About HRSDC | Our Offices | Programs & Services | A-Z Index October 29, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, Ontario —The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced the launch of Canada Career Week (CCW), a week dedicated each November to promoting career awareness across Canada . This year CCW will take place from October 31 to November 6, with the theme Make Career Connections – Team Up! This theme encourages Canadians to explore the concept of forming partnerships, reminding career seekers to connect with the people, programs and resources needed both to develop skills for work and to build rewarding careers. In addition to Canada Career Week, Minister Volpe announced Take Our Kids to Work (TOKW) Day, an activity supported by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that gives hundreds of thousands of grade 9/senior 1 students across Canada a real-life experience in a work-related environment. This year, TOKW Day is on November 3. “By participating in local Canada Career Week events, people can link directly with potential employers, schools and organizations for up-to-date information on career development and lifelong learning,” said Minister Volpe. “We are working to make sure that Canadians have the information they need to make wise career decisions—information about skills, education and training requirements—and that they can access community resources to make the connections needed to build successful and rewarding careers.” Canada Career Week events are built on the efforts of volunteers, employers, teachers, counsellors and other organizations in each community and each workplace across the country, with the assistance of the Canada Career Consortium (CCC). The CCC is a partnership of industry sector councils, educational and training organizations, career resource developers, career practitioners, employment equity groups, the Francophone career development community and national/provincial/territorial governments and agencies. The Canada Career Consortium (CCC), funded by HRSDC, coordinates the production and distribution of promotional tools and career-related material used during the Week. Each fall the CCC launches one of its key career development products, Canada Prospects , and its companion piece, the Canada Prospects Facilitator's Guide . Today's announcement is linked to Canada 's Workplace Skills Strategy aimed at helping Canadians acquire the skills needed to obtain meaningful and productive jobs. The Government of Canada recognizes that Canada 's future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled work force and on high-performance workplaces that focus on skills development. It will work with business, unions, other levels of government, sector councils and workers to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to develop their skills and succeed. For more information on Canada Career Week, visit http://www.canadacareerweek.com . You can also contact your local Human Resource Centre of Canada or school board to find out how to get involved. For more information on Take Our Kids to Work Day, visit http://www.takeourkidstowork.ca - 30 - For more information: Stephen Heckbert Director of Communications Office of the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development (819) 994-2482 Media Relations Office Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (819) 994-5559
