February 1, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA , Ontario - The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today officially launched Canada Summer Jobs 2008. This initiative provides funding to not-for-profit, public-sector, and small private-sector employers with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for students 15 to 30 years old.
"Canada Summer Jobs funds student work experiences, including those that deliver important community services for children, families, people with disabilities, seniors, and others," says Minister Solberg. "The initiative works to achieve real results by supporting students and serving communities."
The Canada Summer Jobs budget of $97.5 million is allocated across the 308 federal constituencies. Applications from employers will be assessed, constituency by constituency, based on their merit in terms of both eligibility and assessment criteria.
The launch of Canada Summer Jobs marks the beginning of the application period for employers. Application forms and assessment criteria are available online at www.servicecanada.gc.ca/csj2008 and at any Service Canada Centre. The deadline for submitting completed applications is February 29, 2008 .
Canada Summer Jobs in an initiative under the Summer Work Experience program. For online information on Government of Canada youth programs and initiatives, visit the Web site at www.servicecanada.gc.ca.
Service Canada brings Government of Canada services and benefits together in a single delivery network. It provides Canadians with one-stop service they can access however they choose - by phone at 1 800 O-Canada, on the Internet at servicecanada.gc.ca, or in person at Service Canada Centres across the country.
A backgrounder is attached.
- 30 -
This news release is available in alternative formats on request. Call 1-800-788-8282 on a touch-tone phone or through a teletypewriter (TTY).
Media inquiries:
Media Relations Office
Service Canada
819-994-5559
Public inquiries:
1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232)
TTY: 1-800-926-9105
servicecanada.gc.ca
Backgrounder
Canada Summer Jobs 2008
Service Canada delivers Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) on behalf of Human Resources and Social Development Canada. The CSJ initiative provides funding to help not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees create summer job opportunities for young people 15 to 30 years old who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next academic year.
CSJ is about:
providing work experience for students;
supporting organizations, including those that provide important community services; and
recognizing that local circumstances, community needs, and priorities vary widely.
In 2007, the Government of Canada finalized agreements with more than 18,000 organizations to help create about 42,000 summer jobs for students.
Summer Work Experience
CSJ is an initiative of the Summer Work Experience program under Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES), which also offers other services and programs, such as Skills Link and Career Focus. Together, these programs offer a broad range of youth employment initiatives in partnership with 11 other federal departments.
Summer Work Experience (SWE) is a program under the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES). The SWE program is comprised of initiatives that provide funding to employers to create summer employment for secondary and post-secondary students. SWE also supports the operation of Service Canada Centres for Youth (SCCYs).
SCCYs provide a variety of services, free of charge, to help employers advertising summer work opportunities, and to help students looking and applying for jobs in their communities. With locations across Canada , these centres are generally open to the public from May to August.
