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January 26, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04-05
TORONTO, ONTARIO - The Honourable Joseph Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today launched Summer Work Experience 2004, formerly known as Student Summer Job Action. Summer Work Experience is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to help Canadian students find summer jobs that will help them develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to prepare for and participate in Canada's rapidly evolving labour market.
"Our future depends heavily on providing good employment opportunities for Canada's young people and helping them prepare for tomorrow's evolving labour market," said Minister Volpe. "Through these initiatives, and with the help of employers from all sectors of the economy, we are increasing their chances of getting a good start in their working life and developing the skills needed to succeed."
"I would also like to encourage employers to hire students with disabilities, and help them gain access to sustainable employment. Summer Career Placements has special provisions that can help employers hire young people with disabilities," added Minister Volpe.
Summer Work Experience consists of all Government of Canada initiatives, under the Youth Employment Strategy, designed to create summer employment opportunities for secondary and post-secondary students. The Youth Employment Strategy invests in human capital and aims to ensure that Canada has a highly qualified and skilled labour force to meet the employment needs of the 21st century.
A major component of Summer Work Experience is Human Resources and Skills Development's Summer Career Placements initiative, which offers wage subsidies to employers in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to create job opportunities related to the career interests and the fields of study of students aged 15 to 30 inclusive. The deadline for employers to submit an application for a wage subsidy to hire a student under the 2004 Summer Career Placements initiative is MARCH 26, 2004, except for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut where the deadline is APRIL 2, 2004.
Last summer, Summer Career Placements helped more than 51,000 Canadian students gain valuable career-related work experience.
Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-S) are another key part of Summer Work Experience. In total, approximately 480,000 youth received help at over 330 HRCC-Ss across Canada. Both employers and youth received information on wage rates, labour laws, federal and provincial/territorial programs, and health and safety in the workplace.
"The Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students are the heart of the Summer Work Experience program," said Minister Volpe. "Last summer, they enabled over 200,000 students to add work experience to their résumés and provided over 280,000 youth with job search assistance. These summer jobs are an effective, concrete way of breaking the 'no experience/no job - no job/no experience' cycle. "
Employers and students interested in participating in one of the Government of Canada's student summer initiatives are invited to contact their nearest Human Resource Centre of Canada, visit youth.gc.ca, or call the toll-free Youth Info Line at 1 800 935-5555 for a free copy of the Summer Work Experience 2004 brochure.
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See attached backgrounder
For more information:
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development
(819) 994-5559
For more information on programs under the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, call the Youth Info Line at 1 800 935-5555, or visit the website at youth.gc.ca.
Summer Work Experience 2004
Backgrounder
For more than 35 years, the Government of Canada has invested in Canadian youth as part of its ongoing efforts to help them obtain work opportunities and pursue higher learning. In 1968, the Government established summer employment offices to help students and employers with their summer employment needs.
Since then, these Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-Ss) have been providing a variety of free services to help students improve their job search skills and acquire meaningful employment, and to help employers find enthusiastic summer help.
The summer employment programs became an integral part of the Youth Employment Strategy in 1997, and since then the Strategy has grown and evolved to meet the Government's commitment to help young Canadians get the skills, work experience and information they need to prepare for and participate in the world of work.
In April 2003, the Government of Canada refocused the Youth Employment Strategy to be more responsive to the emerging needs of youth, employers and the Canadian job market.
The Youth Employment Strategy invests in human capital and aims to ensure that Canada has a highly qualified and skilled labour force to meet the employment needs of the 21st century. Through partnerships with all levels of government, the private sector and community organizations, the Youth Employment Strategy helps strengthen the Canadian economy by supporting employment in urban, rural and remote areas.
Summer Work Experience
Summer Work Experience (SWE), formerly known as Student Summer Job Action, is an important part of Canada's streamlined Youth Employment Strategy. SWE consists of all key Government of Canada youth initiatives designed to create summer employment opportunities for secondary and post-secondary students, and is delivered in partnership with various groups in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
During the summer of 2003, the Government of Canada invested $120 million to create job opportunities for about 70,000 students through Student Summer Job Action.
Initiatives offered under SWE include:
Summer Career Placements
A large number of students who will find career-related jobs this summer will do so as a result of Human Resources and Skills Development's Summer Career Placements (SCP) initiative. This wage subsidy initiative, which is a major component of SWE, offers wage subsidies to private, public and not-for-profit employers who create career-related summer jobs for secondary and post-secondary students between the ages of 15 and 30 inclusive.
All employers are eligible to receive up to 100 per cent of the provincial/territorial minimum wage if they hire a student with a disability through SCP. In addition, up to $3,000 per student may be available to accommodate students with a disability, to cover costs such as personal tools/adaptations that students need on the job.
During the summer of 2003, HRSD's SCP initiative alone enabled over 51,000 students to add work experience to their résumés, and to break the "no experience/no job-no job/no experience" cycle.
The deadline for employers to submit an application for a wage subsidy to hire a student under the 2004 SCP initiative is MARCH 26, 2004, except for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut where the deadline is APRIL 2, 2004.
Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students
Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-Ss) form the heart of SWE. These offices are open to the public generally from May to August. Employers can attract enthusiastic workers by posting the types of jobs they have to offer in their local HRCC-S for students to view.
Each year, Human Resources and Skills Development hires more than 800 youth to work as Summer Employment Officers in HRCC-Ss in local communities across the country.
Each HRCC-S also offers students assistance in the form of job postings, group information sessions and one-to-one assistance on job search techniques, résumé preparation, interview techniques, as well as advice on career planning.
HRCC-Ss are the best place for both students and potential employers to obtain up-to-date information about wage rates and labour laws, to learn about health and safety in the workplace, and to get more information on other federal and provincial/territorial initiatives.
In 2003, HRCC-Ss helped Canadian employers fill more than 200,000 vacancies. They also provided job search assistance to over 280,000 young people through the more than 330 HRCC-Ss located across Canada. In total, these offices helped over 480,000 young Canadians.
Other Federal Department and Agency Initiatives
Other federal departments and agencies also offer specialized summer initiatives to students under SWE. For example, Industry Canada offers Canada's Digital Collections, Community Access Program, and Student Connections. The Department of Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada Agency offers opportunities under the Young Canada Works initiative, specifically Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages, in Heritage Organizations, for Aboriginal Urban Youth, and in National Parks and National Historic Sites in Canada. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada co-ordinates programs for First Nations and Inuit youth including the First Nations and Inuit Student Summer Employment Opportunities and the First Nations and Inuit Science and Technology initiative. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) provided students the opportunity to work alongside members of the RCMP through its summer student initiative. In summer 2003, these initiatives helped approximately 19,000 students.
Young Entrepreneurs
The Government of Canada and provincial/territorial governments offer a variety of programs and services for young entrepreneurs. These include such programs as Aboriginal Business Canada, and the Youth Ventures Program. For a more comprehensive list of entrepreneur programs, consult the Entrepreneurship section in the Youth Link publication, or view an electronic listing of these programs and services at youth.gc.ca.
Job Bank
Job Bank for Employers, located at www.jobbank.gc.ca, helps employers across the country post job openings and business opportunities free of charge through the Internet. This allows employers to access the pool of students in post-secondary institutions who are looking for summer work prior to the opening of HRCC-Ss in April and May.
For More Information
For more information on initiatives and services offered under the Government of Canada's SWE and other programs and services for youth, and to obtain information on the opening dates and hours of operation of the nearest HRCC-S, please contact your local Human Resource Centre of Canada. You can also call the Youth Info Line toll free at 1 800 935-5555, visit youth.gc.ca, or visit the Government of Canada Web site at canada.gc.ca.
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