Youth facing barriers to employment benefit from job skills training and employment opportunities
WINDSOR, NS, Aug. 2, 2017 /CNW/ - Building a strong middle class means giving Canada's youth the tools they need to find and keep good jobs. As part of this commitment, the Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants, Nova Scotia, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced a new project today that will give youth in the communities of Colchester and West Hants job skills training and hands-on work experience..
The MetroWorks Employment Association will once again organize employability skills workshops, safety training courses, guest speakers, job site tours, one-on-one support services and work placements for up to 48 local youth. A special opportunity to gain one week of technical skills training at Carpenter Millwright College will also be offered to interested applicants. All participants will obtain positions in hospitality, customer service, trades, construction or agricultural industries tied to organic farming. One main goal is to provide opportunities for the youth to find good jobs in smaller communities in their home province.
The Government of Canada will provide approximately $690,000 in funding for this project through the Skills Link program of the Government's Youth Employment Strategy. Skills Link supports projects that help young people who face more barriers to employment than others develop basic employability skills and gain valuable job experience, which assists them in making a successful transition into the labour market or returning to school. These could include youth who have not completed high school, single parents, Indigenous youth, young people with disabilities, youth living in rural or remote areas and newcomers.
MetroWorks received funding for Skills Link projects over the past six years and has successfully helped disadvantaged individuals and those facing barriers to employment get a job or return to school.
Quotes
"We know that our communities are healthier and stronger when everyone can fully participate. Supporting youth as they transition into the workforce is a key way in which we can grow our economy and strengthen the middle class."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"Investing in Canada's youth is a priority for our government. This work education and employment development project is a concrete example of what we can achieve for youth by working in partnership with organizations across the country. Opportunities like this can help put regular paycheques within reach of those who need it. But more than that, it will give young Nova Scotians a chance to change their future."
– The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants Nova Scotia
"MetroWorks Employment Association has been looked to as a pioneer in workforce development dating back to 1977. Its blended programming takes unskilled and entry level workers and develops them into skilled employees at no extra cost to the employer. The investment by the federal government in the YouthWorks program will help to develop essential employability skills of youth living in the communities of Hants West, Musquodoboit Valley and Stewiacke, with a focus on helping them achieve their employment goals while remaining in rural Nova Scotia communities."
– Dave Rideout, President and CEO, MetroWorks Employment Association
Quick Facts
- Skills Link is one of three program streams under the Government's Youth Employment Strategy (YES). Each year, the Government invests more than $330 million in YES to help support young Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30 to get the information, skills, job experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition to the workplace.
- Budget 2017 will invest an additional $395.5 million over three years for YES, starting in 2017–18.
- Since 2005, YES programs delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) have helped over 582,000 youth develop skills and gain work experience to find a job or return to school. ESDC's Skills Link program has helped over 141,000 youth since 2005.
Associated Links
Youth Employment Strategy
Skills Link Program
Backgrounder
Youth Employment Strategy
The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Government of Canada's commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace. YES helps youth between the ages of 15 and 30 get the information and gain the skills, job experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition to the workforce. YES includes Skills Link, Career Focus and Summer Work Experience and is delivered by 11 federal departments.
- Summer Work Experience provides wage subsidies to employers to create summer employment for secondary and post-secondary students. The Summer Work Experience program includes Canada Summer Jobs.
- Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment—including single parents, youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, young newcomers and youth in rural and remote areas—to develop employability skills and gain the experience they need to find a job or return to school.
- Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships. It helps provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job or pursue advanced studies.
Each year, the Government invests more than $330 million through YES to help young people gain the skills and experience they need to find and keep good jobs.
Budget 2016 provided $165.4 million in 2016–17 for YES to create new green jobs for youth, increase the number of youth who access the Skills Link program and support employment opportunities in the heritage sector. In 2016, the Government of Canada nearly doubled the Canada Summer Jobs program, creating tens of thousands of additional jobs for young people each year.
To further expand employment opportunities for young Canadians, Budget 2017 proposes to provide an additional $395.5 million over three years, starting in 2017–18 for YES.
The 2016 and 2017 investments will help more than 33,000 vulnerable youth develop the skills they need to find work or go back to school; create 15,000 new green jobs for young Canadians; and provide over 1,600 new employment opportunities for youth in the heritage sector.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Carlene Variyan, Director of Communications,Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, 819 654 5611; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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