WINNIPEG, May 24, 2013 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is providing support for young immigrants in Winnipeg to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety and Member of Parliament for Provencher, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity," said Minister Toews. "The Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow."
Three organizations are receiving a total of over $475,000 from the Skills Link program to help young immigrants overcome barriers to employment. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES). Funding will be allocated in the amounts of over $303,000 to Employment Solutions for Immigrants Inc., over $94,000 to The Momentum Centre and over $78,000 to the Immigrant Centre.
Through classroom sessions, participants will gain valuable life and job skills including, effective communications, literacy and workplace health and safety. Based on their personal plans, youth may benefit from work experience with local employers in various sectors such as retail, healthcare or the skilled trades.
"With the Government of Canada's support, immigrant and refugee youth are gaining work experience in areas compatible with their knowledge and skills," said Fatima Soares, Executive Director, Employment Solutions for Immigrants Inc. "In the past year, the Manitoba Start project has connected over 85% of StrongStart graduates with opportunities for sustainable employment."
With annual funding of approximately $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop 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.
Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to create 5 000 more paid internships. This is further to the extra $50 million that was invested through Economic Action Plan 2012 to enhance YES with a new initiative that connects young Canadians with jobs that are in high demand and helps them develop tangible skills and gain work experience.
Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada's broader strategy to connect Canadians with available jobs. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes new measures to equip Canadians with the skills and training they need. These include the Canada Job Grant, creating opportunities for apprentices and providing support to under-represented groups such as people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, 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 is the Government of Canada's commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment, including youth who are single parents, youth with disabilities 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.
Career Focus provides funding to employers to hire young post-secondary graduates to give them career-related work experience and help them acquire skills to transition into the job 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.
To learn more about Canada's Youth Employment Strategy and other youth employment initiatives, please visit youth.gc.ca.
SOURCE: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Jan O'Driscoll
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada
819-994-5559
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This news release is available online at: actionplan.gc.ca.
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