May 27, 2015 – La Baie, Quebec – Employment and Social Development Canada
The Government of Canada is helping equip youth in La Baie and the surrounding area with the skills and experience they need to find jobs. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development.
La Coop de solidarité Les Mains Tissées is receiving over $93,000 through the Skills Link program for its project to help eight youth in La Baie and the surrounding area gain the skills and experience necessary to make a successful transition to the job market or return to school.
Project participants will learn or improve useful jobs skills, such as time management and teamwork, through group workshops. They will further develop these skills by working together on group projects, such as designing, landscaping and building outdoor structures. They will also gain work experience with local employers in retail sales and areas related to the manufacturing of wood products.
This is part of the Government of Canada’s overall strategy to equip all Canadians with the skills and training they need to connect with available jobs.
Today’s announcement is one example of what the Government is doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the 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.
“ Our Government is helping young Canadians get the skills and training they need to find good jobs and build better futures for themselves and their families. I am pleased that youth in La Baie and the surrounding area will benefit from our initiatives to connect young people with jobs.”
– The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development
“ Today’s youth are tomorrow’s workforce, so by investing in them, we are helping contribute to Canada’s long term growth, competitiveness and overall prosperity. Through La Coop de solidarité Les Mains Tissées’s project, youth in La Baie and the surrounding area will gain the skills and hands-on experience they need to succeed in the workforce.”
– The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Member of Parliament for Roberval–Lac-St-Jean
“Through the Skills Link program, the Coop Les Mains Tissées is able to offer unemployed youth in Saguenay the opportunity to develop their socio-professional skills by participating in workshops that combine learning with work experience. This initiative, funded by the Government of Canada, encourages self-discovery, the exchange of ideas, positive and rewarding experiences and the development of an inspiring life plan. This program is without a doubt a springboard towards future success.”
– Véronic Gagnon, General Coordinator, Coop de solidarité Les Mains Tissées
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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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.
