About HRSDC | Our Offices | Programs & Services | A-Z Index September 24, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO—The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced funding of $1,598,037 for 15 employment projects. This year Sault Ste. Marie received a total of $2,043,917 from the Department, targeted to help over 2,000 unemployed individuals find meaningful, long-term employment or to upgrade their skills. The Government of Canada is providing financial assistance for these projects through the following programs: Job Creation Partnerships, Employment Assistance Services, Labour Market Partnerships, and the Youth Employment Strategy. These programs work towards enhancing Canadians’ employability, social inclusion and skills and learning. “These projects will provide support for individuals to enhance their skills, knowledge and work experience,” said Minister Volpe. “This will give people in Sault Ste. Marie the opportunity to adjust to the challenges of a changing economy.” These projects support the Government of Canada’s efforts to encourage Canadians to upgrade their skills and knowledge to their greatest potential. Funding for the projects was provided for in the 2004 federal Budget. These projects have been reviewed to ensure compliance with the Department’s administration of its grant and contribution programs, and are subject to review under the Financial Administration Act. - 30 - For more information: Media Relations Office Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (819) 994-5559 BACKGROUNDER Employment Assistance Services Employment Assistance Services helps unemployed individuals to prepare for, find and keep employment by providing them with services such as counselling, job search techniques, job placement, and labour market information. These services are available to all unemployed Canadians, whether or not they ever established a claim for Employment Insurance (EI). The three recipients of the Employment Assistance Services funding are: Organization Name Project Location Funding Amount John Howard Society of Sault Ste. Marie & District Case Management Sault Ste. Marie $635,589 Zad Consulting Incorporated Practice Firm Sault Ste. Marie $206,323 Ontario March of Dimes – Sault Ste. Marie Employment Services Sault Ste. Marie $96,560 Job Creation Partnerships Job Creation Partnerships provides unemployed individuals with opportunities to gain work experience on projects developed in partnership with other levels of government, business, or community groups. The eleven recipients of the Job Creation Partnerships funding are: Organization Name Project Location Funding Amount Safe Communities Partnership Sault Ste. Marie Employees Orientation Program Sault Ste. Marie $62,021 Upper Lakes Environmental Research Network Training Research Assistants Sault Ste. Marie $160,787 Sault Ste. Marie Museum Digitization Project Sault Ste. Marie $86,908 Pauline's Place Non-Profit Homes Incorporated Development Project Sault Ste. Marie $40,862 Algoma Kinniwabi Travel Association Tourism Development Sault Ste. Marie $50,252 Corporation of the Township of St. Joseph Community Facility Improvements Richards Landing $54,513 Township of MacDonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional Outdoor Activity Echo Bay $71,714 Lung Association Administrative Project Assistant Sault Ste. Marie $16,372 Art Gallery of Algoma Event Coordinator Sault Ste. Marie $27,176 Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre IT Expo Project Coordinator Sault Ste. Marie $33,176 Sault Ste. Community Development Corporation Communications Officer Sault Ste. Marie $32,876 Labour Market Partnerships Labour Market Partnerships (LMP) encourages communities to take greater responsibility for creating local employment by actively involving community partners. Partners include employers; employees or their associations; provincial, territorial, and municipal governments; non-governmental organizations; health and educational institutions; band and tribal councils; and individuals and groups, among others. Labour Market Partnerships (LMP) helps organizations to identify their human resource requirements and develop plans to address them. LMP can also be used to implement labour force adjustment measures. The one recipient of the Labour Market Partnerships funding is: Organization Name Project Location Funding Amount Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology Top Report Sault Ste. Marie $22,908 Funding for Employment Assistance Services, Job Creation Partnerships and Labour Market Partnerships is provided under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act. Employment Insurance (EI) claimants receive their regular income benefits and/or income support under EI Part II. Also eligible are other insured participants, such as clients who have received employment benefits within the last three years, or maternity or parental benefits that started in the past five years. Youth Employment Strategy The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Government of Canada’s commitment to helping young Canadians, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the expertise, work experience and skills they need to make a successful transition to the workplace. The YES offers three programs for youth: Skills Link, Summer Work Experience and Career Focus. Skills Link provides funding for community organizations to help youth facing barriers to employment—such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and high school drop-outs—by developing the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to participate in the job market. **The one recipient of the Skills Link funding is: Organization Name Project Location Funding Amount Sault Ste. Marie Family YMCA Starting Transitions Towards Employment Sault Ste. Marie $445,880 **Previously announced.