"In today's environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market," said Mr. Thompson. "By supporting projects like this one, we are helping local youth develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential."
Charlotte County Can and Bottle will receive $10,326 in federal Skills Link funding to support its youth work experience project, which will help a young person facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease his or her transition to work or return to school.
Skills Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young people with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school.
"These projects give young people the real skills they need to be productive employees and the confidence that only comes with experience," said Mr. James Peters, owner of Charlotte County Can and Bottle. "Sometimes, we forget these are skills we all had to learn. This project will enable the gentleman who will be working for us to get the job he wants."
The federal government is working with the provinces and territories, community organizations and other stakeholders to provide Canadians with the training, skills and opportunities they need to get jobs and contribute to their communities.
Through the 2010 "Jobs and Growth Budget," the Government of Canada committed an additional $60 million to the Skills Link and Career Focus programs. This additional one-time investment will enable more young Canadians to gain the experience and skills they need to successfully participate in the labour market while the economy recovers.
Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada's strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada's Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
The Skills Link program is delivered by Service Canada, which provides one-stop personalized services for Government of Canada programs, services and benefits. For more information about this program, visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca, call 1 800 O-Canada or drop by your local Service Canada Centre.
This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
BACKGROUNDER
As part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, the Skills Link program is one of three programs that help young Canadians, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs and stay employed. The other two programs are Summer Work Experience and Career Focus.
Skills Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school. It offers a client-centred approach based on assessing an individual's specific needs. The program supports youth in developing basic and advanced employment skills. Eligible participants between 15 and 30 years of age—who are not receiving Employment Insurance benefits—are assisted through a coordinated approach, offering longer-term supports and services that can help them find and keep a job.