VANCOUVER, BC, July 31, 2015 /CNW/ - 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 industries.
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.
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 parents 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 dollars 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 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
Associated Links
Youth Employment Strategy
Skills Link Program
Economic Action Plan
Helping Families Prosper
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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.
SOURCE Canada's Economic Action
Plan