Bella Bella, British Columbia—The Government of Canada announced support for Aboriginal youth in Bella Bella to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and Member of Parliament for Vancouver Island North, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“Our government’s top priorities are job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said Minister Duncan. “The Government of Canada’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 Heiltsuk Social Development Office is receiving over $99,000 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 an annual budget 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.
Economic Action Plan 2012 is providing an additional $50 million over two years to enhance YES so that more young people can gain tangible skills and experience. This funding will focus on connecting young Canadians with jobs in fields that are in high demand.
The additional funding will be delivered through two Calls for Proposals—one for Career Focus and one for Skills Link. The Calls opened on September 5th and will close on October 19th. Organizations across Canada are invited to apply. Information is available at servicecanada.gc.ca.
Participants in the Heiltsuk Social Development Office project will attend seminars on topics such as team building, written communication and public speaking to prepare them for the workforce. They will also participate in cultural awareness workshops to promote inner strength and leadership skills. Participants will then gain work experience in their areas of interest through job placements with local employers.
“On behalf of the Heiltsuk Social Development Office, I would like to acknowledge the Government of Canada for their support,” said Ms. Marilyn Slett, Chief Councillor, Heiltsuk Tribal Council. “This project benefits not only youth, but the community as well.”
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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For more information, contact:
Marian Ngo
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and
Skills DevelopmentCanada
819-994-5559
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This news release is available online at: www.actionplan.gc.ca.
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, including youth who are 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.
