The Government of Canada helps youth in the Regional County Municipality of Sept-Rivières prepare for jobs

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. The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, 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 Minister Paradis. "By supporting this project, we are helping youth in Port-Cartier and Sept-Îles develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential."

Ressource de réinsertion Le Phare will receive $95,962 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Compétences multiples project, which will help six 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.

"Thanks to this project, we will help youth in the Port-Cartier and Sept-Îles region to effectively acquire the tools they need to eventually reintegrate into the labour market or return to school," indicated Ms. Nicole Poirier, Director of Human Resources at Ressource de réinsertion Le Phare. "It is essential that youth be given the opportunity to find their place and thereby apply their knowledge and personal, professional and social skills."

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.

Ressource de réinsertion Le Phare is a social economy enterprise whose mission is to help individuals who have difficulty finding work, or who have a disability, integrate into the labour market. Between July 27, 2010, and January 22, 2011, through the Compétences multiples project, six youth will attend workshops focusing mainly on topics such as communications, reasoning, problem solving, teamwork and employment preparedness. The participants will also take part in work placements that will give them the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the workshops.

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.