LA BAIE, QC, May 27, 2015 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is helping equip youth in La Baie and the surrounding area with the skills and experience they need to find jobs. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development.
Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Saguenay is receiving over $100,000 through the Skills Link program for its project to help 10 youth in La Baie and the surrounding area gain the skills and experience necessary to make a successful transition to the job market or return to school.
Participants will benefit from group workshops to learn or improve useful jobs skills such as effective communication and teamwork. They will also gain work experience with local employers in areas such as agriculture, industrial mechanics and retail.
This is part of the Government of Canada's overall strategy to equip all Canadians with the skills and training they need to connect with available jobs.
Today's announcement is one example of what the Government is doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the Government is also enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit, introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children's Fitness Tax Credit.
Quick Facts
- Since 2006, the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, which includes the Skills Link program, has helped over 611,000 youth.
- The Government of Canada is helping Canadian youth get the skills employers are looking for with measures such as apprenticeship grants. The Government also offers tax credits, such as the tuition, education and textbook tax credits, tradesperson's tools deduction and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit.
- The Universal Child Care Benefit would increase from $100 to $160 per month (totalling up to $1,920 per year) for children under the age of 6, and parents would receive a new benefit of $60 per month (up to $720 per year) for each child aged 6 through 17.
Quotes
"Our Government is helping young Canadians get the skills and training they need to find good jobs and build better futures for themselves and their families. I am pleased that youth in La Baie and the surrounding area will benefit from our initiatives to connect young people with jobs."
– The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development
"Today's youth are tomorrow's workforce, so by investing in them, we are helping contribute to Canada's long‑term growth, competitiveness and overall prosperity. Through Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Saguenay's project, youth in La Baie and the surrounding area will gain the skills and hands-on experience they need to succeed in the workforce."
– The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
"We are glad that yet again this year we can count on the support of the Government for a project like Place à la relève. We are convinced that the project meets the needs of local youth and businesses as well as the socioeconomic situation of the Saguenay region. We are certain that the funding from ESDC and the involvement of Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Saguenay make a winning team."
– Yvon Gagnon, Executive Director, Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Saguenay
Associated Links
Youth Employment Strategy
Skills Link Program
Economic Action Plan
Helping Families Prosper
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 $330 million, YES helps youth between the ages of 15 and 30 get the information and gain the skills and work experience they need to succeed in the workplace. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs, as well as the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment—including 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. Skills Link has helped over 191,000 youth since 2006.
Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the job market through paid internships and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job or pursue advanced studies. Since 2006, Career Focus has helped over 29,000 youth.
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. Since it began in 2007, Canada Summer Jobs has helped over 304,000 students.
Through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada is investing $40 million towards supporting up to 3,000 internships in high-demand fields and $15 million annually towards supporting up to 1,000 internships in small and medium-sized enterprises under the Youth Employment Strategy.
The Government of Canada also provides a range of support—including Canada Student Loans, Canada Student Grants, the Canada Learning Bond and the Canada Education Savings Grant—to help young Canadians pursue and save for their post-secondary education, so that they can acquire the skills and training they need to succeed in the job market.
Visit youth.gc.ca and CanLearn.ca for more information.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
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