Courtenay, British Columbia, May 30, 2013—The Government of Canada announced funding to support recent graduates in Comox Valley and Campbell River 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, 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 creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said Mr. 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 Comox Valley Art Gallery is receiving $40,000 from the Career Focus program to help recent graduates gain on-the-job experience and apply the skills acquired through education to ease the transition to work. Career Focus is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES).
The Comox Valley Art Gallery will hire two interns for a 10-month period. Following orientation, the Education and Outreach Coordinator will serve the larger community by developing programs, organizing events and helping to raise funds. The Community Engagement Coordinator will develop innovative programming to attract and engage new and culturally diverse audiences to the gallery.
“The Comox Valley Art Gallery is pleased to host a Career Focus project in the coming year, thanks to funding from the Government of Canada,” said Sharon Karsten, Executive Director, Comox Valley Art Gallery. “The participants will gain valuable skills in cultural management and administration, while contributing to the gallery’s growth and development.”
With annual funding of approximately $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop 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 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to create 5 000 more paid internships. This is further to the extra $50 million that was invested through Economic Action Plan 2012 to enhance YES with a new initiative that connects young Canadians with jobs that are in high demand and helps them develop tangible skills and gain work experience.
Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada’s broader strategy to connect Canadians with available jobs. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes new measures to equip Canadians with the skills and training they need. These include the Canada Job Grant, creating opportunities for apprentices and providing support to under-represented groups such as people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, newcomers and youth. 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:
Jan O'Driscoll
Press Secretary
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, which is part of YES, helps youth facing barriers to employment, including youth who are single parents, youth with disabilities, young newcomers 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.
