April 16, 2015 – Toronto, Ontario – Employment and Social Development Canada
The Harper Government is helping equip youth in Toronto with the skills and experience they need to find jobs. Today, the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, along with John Carmichael, Member of Parliament for Don Valley West, announced that Youth Employment Services and the Toronto Youth Job Corps have received support to help more than 535 youth in Toronto gain the skills and experience they need to find jobs.
Participants in both projects will receive in-person training and critical jobs skills such as problem solving and teamwork. Some participants may also obtain specialized training, such as health and safety certification. They will be connected with local employers so they can gain real work experience in areas such as landscaping, office work, retail and manufacturing.
This is one part of the Harper Government’s comprehensive strategy to equip all Canadians with the skills and training they need to connect with available jobs. To help hard-working families, the Harper Government is also enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit, introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
Aaron Bell
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment and Social Development
819-994-2482
aaron.bell@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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As part of the Government of Canada’s Skills Link program, Youth Employment Services is receiving almost $1.2 million to help 275 young people get and keep jobs. Participants in this project will develop useful jobs skills such as problem solving and teamwork. They will also gain valuable work experience with local employers in the service industry, retail and manufacturing.
The Toronto Youth Job Corps will offer 263 participants training, job-search assistance, job coaching and work experience in warehouses, offices, kitchens and as general labour. The Government will provide more than $1.7 million to make this project a reality.
The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Government of Canada’s commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace. With annual funding of approximately $330 million, YES helps youth between the ages of 15 and 30 get the information and gain the skills and work experience they need to succeed in the workplace. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs, as well as the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment—including 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. Skills Link has helped over 191,000 youth since 2006.
Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the job market through paid internships and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job or pursue advanced studies. Since 2006, Career Focus has helped over 29,000 youth.
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. Since it began in 2007, Canada Summer Jobs has helped over 304,000 students.
Through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada is investing $40 million towards supporting up to 3,000 internships in high-demand fields and $15 million annually towards supporting up to 1,000 internships in small and medium-sized enterprises under the Youth Employment Strategy.
The Government of Canada also provides a range of support—including Canada Student Loans, Canada Student Grants, the Canada Learning Bond and the Canada Education Savings Grant—to help young Canadians pursue and save for their post-secondary education, so that they can acquire the skills and training they need to succeed in the job market.
Visit youth.gc.ca and CanLearn.ca for more information.
