SAINTE ANNE DES MONTS, QUEBEC, May 23, 2008-On behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Honourable Sam Hamad, Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity for Quebec, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Ms. Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier of Quebec, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions, Minister responsible for Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Member of the National Assembly for Bonaventure, are pleased to announce four new projects funded under the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers.
The governments of Quebec and Canada will jointly contribute over $1.7 million to four projects in the Gaspésie region in order to help older workers who have been laid off to reintegrate into the labour market. According to Emploi Québec, which is responsible for managing the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, this amount is expected to help approximately 100 older workers find jobs over the next few months.
"The Government of Canada is committed to creating the best-educated, most-skilled and most flexible work force in the world, and that work force includes older workers. We cannot, and must not, overlook the experience of older workers who want to continue to contribute to their communities and to the Canadian economy," said Minister Cannon.
"The last few months have been difficult for a significant number of experienced workers who were laid off, particularly those in the forestry sector. It is of the utmost importance to redirect this skilled work force into more promising sectors. That is what will be achieved by the projects announced today under the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers," said Minister Normandeau.
In collaboration with the local employment centres in Bonaventure, Rocher Percé, Côte de Gaspé and Haute Gaspésie, four organizations will act as sponsors for the projects that will be carried out in these four regional county municipalities. The government contribution will cover general expenses and provide financial assistance to participants. The funding will be granted as follows: $453,309 to the Service d'aide à l'emploi de Bonaventure to help 30 workers; $346,365 to the Commission scolaire René Lévesque to train and support 30 workers; $533,302 to Pouvoir des Mots Gaspé to help 20 workers reintegrate into the labour market; and $392,326 to the Service d'aide à l'emploi Transit de La Haute Gaspésie to help 30 workers.
The sponsors will offer personalized, adapted support to the older workers by assessing their skills to determine how transferable they are to another sector, teaching them job search strategies, providing them with assisted placement or coaching, and, if necessary, providing them with financial assistance, so as to help them find new employment.
"This project will no doubt provide significant support to experienced workers. That is why the governments of Quebec and Canada are pleased to be able to offer these workers a personalized means of support that will maximize their opportunities to quickly return to the workforce," said Minister Normandeau.
The Canada Quebec Agreement that enabled the implementation of the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers was signed in the fall of 2006. The projects announced today result from this $27 million agreement, which will expire on March 31, 2009. Seventy percent of the total funding is provided by the federal government, and thirty percent by the Government of Quebec.
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Odilon Turcotte
Communications Officer
Emploi-Québec Regional Office
Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine
418-360-8661, ext. 129
Alexandre Boucher
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity
418-643-4810
Rachèle Leblanc
Regional Press Secretary
Constituency Office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions
418-392-7387
Pema Lhalungpa
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
Project: Travail en vue
Sponsor: Service d'aide à l'emploi Transit
Number of participants: 30
Project costs: $392,326
Description: The purpose of the Travail en vue project is to reintegrate into employment 30 workers over 55 years of age who were laid off following factory closures. The project will mobilize and empower workers, and help them develop their basic skills and acquire specific skills through external resources or work placements to prepare them for the target employment. Activities are also planned to support them in their efforts to reintegrate into and retain employment.
Activities will be held to raise the awareness of 40 employers about the experienced workers' characteristics and skills, so that the workers can be matched up with businesses in the following sectors: tourism, commerce, transport, health (home care), lodging and public services.
Duration: 19 weeks
Region served: Haute-Gaspésie regional county municipality
Project: Démarche-emploi
Sponsor: Le Service d'aide à l'emploi de la municipalité régionale du comté de Bonaventure
Partner: Bonaventure local employment centre, with partners from the regional county municipality
Number of workers: 30 laid-off workers, between the ages of 55 and 64, primarily from the forestry sector
Project costs: $453,309
Description: The purpose of the Démarche-emploi project is to help older workers between the ages of 55 and 64 develop skills so that they can integrate into new employment that matches their skill set. The project will also raise awareness among the community's employers of the potential of older workers, fill labour force needs in the region, and raise the job reintegration and retention rate of older workers.
Duration: 17 weeks
Region served: Bonaventure regional county municipality
Project: Le Rocher
Sponsor: Commission scolaire René-Lévesque
Number of participants: 30
Project costs: $346,365
Description: The project activities take into account the specific circumstances and needs of each individual in order to develop the older workers' employability and thus facilitate their integration into employment, through personalized and individualized support.
Duration: 17 weeks
Region served: Rocher-Percé regional county municipality
Project: Opération Dignité
Sponsor: Pouvoir des mots Gaspé
Number of workers: 20 participants between 55 and 64 years of age
Project costs: $533,302
Description: The purpose of this project is to raise participants' basic level of training, to help them reintegrate more easily into the labour market. The project will equip participants, preparing them for the job market and increasing their level of employability. Participants will learn about the possibilities of retraining or training for a new type of employment that is compatible with their skills and knowledge. The project will also ensure that the workers can participate actively in society.
Duration: 30 weeks for participants
Region served: Côte-de-Gaspé regional county municipality
