PILOT PROJECT HELPS YORKTON AND AREA YOUTH

Released on May 12, 2000

Work Links, a new youth employment and career planning centre, officially

opened for business today. The one-year pilot project will provide year-round

employment related services to young people aged 15 to 29 in Yorkton and the

surrounding area.



Established through the collaborative efforts of local community organizations

and the federal and provincial governments, Work Links is designed to reach

youth who do not traditionally access existing community resources. The goal

of the youth store-front operation is to provide a comfortable environment for

young people where they have ready access to career planning and employment

information and can be linked to available community supports.



Work Links is jointly funded by Human Resources Development Canada and

Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training. It is administered

by SIGN (Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbors) and governed by a

community advisory board which includes a youth representative.



"Helping youth enter today's labour market is a top priority for the Government

of Canada," Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale said, on behalf of Human

Resources Development Canada Minister Jane Stewart. "Work Links is a local

solution that brings together governments and the community to help ensure

young people have the information and tools they need to make that transition

successfully."



The Government of Canada is contributing $75,000 toward this project under the

Youth Employment Strategy.



"Our Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services office in Yorkton

worked hard to develop this new community partnership for local youth," Post-

Secondary Education and Skills Training Minister Glenn Hagel said. "We are

pleased to have contributed $50,000 toward the start-up costs of this pilot

project last year and look forward to ongoing participation this year.

Together we are better able to co-ordinate access to all the education and

training information these young people need to build a successful future in

the Yorkton area. This project will also help us plan more effectively right

across the province."



"The opening of Work Links is an extremely important milestone in services to

youth and young adults in Yorkton and district," SIGN executive director Tom

Seeley said. "Finally, there is a service which is specifically geared towards

the needs of youth, including strong capabilities for Internet job search, in a

youth-friendly environment."



Work Links is located in downtown Yorkton at 23E Smith Street West. Hours of

operation are Monday to Friday, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Services include access to

career, employment and labour market information via six Internet multi-media

stations and other resource materials, one-on-one counselling, career planning,

help with résumé-writing and job searches, job referrals and referrals to other

community agencies and services. On-site staff include two youth support

workers, an employment counsellor and the project co-ordinator.



Several local partners have been actively involved in the Work Links project

including, Human Resources Development Canada, Canada-Saskatchewan Career and

Employment Services, Society for the Involvement of Good Neigbours,

Saskatchewan Social Services, Saskatchewan Abilities Council, Parkland Regional

College and other community partners.



In conjunction with the grand opening of Work Links, the Human Resource Centre

of Canada for Students (HRCC-S) officially launched its seasonal Hire-A-Student

summer employment program. The HRCC-S, which is open from May to the end of

August, is co-located with Work Links.



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For more information, contact:



Rose Hill Elaine Kacsmar

Human Resources Development Canada Work Links Project Coordinator

(306) 780-8359 (306) 782-WORKS (782-9675)



Jean Gabert

Canada-Saskatchewan Career and

Employment Services

(306) 786-5808