Statement by the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development

Statement

September 26, 2014 Ottawa, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada

“Today marks the fifth Essential Skills Day, a day that raises awareness about the importance of workplace literacy and essential skills training. Essential skills, such as reading, writing and numeracy, are used in every job at different levels of complexity. They allow us to adapt and succeed in the workplace and provide the foundation for learning all other skills.

We are increasing job opportunities for Canadians, supporting projects that provide real results for unemployed and underemployed Canadians.

The Government of Canada is acting to help Canadians obtain the skills and training needed to successfully secure jobs and succeed in the workplace, and improve literacy:

We have increased the Canada Social Transfer to the provinces and territories by nearly 50 percent, a record level, to help them invest in essential skills training and literacy.

We created the First Nations Job Fund to help Aboriginal people in participating communities get essential skills and personalized job training to help them connect with available jobs.

Through the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, our government provides funding for projects that help Canadians develop the essential skills they need to succeed in today’s economy. Since 2007, the

Government of Canada, through the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, has allocated almost $300 million to foster literacy and essential skills initiatives. For example, we are currently funding a project with Frontier College that will help more than 500 people who want to work in the trades to improve their essential skills. As a result of this project, workers will have the literacy, numeracy and other essential skills they need to succeed.

As we celebrate Essential Skills Day today, I would like to thank all of those who invest their time and effort to help Canadians develop the essential skills they need to succeed in all areas of life.”

Associated Link