Governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island take action to help Islanders get jobs faster

SUMMERSIDE, PEI, Dec. 15, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, the Government of Canada announced nearly $4 million in funding to Prince Edward Island (PEI) for two projects that will help young people and newcomers find work in their fields. The governments also renewed two agreements that will connect Islanders with disabilities and older workers to available jobs.

The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Egmont, made the announcements on behalf of the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development, alongside the Honourable Valerie E. Docherty, PEI Minister of Community Services and Seniors, and the Honourable Allen F. Roach, PEI Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning.

One project, called the Career Prep Program, is jointly funded with the private sector and will receive $3 million in federal funding to provide over 400 post-secondary students in PEI with work experience in local small to medium-sized enterprises. Funded through the Youth Employment Strategy, this project will help the students integrate into the job market.

The second project, Building Bridges for Immigrants, will receive nearly $1 million to help internationally trained professionals in PEI get their credentials recognized and get jobs in their fields faster. The Government of Canada supports foreign credential recognition and labour mobility to ensure workers can enter the job market quickly, when and where they are needed.

Renewed agreements

The Ministers announced the renewed Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPD). This agreement is designed to improve employment prospects for Canadians with disabilities and better meet the needs of Canadian businesses. The LMAPD is the single largest federal government investment to help Canadians with disabilities get jobs. Under this agreement, the Government of Canada will provide over $1.3 million per year to PEI, a contribution that will be matched by the province.

Canada and PEI also renewed the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, a federal-provincial/territorial cost-shared initiative that provides eligible unemployed older workers with training to re-enter the workforce and/or become more employable. This represents a three-year total federal investment of over $720,000 in PEI between 2014–15 and 2016–17. Since its launch in 2007, the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers has helped over 790 individuals in the province.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow. Since 2006, the federal Government has helped more than 611,000 young Canadians through the Youth Employment Strategy.
• Over the past 10 years, PEI has welcomed more than 11,500 newcomers.
• The Government of Canada is currently inviting national organizations to apply for funding through the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities until January 30, 2015 for projects that will increase employment opportunities for Canadians with disabilities. Applications are available online at servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/of/national/index.shtml.

Quotes

"Today is a good day for Islanders and for the PEI economy. Through these projects and renewed agreements with PEI, we are helping Islanders and newcomers gain the skills and experience they need to connect with available jobs."
– The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Egmont

"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. Our government is very pleased to sign this new generation of agreements with the Government of PEI that will help Islanders gain valuable skills and that will also help Canadians with disabilities reach their potential and older workers reintegrate into the workforce."
 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development

"LMAPD funding supports programs and services provided through Prince Edward Island's Community Services and Seniors Disability Support Program. This program assists individuals with personal planning and helps to meet the needs related to their disability. This funding also enables the province to strengthen partnerships with local community groups that provide employment supports for individuals living with a disability. These partnerships help to ensure Islanders have the supports they need to be active, contributing members of the Island economy."
– The Honourable Valerie E. Docherty, Prince Edward Island Minister of Community Services and Seniors

"Jobseekers and workers need to enhance their knowledge and training to remain competitive in the labour market. With six locations across the province, Skills PEI is a single point of access for jobseekers, as well for employers looking for trained workers. Skills PEI also offers a number of programs and services to help Islanders find and keep employment. With today's announcement, we will continue to grow the programs provided through Skills PEI, to provide more support systems for Islanders."
– The Honourable Allen Roach, Prince Edward Island Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning

Associated Links

• Services for Youth
• Economic Action Plan
• Employment and Social Development Canada: Credential Recognition
• Applying for Foreign Credential Recognition Loans
• A Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications
• Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities
• Targeted Initiative for Older Workers
• Skills PEI
• Government of PEI Disability Support Program

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Backgrounder

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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. With annual funding of approximately $330 million, 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 workplace. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs and Canada Summer Jobs, 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 labour market through paid internships and helps provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job and/or pursue advanced studies. Since 2006, the Career Focus initiative has helped over 29,000 youth acquire skills needed to join 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 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.

Since 2006, the Government of Canada has helped more than 611,000 young Canadians through the Youth Employment Strategy.

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 acquire the skills and training they need to succeed in the job market and the future economy.

Improving foreign credential recognition

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada works with the provinces and territories and other stakeholders to improve foreign credential recognition. This partnership led to the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which is streamlining foreign credential recognition for priority occupations, including doctors and dentists.

Under the Framework, internationally trained workers who submit an application to be licensed or registered to work in certain fields, along with all fees and relevant documents, will be advised within one year how their credentials compare to Canadian standards. They may also be advised of additional requirements or be directed to alternative occupations that would benefit from their skills and experience.

Service standards have been established so that internationally trained professionals in 14 priority occupations can have their credentials assessed within one year, anywhere in Canada.

The first set of 14 priority occupations were: architects, engineers, engineer technicians, accountants, medical lab technicians, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, registered nurses, practical nurses, dentists, medical radiation technologists, physicians and teachers.

The Government of Canada is also working in partnership with the provinces and territories to improve foreign credential recognition for 10 additional priority occupations including the skilled trades and healthcare. The 10 new priority occupations are: geoscientists, carpenters, electricians, heavy duty equipment technicians, heavy equipment operators, welders, audiologists and speech language pathologists, midwives, psychologists and lawyers.

Government of Canada foreign credential recognition programs and services

The Foreign Credential Recognition Program aims to improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the workforce. The Program provides funding to and works with the provinces and territories and other stakeholders—including regulatory bodies, post‑secondary institutions and employers—to implement projects that facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in other countries.

The Foreign Credential Recognition Loans Pilot Project, delivered in cooperation with community organizations, helps internationally trained professionals cover the costs of having their credentials recognized, so they can find jobs that best suit their skills and experience.

The Foreign Credentials Referral Office provides information and pathfinding and referral services, both in Canada and overseas, to help internationally trained workers have their credentials assessed quickly so they can find work faster in the fields in which they have been trained.

The Internationally Educated Health Professionals Initiative works with provinces, territories and stakeholders to enable more internationally educated health professionals to put their skills to work in Canada's health system.

Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities

As announced in the Economic Action Plan, this new generation of Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPDs) represents an investment of $222 million per year by the Government of Canada in the provinces and territories. This will allow provinces and territories flexibility to determine how to best address the needs of Canadians with disabilities, while helping Canadian businesses benefit from their skills and talent. Under the LMAPDs, approximately 300,000 interventions are provided annually for persons with disabilities through over 100 programs across the country.

With increased employer engagement and a stronger focus on demonstrating the best possible results for Canadians, the new agreement will better connect Canadians with disabilities with available jobs. Under the LMAPDs, provinces and territories have the flexibility to determine how to best address the needs of Canadians with disabilities, while helping businesses benefit from their skills and talent.

Additional support for Canadians with disabilities

Through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada is providing:

• $15 million over three years to the Ready, Willing & Able initiative of the Canadian Association for Community Living to help Canadians with developmental disabilities get jobs; and
• $11.4 million over four years to support the expansion of vocational training programs for Canadians with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

To further help Canadians with disabilities in the workforce, the Government:

• announced a $10 million increase, to $40 million annually, in ongoing support for the Opportunities Fund, which helps Canadians with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and keep employment, or become self-employed;
• extended the Enabling Accessibility Fund on an ongoing basis at $15 million per year to improve accessibility in facilities across Canada, including workplaces; and
• provided funding of $7 million per year to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, some of which will support research related to the labour market participation of people with disabilities.

Targeted Initiative for Older Workers

The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) is a federal-provincial/territorial cost‑shared initiative that provides unemployed older workers (normally between the ages of 55 and 64) with employment assistance services, skills upgrading and work experience. The TIOW assists unemployed older workers in small communities of 250,000 or less that are experiencing high unemployment and/or significant downsizing or closures to reintegrate into the workforce.

As announced in Economic Action Plan 2014, the TIOW is being renewed for a three-year period, representing a federal investment of $75 million. The TIOW is also being expanded to include communities experiencing unfulfilled employer demand and/or skills mismatches so that communities with tighter labour markets can participate in the initiative, particularly if they have vacant jobs that could be filled by unemployed older workers. Since its launch in 2007, provinces and territories have targeted more than 34,940 unemployed older workers in small communities across the country for TIOW participation. In PEI, more than 790 individuals have been assisted to date.

SOURCE: Canada's Economic Action Plan

Contacts: Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected], Follow us on Twitter; Autumn Tremere, PEI Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning, [email protected], 902-620-3774; Maureen Flanagan-LeClair, Sr. Communications Officer, PEI Community Services and Seniors, [email protected], 902-620-3409

Related Links

http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca