Youth facing barriers to employment benefit from job skills training and employment opportunities
HAWKESBURY, ON, Jan. 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Building a strong middle class means giving Canada's youth the tools they need to find and keep good jobs.
Today, Francis Drouin, Member of Parliament for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced a new project that will give youth in Prescott and Russell job skills training and hands-on work experience.
Up to 49 youth will participate in the project, which will be delivered by Groupe Convex. During this program, youth-at risk will spend 4 weeks learning group-based employability skills before spending 18 weeks participating in work placements. Youth will be employed by social enterprises whose services benefit seniors, adults with disabilities, and low-income families.
The Government of Canada will provide approximately $850,000 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, in turn, assists them in making a successful transition into the workforce or to return to school. These youth could include those who have not completed high school, single parents, Indigenous youth, young persons with disabilities, youth living in rural or remote areas or newcomers.
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.Youth in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell will benefit tremendously from the opportunity to develop their skills and gain valuable workplace experience."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"Developing Canada's youth is a priority. Groupe Convex's project is a concrete example of what we can achieve for youth by working in partnership with organizations across the country. Projects like this one can help put regular paycheques into the reach of those who need it. But more than that, they give young Canadians the chance to change their future."
– Francis Drouin, Member of Parliament for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell
"Clearly, with the funding available to carry out this program, the Government of Canada is interested in social enterprises and sees the relevance of such environments for work training and job creation. The government is also interested in innovative solutions to address the socio-economic problems at the grassroots level. This project is an example: Several organizations are coming together to use their expertise and share their resources. It is a community partnership for the benefit of young people who live with significant challenges."
– Caroline Arcand, Executive Director, Groupe Convex
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 the 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 proposes to invest a further $395.5 million over three years in the YES for additional employment and skills development opportunities for youth.
- 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.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Martin Roy, Parliamentary Assistant, Office of Francis Drouin, MP, [email protected], T: 613-992-0490, C: 613-298-2406; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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