issue 08 // volume 41

news // 5

Government funding targets youth employment

» London, Ontario organizations granted roughly $1l-million to help young people get jobs

NEARLY $1-MILLION IN SUPPORT
FROM THE FEDERAL SKILLS LINK
PROGRAM WILL AID ROUGHLY 135
LOCAL YOUTH FIND WORK. BROKEN
DOWN IT'S:

Amy O’Kruk
The Gazette

he federal government has

granted almost $1-million
in funding to three London,
Ontario organizations that will
use the money to create new
employment opportunities for
the city’s youth.

Skills Link, the federal
program responsible for
the grant, is pledging more
than $952,000 to be split
between LEADS Employment
Services, Youth Opportunities
Unlimited, and Hutton House.
The services will be using
the money to equip young
Londoners, especially those
facing barriers to employment,

work.

Susan Truppe, London
North-Centre MP, said a
valuable asset the organizations
are offering young job seekers is
the chance to gain experience.

“It’s very hard [for youth]
to find a job and part of the

: problem is, if you don’t have

: experience, [employers] don’t
: want you to get the job,” Truppe :
: said. “You're in a catch-22.”

Truppe added by

: supporting young people

: who face employment

: obstacles, it gives these youth
: the opportunity to enter

: the workforce and become

: independent young adults.

Since 2006, the Skills

: Link program has contributed

: to over 179,000 youth across

: Canada getting jobs or

: returning to school. In London,
: the funding will translate

: into an estimated 135 young

: people gaining employment or
: schooling.

LEADS is projected to help

: 56 young individuals join the
with the skills they need to find : workforce or return to school

: by offering group-based skill

: training and opportunities to

: attain work experience. Youth

: Opportunities Unlimited will

: offer a similar program and

: link 30 young people to jobs in
: retail, food, and the hospitality
: sector.

: are!

Hutton House will use

the funds to support their

work involving youth with

: disabilities. The organization

: will aid 49 young people in

: overcoming social and physical
: barriers to employment.

: Hutton House’s Executive

: Director, Marilyn Neufeld,

: described how the program

: operates.

“The funding works so that

: young people come in and they
: have training opportunities,

: they can take workshops on all
: kinds of topics that relate to

: becoming employed,” Neufeld

: said. “From there, they go out

: ona 12-week work experience

: at a business. We try to match

: each person individually to

: what their employment goals

”

Truppe said every dollar

: spent on youth is a dollar well-

: spent. “Youth are our future

: and we have to do something to
: get them jobsand ... help them,
: especially the ones that really

: don’t have a chance to move out
: into the work force.”

 

iv
$225,740 +o LEADS Employment :
Services, $352,431 +o Youth Opportunities

Unlimited (YOU), and $373,659 to Hutton

House.

LEADS will provide experience and skill
training to 56 youths. YOU will provide
opportunities for 30 youths. Hutton House

 

will help 4q youths who Face barriers to
employment.

Since 2006, the Skills Link program has
helped over 179,000 youth across Canada
get jobs or return to school.

 

SS
T —

 

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