July 31, 2015 Vancouver, British Columbia Employment and Social Development Canada
The Harper Government is helping equip youth in Vancouver with the skills and experience they need to find jobs. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Delta–Richmond East, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development.
Through the Government’s Youth Employment Strategy, the Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society will deliver a project to help 64 youth in Vancouver with an investment of more than $280,000. This project will help young people successfully transition to the job market or return to school.
Project participants will improve job skills, such as interview preparation, computer skills and problem solving. Participants will also gain work experience with employers in the hospitality and retail indusutries.
Today’s announcement is one example of what the Government is doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the Government also enhanced the Universal Child Care Benefit, introduced the Family Tax Cut and made improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
“Our Government is helping Canadians get the skills and training they need to find good jobs and build better futures for themselves and their families. 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. We are proud to work with organizations like the Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society so young people, including those in Vancouver, can develop the skills they need to succeed in the job market.”
– The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Delta–Richmond East
“Our mission is to assist young members of the community in transitioning to employment. With this support from the Government of Canada, we are achieving this goal. Thanks to this funding, our team is able to work with clients in overcoming barriers to employment through a combination of career coaching, action plans, workshops and ongoing support, all resulting in sustainable employment.”
– Christopher Hindle, Director, Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society
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 Harper Government’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 Harper Government 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 YES.
The Government 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 save for and pursue 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.
