CALGARY, AB, May 14, 2013 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is providing support for youth in Calgary to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by Michelle Rempel, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment and Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre-North, 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 Ms. Rempel "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."
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary are receiving more than $433,000 from the Skills Link program to help youth overcome barriers to employment. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES).
Using the arts as a medium for learning, youth will gain valuable life and job skills through various classroom sessions and workshops on topics such as budgeting and conflict resolution. They will develop team building abilities through group activities at places such as a museum, science centre and the organization's recording studio. They will also gain work experience through job placements with local employers in positions such as customer service, food preparation or office administration.
"The Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary are privileged to receive funding that will allow us to provide youth with employment and life skills through an arts-based curriculum," said Cheryl Doherty, CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary. "We are dedicated to equipping young people with the skills required to be successful in the Canadian workforce and in turn, be able to look towards a more hopeful future."
With annual funding of more than $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, 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.
Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to support 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 create an educated, skilled and flexible workforce. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada's Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. 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
Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes new measures to connect Canadians with available jobs and equip them 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.
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: Canada's Economic Action Plan
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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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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