Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, August 23, 2013—The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are providing support for youth in Prince Albert to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by Randy Hoback, Member of Parliament for Prince Albert, on behalf of the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister for Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism, and Victoria Jurgens, Member of Legislative Assembly, Prince Albert Northcote, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Boyd, Saskatchewan Minister of the Economy.
“Our government’s top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said Mr. Hoback. “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.”
“We want our youth to participate in the exciting and growing Saskatchewan economy, and grassroots skills training programs are what facilitate the transition into the workplace and into a position where they can successfully build a career,” said Ms. Jurgens. “Saskatchewan’s labour market is saturated with job opportunities. If there’s ever a time for our youth to be seeking employment, it is right now.”
The Prince Albert Metis Women's Association is receiving more than $130,000 from the Skills Link program and over $224,000 from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of the Economy to help youth overcome barriers to employment. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES).
Participants will gain life and job skills through workshops on topics such as computer skills and goal-setting, and through certification courses, such as first aid and safe food handling. In addition, they will benefit from work experience in the retail, service or hospitality sectors.
“Thanks to the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan for investing in our community and funding our project,” said Darlene McKay, President, Prince Albert Metis Women's Association. “Through this project, we are able to support youth in gaining the tools they need to become employed. The project positively impacts the lives of youth, employers and our community at large.”
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.
In addition to existing funding, Economic Action Plan 2012 invested an extra $50 million to enhance YES with a new initiative that connects young Canadians with jobs in high demand and helps them develop tangible skills and gain work experience. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to create 5 000 more paid internships.
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:
Alexandra Fortier
Office of the Minister
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development
819-994-5559
Follow us on Twitter
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Deb Young
Media Relations Manager
Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy
306-787-4765
deb.young@gov.sk.ca
IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.
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.
