STONY PLAIN, AB, June 6, 2014 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is helping equip young Canadians in the Stony Plain area with the information, skills and work experience needed to get jobs. The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, Regional Minister for northern Alberta, and Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Spruce Grove, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development).
The Alberta Community and Co-operative Association is receiving more than $189,000 from the Career Focus program to help 12 local young people obtain the information, skills and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job or further their education.
Through this project, recent post-secondary graduates will gain work experience related to their educational training through paid internships in fields such as finance, retail and community development. They will also benefit from on-the-job coaching and learn a variety of advanced skills such as communication and conflict resolution.
As Canada is facing skills shortages in certain sectors and regions, the Government is investing in youth employment, skills and apprenticeship programs to help connect young Canadians with available jobs.
Quick Facts
- The Career Focus program is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES). Since 2006, YES has helped more than 555,000 young people develop the skills required to succeed in the job market, with over 26,000 youth helped through Career Focus alone.
- The Government of Canada is helping Canadian youth get the skills employers are looking for through initiatives and programs like the Canada Job Grant, the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant. To help youth complete their education, the Government also offers certain tax credits, such as the tuition, education and textbook tax credits, and the employed tradespersons tax credit. Additionally, the Government offers the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit to encourage employers to hire youth.
- Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to introduce the Canada Apprentice Loan by expanding the Canada Student Loans program to provide apprentices registered in Red Seal trades with access to over $100 million in interest-free loans each year. At least 26,000 apprentices are expected to apply annually.
Quotes
"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. Today's announcement will help youth in Stony Plain get the skills needed to obtain jobs in today's economy."
- The Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development)
"Today's youth are tomorrow's workforce. By investing in young people today, we are making sure they are ready to become Canada's future workers and contribute to our long-term prosperity."
- The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, Regional Minister for northern Alberta and Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Spruce Grove
"We are pleased to partner with the Government of Canada on this project. This funding will allow us to provide post-secondary graduates with career-related work experience in order to help them make a successful transition into the workforce or advanced level studies."
- Michele Aasgard, Executive Director of the Alberta Community and Cooperative Association.
Associated Links
Services for Youth
Economic Action Plan
Backgrounder
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 the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment—including those who have not completed high school, single parents, Aboriginal youth, youth with disabilities, newcomers and youth in rural and remote areas—to make a successful transition into the job market or to return to school. Since 2006, Skills Link has helped over 179,000 youth.
Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour 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.
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 2007, Canada Summer Jobs has helped over 260,000 students.
Through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada is investing $40 million over two years towards supporting up to 3,000 internships in high-demand fields and $15 million annually to help support up to 1,000 paid internships in small and medium-sized enterprises under the Youth Employment Strategy.
In addition, Economic Action Plan 2013 introduced new measures to equip Canadians with the skills and training they need to fill skills shortages and succeed in the Canadian labour market. These include the Canada Job Grant, which will invest in skills training for unemployed and underemployed Canadians, better ensuring they are qualified to fill the high-quality, well-paying jobs that are available.
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.
Visit the Canada Learning Bond and the Canada Education Savings Grant for additional details.
SOURCE: Canada's Economic Action Plan
Lauren Brent
Office of the Minister
613-415-5625
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
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