About HRSDC | Our Offices | Programs & Services | A-Z Index February 10, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05-12 OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- The Honourable Lucienne Robillard, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today launched Summer Work Experience 2005. Summer Work Experience, a key component of the Youth Employment Strategy, is the Government of Canada's commitment to help young students to find summer jobs and help them develop the skills, knowledge and work experience to support them on their career paths. "Young people are Canada's work force of the future. We need to ensure that they have good employment opportunities to prepare them for the world of work," said Minister Robillard. "Through initiatives such as Summer Work Experience, and with the help of employers from all sectors of the economy, we are giving youth an opportunity to take that all important first step into the labour market." 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 school students. A major component of Summer Work Experience is the 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 2005 Summer Career Placements initiative is APRIL 1, 2005, except for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut where the deadline is APRIL 8, 2005. Last summer, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's Summer Career Placements alone helped more than 51,000 Canadian students gain valuable career-related work experience. "I would also encourage employers to hire students with disabilities to give them a chance to gain meaningful work experience. Summer Career Placements has special provisions that can help employers to hire young students with disabilities," added Minister Robillard. Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-Ss) are another key component of Summer Work Experience. Last year, more than 350,000 students received help at approximately 330 HRCC-Ss across Canada. Both employers and students received useful information on wage rates, labour laws, federal and provincial/territorial programs, and health and safety in the workplace. Employers and students interested in participating in one of the Government of Canada's student summer initiatives, under the Youth Employment Strategy, 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 2005 brochure. The Youth Employment Strategy invests in human resources and aims to ensure that Canada has a highly qualified and skilled labour force to meet the employment needs of the 21st century. For more information, see the attached backgrounder . - 30 - For more information: Media Relations Office Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (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 youth.gc.ca. Backgrounder For more than 35 years, the Government of Canada has invested in Canadian youth as part of its ongoing efforts to help them to 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 of charge services to help students to 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 Youth Employment Strategy has grown and evolved to meet the Government's commitment to help young Canadians get the skills, knowledge, work experience and information they need to prepare for and participate in the world of work. In April 2004, the Government of Canada realigned 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 resources and strives 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 to strengthen the Canadian economy by supporting employment in urban, rural and remote areas. Summer Work Experience Summer Work Experience is an important part of Canada's realigned Youth Employment Strategy. Summer Work Experience consists of all Government of Canada key youth initiatives designed to create summer employment opportunities for secondary and post-secondary school students, and is delivered in partnership with the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. During the summer of 2004, the Government of Canada invested $120 million to create job opportunities for over 75,000 students through Summer Work Experience. Initiatives offered under Summer Work Experience 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 Canada's Summer Career Placements initiative. As a major component of Summer Work Experience, Summer Career Placements offers wage subsidies to private, public and not-for-profit employers to create career-related summer jobs for secondary and post-secondary school students between the ages of 15 and 30 inclusive. Private sector and public sector employers may be eligible for up to 50 percent of the provincial/territorial adult minimum wage and not-for-profit sector employers may be eligible for up to 100 percent of the provincial/territorial adult minimum wage. Employers hiring a student with a disability through Summer Career Placements may be eligible to receive up to 100 percent of the provincial/territorial adult minimum wage. 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 to perform their job. During the summer of 2004, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's Summer Career Placements 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 2005 Summer Career Placements initiative is APRIL 1, 2005, except for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut where the deadline is APRIL 8, 2005. Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-Ss) form the heart of Summer Work Experience. These offices are generally open to the public from May to August. Employers can attract enthusiastic workers by posting jobs in their local HRCC-S for students to consider. Each year, HRSDC hires more than 900 students to work as Summer Employment Officers in HRCC-Ss in local communities across the country. Each HRCC-S offers students assistance in the form of job postings, group information sessions, one-on-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 on wage rates and labour legislation, to learn about health and safety in the workplace, and to get more information on other federal and provincial/territorial initiatives. In 2004, HRCC-Ss helped Canadian employers to fill more than 170,000 job vacancies. They also provided job search assistance to over 180,000 young people through the more than 330 HRCC-Ss located across Canada. In total, these offices helped over 350,000 young Canadians. Other Federal Department and Agency Initiatives Other federal departments and agencies also offer specialized summer initiatives to students under Summer Work Experience. For example, Industry Canada offers the Community Access Program Youth Initiative and Student Connections. The Department of Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada Agency offer opportunities under the Young Canada Works initiative in heritage organizations and for Aboriginal urban youth and, specifically, Young Canada Works in both official languages. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada co-ordinates programs for First Nations and Inuit youth including First Nations and Inuit Student Summer Employment Opportunities and the First Nations and Inuit Science and Technology initiatives. In summer 2004, these initiatives created approximately 24,000 job opportunities for students. Job Bank Job Bank for Employers, located at jobbank.gc.ca, helps employers across the country to post job openings and business opportunities, free of charge, through the Internet. This allows employers to access the pool of students who are looking for summer work prior to the opening of the HRCC-Ss in May. For more information For more information on initiatives and services offered under the Government of Canada's Summer Work Experience 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. 2004 Summer Work Experience Program Initiative Job opportunities created Summer Career Placements 51,000 Other Federal Department and Agency Summer Initiatives 24,000 TOTAL 75,000
