LASALLE, QUEBEC, April 26, 2010—Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job-preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada’s support for an employment project. The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
“In today’s environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market,” said Minister Paradis. “By supporting this project, we are helping youth in Montréal develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential and make their dreams a reality.”
Destination Travail du Sud-Ouest de l’Île de Montréal will receive $97,604 in federal Skills Link funding to support its LaSalle 16-24 project, which will help 14 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school.
Skills Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school.
“Helping youth facing major social and professional integration issues, that is the vision of the LaSalle 16-24 project,” said Mr. Philippe Tisseur, Director General of Destination Travail du Sud-Ouest de l’Île de Montréal. “This project came about as the result of local efforts to offer our youth a certain level of continuity in services within our area, to better meet their needs and support a sector that does not have a labour platform.”
The federal government is working with the provinces and territories, community organizations and other stakeholders to provide Canadians with the training, skills and opportunities they need to get jobs and contribute to their communities.
Through the 2010 “Jobs and Growth Budget,” the Government of Canada committed an additional $60 million to the Skills Link and Career Focus programs. This additional one-time investment will enable more young Canadians to gain the experience and skills they need to successfully participate in the labour market while the economy recovers.
Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada’s Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit actionplan.gc.ca.
The Skills Link program is delivered by Service Canada, which provides one-stop personalized services for Government of Canada programs, services and benefits. For more information about this program, visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca, call 1 800 O-Canada or drop by your local Service Canada Centre.
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This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
For more information (media only):
Michelle Bakos
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559
Created in 1996, Destination Travail du Sud-Ouest de l’Île de Montréal is an employability development organization. It targets a wide range of clients with various needs, such as people requiring job search assistance, educational and professional information, work placements, and information on how to start a business. From March 15 to October 8, 2010, the organization will help 14 youth facing barriers to employment to acquire the knowledge, skills and experience needed to enter the job market, or the motivation to go back to school.
As part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, the Skills Link program is one of three programs that help young Canadians, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs and stay employed. The other two programs are Summer Work Experience and Career Focus. Skills Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas and youth who have dropped out of high school. It offers a client-centred approach based on assessing an individual’s specific needs. The program supports youth in developing basic and advanced employment skills. Eligible participants between 15 and 30 years of age—who are not receiving Employment Insurance benefits—are assisted through a coordinated approach, offering longer-term support and services that can help them find and keep a job.
