Government of Canada helps youth and Canadians with disabilities in Winnipeg gain job skills

WINNIPEG, April 13, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Government of Canada is helping over 150 youth and Canadians with disabilities gain the skills and experience they need to find jobs, announced the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Minister Responsible for Manitoba and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface. She made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, and the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State for Social Development.

Five organizations in Winnipeg have received funding from the federal government for projects to help equip youth and Canadians with disabilities with the skills and experience they need to be successful in the workforce.

Over the past year, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities received more than $320,000 for three projects to help 80 youth and people with disabilities. Participants improved job skills through workshops and gained work experience with local employers in areas such as retail and hospitality. Two projects, both of which are successfully completed, were funded through the Skills Link program, and the other project, which is underway, is receiving support through the Opportunities Fund.

Four other organizations in Winnipeg are receiving a total of over $366,000, through the Opportunities Fund, for projects to help people with disabilities overcome barriers to employment. The Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba, Reaching E-Quality Employment Services, Work and Social Opportunities, and Artbeat Studios will together help over 70 people with disabilities. Project participants will benefit from a range of supports, such as job coaching and life skills training. They will gain work experience with local employers in a variety of areas, such as hospitality, office administration and visual arts.

This is part of the Government of Canada's overall strategy to equip all Canadians with the skills and training they need to connect with available jobs.

Today's announcement is one example of what the Government is doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the Government is also enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit, introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expense Deduction and the Children's Fitness Tax Credit.

Quick Facts

• To provide more demand-driven training solutions for people with disabilities, the Government's Economic Action Plan is increasing funding to $40 million annually to the Opportunities Fund. Employers and community organizations will be involved in designing and delivering training projects.
• Since 2006, the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, which includes the Skills Link program, has helped over 611,000 youth.
• The Universal Child Care Benefit would increase from $100 to $160 per month (totalling up to $1,920 per year) for children under the age of 6, and parents would receive a new benefit of $60 per month (up to $720 per year) for each child aged 6 through 17.

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. I am pleased that youth and people with disabilities in Winnipeg will benefit from our initiatives to connect Canadians with jobs."
– The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development

"Ensuring the prosperity and growth of our economy goes hand in hand with providing Canadians with the skills to succeed in the labour force. Initiatives like Skills Link and the Opportunities Fund help connect people with disabilities and youth with jobs while ensuring that Canada's economy benefits from the skills and talents of all Canadians."
– The Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State for Social Development

"We are proud to work with local organizations that help Canadians of all ages and abilities. I am pleased that the projects announced today will help youth and Canadians with disabilities in Winnipeg get the skills and experience needed to obtain jobs in today's economy. Together, we can give all Canadians the training and support they need to make meaningful contributions to their communities."
– The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Minister Responsible for Manitoba and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface

"Since 2010, Premier Choix has given youth between the ages of 15 and 30—particularly newcomers and youth with disabilities—a tremendous opportunity to find their own place in the labour market and, consequently, to feel valued. The Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities is delighted to receive funding for this program that is so key to the success of Manitoba's Francophone youth."
– Louis Allain, Executive Director, Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities

Associated Links

Funding: Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities
Services for Youth
Economic Action Plan

Backgrounder

The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities provides $30 million annually to help people with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and keep employment or become self-employed.

Economic Action Plan 2013 announced a $10‑million increase in ongoing Opportunities Fund funding, to $40 million annually, starting in 2015–16. Employers and community organizations will be involved in designing and delivering training projects.

In addition, through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada is:

• providing $15 million over three years to the Ready, Willing & Able initiative of the Canadian Association for Community Living to help connect persons with developmental disabilities with jobs; and
• providing $11.4 million over four years to support the expansion of vocational training programs for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

To further help Canadians with disabilities in the workforce, the Government:

• introduced a new generation of Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities with an investment of $222 million per year to better meet the employment needs of Canadian businesses and improve the employment prospects for people with disabilities;
• extended the Enabling Accessibility Fund on an ongoing basis at $15 million per year to improve accessibility in facilities across Canada, including workplaces; and
• provided funding of $7 million per year for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, some of which will support research related to the labour market participation of people with disabilities.

The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Government of Canada'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, job experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition to the workplace. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs and 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 190,000 youth since 2006.

Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job and/or pursue advanced studies. Since 2006, the Career Focus initiative has helped over 29,000 youth acquire skills needed to join the job market.

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 390,000 students.

Through Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada 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 the Youth Employment Strategy.

Other measures to connect Canadians with available jobs and equip them with the skills and training they need include introducing the Canada Job Grant, creating opportunities for apprentices and providing support to under‑represented groups, including people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, newcomers and youth.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada