Minister Peter MacKay announces tools to strengthen skills to enter the workforce
May 20, 2015 – Toronto, Ontario – Employment and Social Development Canada
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, today announced additional federal funding to Pathways to Education Canada. Minister MacKay spoke about the important work Pathways undertakes in helping at-risk youth stay in school and pursue post-secondary education and in providing students with the employment coaching, financial literacy, career planning and job search skills they need to transition into the jobs that are in demand.
This funding of $10.5 million over three years will allow Pathways to Education to expand into new sites and support programming for youth.
Pathways is a community-based program that partners with governments, social welfare agencies, community organizations, the private sector, and volunteers to provide youth with tutoring, mentoring and financial assistance. Over 5,000 students currently receive support from Pathways, while more than 2,200 have graduated from the program to date.
Youth programs like Pathways are part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to connect Canadians with available jobs, which includes a number of initiatives to help youth develop skills and gain the experience they need to enter the workforce.
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Pathways to Education Canada
- Launched in 2001 by the Regent Park Community Health Centre in Toronto, Pathways to Education now operates in 17 communities across Canada with sites in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia.
- High-school completion rates and post-secondary education participation have dramatically increased since the introduction of the program. In certain communities, the high-school drop-out rate has decreased by as much as 70 percent, and the rate at which program participants go on to college or university is up by 300 percent.
- With support from both Economic Action Plan 2010 and 2013, Pathways has grown from serving approximately 2,500 students at eight sites in two provinces to over 5,000 students at 17 sites in five provinces.
Post-secondary education
The Government of Canada invests significantly in helping all Canadians to save for, finance and repay their post‑secondary education. These measures include the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), the Canada Learning Bond (CLB), the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG), Canada Student Loans and Grants and the Repayment Assistance Plan.
An RESP is a special savings plan, like a savings account, that helps save money for a child’s education after high school. RESPs allow your savings to grow tax-free. RESPs also make it possible to receive extra money through the Government of Canada’s education savings incentives, specifically the CLB and the CESG.
For more information on federal education savings incentives, visit Canlearn.ca.
The Canada Student Loans Program offers loans, grants and repayment assistance to students.
Canada Student Grants provide up-front, non-repayable financial assistance to low- and middle-income students, students with permanent disabilities and students with dependants.
For borrowers having difficulty making their payments, the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) helps them repay their loans. RAP makes it easier for borrowers to manage their student loans by paying back what they can reasonably afford, based on their family income and size. Borrowers also have an option to negotiate a revision of repayment terms to accommodate their financial situation, such as extending the amortization period to reduce the size of monthly payments.
Launched in January 2015, the Canada Apprentice Loan provides apprentices in Red Seal trades with access to interest-free loans of up to $4,000 per period of technical training. To help apprentices complete their apprenticeship, the loan remains interest-free until after they complete or leave their apprenticeship training program, for a maximum of six years.
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant encourage Canadians to pursue and complete their apprenticeship training in designated Red Seal trades. Eligible apprentices could receive up to $4,000, which can be used to pay for tuition, tools or other expenses.
For more information on the supports apprentices can benefit from, visit Canada.ca/apprentice.
Economic Action Plan 2015: Helping students and families pay for education
Economic Action Plan 2015 proposes to provide measures to help students and families pay for education, including:
- providing $119 million over four years, starting in 2016-17, to reduce the expected parental contribution under the Canada Student Loans Program needs assessment process. The reduction is expected to provide increased support to approximately 92,000 students;
- providing $116 million over four years, starting in 2016-17, to eliminate in-study student income from the Canada Student Loans Program needs assessment process. This is expected to provide increased loans amounts for an estimated 87,000 students; and
- providing $184 million over four years, starting in 2016-17 to expand eligibility for Canada Student Grants to low- and middle-income students in short-duration programs. The expansion is expected to help approximately 42,000 additional students per year.
Universal Child Care Benefit
The Government of Canada is introducing measures to help families prosper. These measures include enhancements to the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), the introduction of the Family Tax Cut and improvements to the Child Care Expense Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
- The UCCB would increase to up to $1,920 per year for children under the age of 6, and parents would receive a benefit of up to $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17.
- The proposed enhancements to the UCCB would provide $160 per month for each child under the age of 6, and $60 per month for each child aged 6 through 17.
For more information on these new measures, visit Helping Families Prosper.
