Kingston - October 5, 2010—Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada’s support for an employment project. Mr. Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds–Grenville, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

“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. Brown. “By supporting this project, we are helping Kingston youth develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential.”

Kingston Employment and Youth Services (KEYS) will receive $98,987 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Making the Transition project, which will help 16 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school.

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. 

“Youth unemployment continues to be an issue in our region, particularly for disadvantaged young people who face multiple challenges in connecting to the labour force,” said Mr. Michael Harris, Executive Director, KEYS Community Employment Centre. “KEYS has been the local youth employment centre for over 25 years, and is focused on helping youth at risk find and maintain sustainable and meaningful employment. The federally funded Skills Link initiative is one of the most effective programs for this target group. Working closely with staff from Service Canada, we have been able to design and implement programs that respond to local needs and support youth making the transition to the world of work.”

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 OCanada or drop by your local Service Canada Centre.