Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, March 13, 2012—The Government of Canada today announced new funding to support youth in Sault Ste. Marie to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by Bryan Hayes, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“Our government’s top priority is creating jobs and economic growth,” said Mr. Hayes. “Our government’s Youth Employment Strategy is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow.”
The Sault Ste. Marie YMCA is receiving support from the Skills Link program to help youth overcome barriers to employment. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES).
With annual funding of more than $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop employment skills, find jobs and stay employed. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs and the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.
The participants in the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA project will attend employability skills workshops on topics such as resumé preparation, teamwork and communication. They will then have an opportunity to apply these skills through job placements with local employers in the service, retail, food services, construction or manufacturing industries.
“I am proud to say that this project gives our youth the support and experience they need to truly reach their full potential,” said Kim Kanmacher, Chief Executive Officer of the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA. “It is very encouraging that the Government of Canada is recognizing our work and providing this funding for our young people.”
The Sault Ste. Marie YMCA will receive over $174,000 in federal Skills Link funding for this project.
Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada’s broader strategy to create an educated, skilled and flexible workforce. 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 www.actionplan.gc.ca.
The Government of Canada is helping youth prepare for, find and maintain meaningful employment through enhanced online services available at Youth.gc.ca.
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This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
For more information, contact:
Alyson Queen
Director of Communications
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559
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The Youth Employment Strategy is the Government of Canada’s commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, youth with disabilities, and youth in rural and remote areas, to develop the skills and gain the experience needed to find a job or the confidence to return to school.
Career Focus provides funding to employers to hire young post-secondary graduates to give them career-related work experience and help them acquire skills to transition into the job market.
Canada Summer Jobs provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for young people aged 15 to 30 years who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year.
To learn more about Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy and other youth employment initiatives, please visit Youth.gc.ca.
