Abbotsford, British Columbia — The Government of Canada is providing support for youth in the Abbotsford area 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 Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Member of Parliament for Abbotsford, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“Our government's top priority is the economy and creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Canadians," said Minister Fast. "Through the Youth Employment Strategy, we are helping young Canadians develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now as they prepare for the workforce of tomorrow.”
Agora Employment Essentials Inc. is receiving over $190,000 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).
Participants in Agora Employment Essentials project will attend workshops that focus on both life and employability skills, including resumé writing, career planning and effective communication. Following the workshops, the participants will take part in community service activities, such as working to improve community parks and managing community events, which will provide them with the opportunity to further develop their skills.
“Agora Employment Essentials has a proven track record in helping youth gain the skills required to be successful in finding and keeping work,” said John Dawson, General Manager, Agora Employment Essentials. “We are grateful that the federal government believes our youth are an important investment and have provided funding that demonstrates their belief.”
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 through a new initiative that will connect young Canadians with jobs that are in high demand and help them develop tangible skills and gain work experience.
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 actionplan.gc.ca.
The Government of Canada is helping youth plan their careers, learn new skills and find jobs 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 Development Canada
819-994-5559
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IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.
This news release is available online at: 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.
