CAMPBELLTON, NB, July 31, 2015 /CNW/ - The Harper Government is helping equip young Canadians in New Brunswick with the information, skills and work experience needed to get jobs. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and Member of Parliament for Madawaska–Restigouche, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, and the Honourable Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women.
Through the Government's Youth Employment Strategy, the Restigouche Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) will continue to deliver its existing project to help 90 recent post-secondary graduates in eastern Canada with an investment of more than $350,000. This project will continue to help recent post-secondary graduates transition into the job market and advance their careers.
Project participants will gain work experience related to their studies and career goals through paid internships in various fields, including forestry, computer system design and health services. They will also be paired with an on-the-job mentor to help them learn more about careers in their chosen field and develop networking skills.
CBDC Restigouche is also receiving more than $299,000 from Status of Women Canada to provide women business owners in New Brunswick with more financial options to establish and grow their businesses. CBDC Restigouche will work in partnership with Women in Business Networks, other community business development corporations and banks to improve financial lending practices in the province of New Brunswick.
Today's announcement is one example of what the Government is doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the Government also increased the Universal Child Care Benefit, introduced the Family Tax Cut and made improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children's Fitness Tax Credit.
Quick Facts
- The Harper Government's Youth Employment Strategy has helped over 611,000 youth since 2006.
- Through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government is creating up to 3,000 internships in high-demand fields and supporting up to 1,000 internships in small and medium-sized enterprises, under the Youth Employment Strategy.
- Economic Action Plan 2014 introduced the Canada Apprentice Loan, which provides apprentices registered in Red Seal trades with interest-free loans of up to $4,000 to complete their technical training. Loans are interest-free until apprentices complete or leave their apprenticeship training program, up to a maximum of six years. Since January, over 6,000 apprentices across Canada have benefited from the Canada Apprentice Loan.
- The Universal Child Care Benefit has increased from $100 to $160 per month, totalling up to $1,920 per year, for children under the age of 6, and families have starting receiving a new benefit of $60 per month, up to $720 per year, for each child aged 6 through 17. The first payment of $3 billion to 3.8 million families represents the largest single-day direct payment to families in history.
Quotes
"Our Government is helping young Canadians get the skills and training they need to find good jobs and build better futures for themselves and their families. Today's youth are tomorrow's workforce, so by investing in them we are helping contribute to Canada's long-term growth, competitiveness and overall prosperity. We are proud to work with organizations like CBDC Restigouche so that young people, including those in Eastern Canada, gain the experience they need to succeed in the job market."
– The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and Member of Parliament for Madawaska–Restigouche
"Our Government's number-one priority is creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. That's why we are pleased to partner with CBDC Restigouche. This project will work to improve financial lending practices in New Brunswick to provide women business owners with increased options to establish and grow their businesses, and help their communities prosper."
– The Honourable Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, P.C., O.Ont., M.P., Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women
Associated Links
Services for Youth
Economic Action Plan
Helping Families Prosper
Backgrounder
The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Harper Government'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 and work experience they need to succeed in the workplace. 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.
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 job market through paid internships and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job and/or pursue advanced studies. Since 2006, Career Focus has helped over 29,000 youth.
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. Since it began in 2007, Canada Summer Jobs has helped over 304,000 students.
The Government is helping Canadian youth get the skills employers are looking for with the Canada Job Grant, apprenticeship grants and the new Canada Apprentice Loan. The Government also offers tax credits, such as the tuition, education and textbook tax credits, the tradesperson's tools deduction and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit.
The Government 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.
Visit youth.gc.ca and CanLearn.ca for more information.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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