Edmonton, Alberta—The governments of Canada and Alberta are providing support for youth in Alberta to help them gain the skills, experience and knowledge they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Robin Campbell, Alberta’s Minister of Aboriginal Relations.
The Alberta Chamber of Resources is receiving over $175,000 for a project to help Aboriginal youth overcome barriers to employment. The Government of Canada is contributing over $95,000 through the Skills Link program, part of the Youth Employment Strategy (YES). The Government of Alberta will also invest $80,000 in the project through the Ministries of Aboriginal Relations and Human Services.
“The Government of Canada’s top priorities are job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said Mr. Hawn. “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 Alberta government knows that the success of Aboriginal communities is integral to the continued success of our province, and we are committed to ensuring Aboriginal people are able to fully contribute to and benefit from Alberta’s diverse economy,” said Minister Campbell. “This pilot program is about helping Aboriginal youth gain meaningful and productive careers, and we are proud to be supporting it.”
Based on their career goals, the project participants will gain work experience in various occupations such as manufacturing and administration through placements with companies across Alberta. Through on-the-job training and mentoring, they will be better prepared to find jobs in their field of interest.
“This multi-partner project clearly benefits from the funding—but also the expertise—of the federal and provincial governments. We couldn’t do it without them,” said Brad Anderson, Executive Director of the Alberta Chamber of Resources.
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.
- 30 -
For more information, contact:
Marian Ngo
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Kevin Zahara
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Campbell
780-638-4510
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559
Follow us on Twitter
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.
