EDMONTON, July 31, 2015 /CNW/ - The Harper Government is
helping equip young people in Edmonton with the skills and experience they
need to find jobs. The announcement was made today by the
Honourable Tim Uppal, Minister of State (Multiculturalism) and
Member of Parliament for Edmonton–Sherwood Park, on behalf of the
Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social
Development.
Through the Government's Youth Employment Strategy, the Edmonton
Mennonite Centre for Newcomers will deliver a project to help 84
young people in Edmonton with an
investment of more than $1 million over two years. This
project will help young people successfully transition to the job
market or return to school.
Project participants will learn or improve job skills through
workshops tailored to the needs of new Canadians, covering topics
such as employer expectations and resume writing. They will also
gain work experience with local employers in industries such as
hospitality, construction and the trades, and oil and gas.
Today's announcement is one example of what the Government is
doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the
Government also increased 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.
Quick Facts
- Since 2006, the Harper Government's Youth Employment Strategy
has helped over 611,000 young Canadians.
- The Government of Canada is
helping Canadian youth get the skills employers are looking for
with the Canada Job Grant, apprenticeship grants and the new Canada
Apprentice Loan. The Government also offers tax credits, such as
the tuition, education and textbook tax credits, the tradesperson's
tools deduction and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax
Credit.
- Economic Action Plan 2014 introduced 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. Loans are interest-free until
apprentices complete or leave their apprenticeship training
program, up to a maximum of six years. Since January, over 6,000
apprentices across Canada have
benefited from the Canada Apprentice Loan.
- The Universal Child Care Benefit has increased from
$100 to $160 per month, totalling up to $1,920 per year, for children under the age of 6,
and families are receiving a new benefit of $60 per month, up to $720 per year, for each child aged 6 through 17.
The first payment of $3 billion to
3.8 million families represents the largest single-day direct
payment to families in history.
Quotes
"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 Edmonton Mennonite Centre for
Newcomers so young people, including those in
Edmonton, can develop the skills
they need to succeed in the job market."
– The Honourable
Tim Uppal, Minister of State (Multiculturalism) and Member of
Parliament for Edmonton–Sherwood Park
"Many of our young people who are looking for work are
struggling to get their foot in the door. Yet without experience,
many of them find it challenging to find employment. That is why
our Government partners with organizations like the Edmonton
Mennonite Centre for Newcomers—to give young people a chance to
achieve their full potential."
– Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for
Edmonton East
Associated Links
Youth Employment Strategy
Skills Link Program
Economic Action Plan
Helping Families Prosper
Backgrounder
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.
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada