Government of Canada invests to help youth in Vancouver get jobs

VANCOUVER, Aug. 22, 2013 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is providing support for youth in Vancouver to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), on behalf of the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism.

"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity," said Minister of State Wong. "The Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow."

The Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society is receiving more than $232,000 from the Skills Link program to help youth overcome barriers to employment. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES).

Participants will develop life and job skills through workshops on topics such as film production, conflict management, job search techniques and team-building. They will also have the opportunity to develop public service announcements for non-profit community organizations. In addition, they will gain on-the-job experience with employers in the hospitality or retail sectors.

"We are extremely grateful to be receiving funding from the Government of Canada's Skills Link Program," said Christopher Hindle, Director, Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society.  "This investment will ensure Intersections can continue to provide innovative programs that combine skills development and the latest in modern film technology to youth facing multiple barriers to employment in the lower mainland."

With annual funding of approximately $300 million, YES helps youth—particularly those facing barriers to employment—obtain career information, develop skills, find jobs and stay employed. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs and the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.

In addition to existing funding, Economic Action Plan 2012 invested an extra $50 million to enhance YES with a new initiative that connects young Canadians with jobs in high demand and helps them develop tangible skills and gain work experience.  Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to create 5 000 more paid internships.

Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada's broader strategy to connect Canadians with available jobs. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes new measures to equip Canadians with the skills and training they need. These include the Canada Job Grant, creating opportunities for apprentices and providing support to under-represented groups such as people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, newcomers and youth.  To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit actionplan.gc.ca.

The Government of Canada is helping youth plan their careers, learn new skills and find jobs through enhanced online services available at youth.gc.ca.

Backgrounder

The Youth Employment Strategy is the Government of Canada's commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace.

Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment, including youth who are single parents, youth with disabilities 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.

Career Focus provides funding to employers to hire young post-secondary graduates to give them career-related work experience and help them acquire skills to transition into the job market.

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.

To learn more about Canada's Youth Employment Strategy and other youth employment initiatives, please visit youth.gc.ca.

SOURCE: Employment and Social Development Canada