Government of Canada supports jobs and opportunities for youth in New Glasgow

Federal government support to assist youth transition to the workforce

NEW GLASGOW, NS, Aug. 26, 2014 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is helping equip young Canadians in New Glasgow with the skills and work experience needed to get jobs, today announced the Honourable Peter MacKay, Regional Minister for Nova Scotia, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development).

Summer Street Industries is receiving more than $198,000 for a project to help 10 youth facing barriers to employment find jobs.

Participants will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make a successful transition to the job market or return to school. They will gain useful tools such as problem solving and leadership skills. They will benefit from work experience with private-sector employers in areas such as office administration, retail and manufacturing. In addition, each participant will be provided with a job coach to further develop their individual skills.

As Canada is facing labour shortages, the Government is investing in youth employment, skills and apprenticeship programs to help connect young Canadians with available jobs to strengthen local economies.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES) has helped over 555,000 youth since 2006.
• The Government of Canada is helping Canadian youth get the skills employers are looking for with the Canada Job Grant and the Apprenticeship Incentive and Completion Grants. The Government also offers tax credits, such as the tuition, education and textbook tax credits, tradesperson's tools deduction and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit.
• Economic Action Plan 2014 is introducing the Canada Apprentice Loan which provides apprentices registered in Red Seal trades with interest-free loans of up to $4,000 to complete their technical training. At least 26,000 apprentices are expected to apply annually.

Quotes

"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity.That includes helping to equip young Canadians with the right education, skills and training they need to find good jobs. Today's announcement will help youth in New Glasgow get the skills and experience needed to obtain jobs in today's economy."
- The Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development)

"Preparing our youth to enter the job market or go back to school to gain more skills is crucial to ensuring a more prosperous and independent future for themselves and to strengthen the economy in our communities. Since 2006, our Government has helped more than half a million young Canadians develop the skills they need to help them succeed in the job market. I am extremely pleased to announce that youth in New Glasgow will benefit from our initiatives to connect young people with jobs and to new opportunities for personal and professional growth."
- The Honourable Peter MacKay, Regional Minister for Nova Scotia, Minister of Justice and Member of Parliament for Central Nova

"Skills Link funding assists Summer Street Industries clients to achieve and to live full and rewarding lives. Summer Street has participated in the Skills Link program over the past five years and has supported over 40 youth facing employment barriers to successfully return to the labour market."
- Robert Bennett, Executive Director, Summer Street Industries

Associated Links

• Services for Youth
• Economic Action Plan

Backgrounder

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, job experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition to the workplace. 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.

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 179,000 youth since 2006.

Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job and/or pursue advanced studies. Since 2006, the Career Focus initiative has helped over 26,000 youth acquire skills needed to join 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. Since it began in 2007, Canada Summer Jobs has helped over 260,000 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 and in the future economy.

SOURCE: Employment and Social Development Canada