Edmonton, Alberta —Post-secondary graduate youth will get an opportunity to enhance and develop their employment skills through a YMCA of Edmonton project sponsored by the Government of Canada. The Honourable Laurie Hawn, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, 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. Hawn. “Our government is proud to support projects that offer post-secondary graduates the opportunity to develop the skills and gain the experience that will help them reach their full potential.”
The YMCA of Edmonton will receive over $970,000 in Career Focus funding to support its Post-Secondary Graduate Eco Internship Program. This funding will help 60 recent post-secondary graduates apply their educational skills through paid internship opportunities within the non-profit, public and private sectors.
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.
Career Focus 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 this commitment 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 Career Focus 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 or call 1 800 O-Canada or drop by your local Service Canada Centre.