GOVERNMENTS HELPING FORT QU'APPELLE YOUTH GET JOBS

Released on May 6, 2004

The Government of Saskatchewan is helping 20 youth in Fort Qu'Appelle to develop career plans and get jobs through a program called "Your Future – It's Wide Open". The province, through Community Resources and Employment, and the Government of Canada are each providing $50,000 in funding to Dimension 11 Ltd. to deliver the results-based program.

"The Government of Canada is committed to helping young people get into the labour market," said Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Wascana. "Investing in youth is an investment in Saskatchewan. To prosper, our province needs a highly skilled work force. We need to invest the necessary resources to ensure that our youth get the skills and opportunities they need to make them employable."

"The province is committed to ensuring a wide open future for children and youth," Community Resources and Employment Minister Joanne Crofford said. "By providing these youth with life skills, training and work experience, we're helping them get on the right track to building their independence. The province''s economy will benefit from having an enthusiastic, youthful workforce. This ultimately benefits all Saskatchewan people."

Dimension 11 Ltd. is a Regina-based company that delivers human resource services. Dimension 11 Ltd. President Sherry Knight, says the program will address some of the difficulties Saskatchewan employers are having in filling jobs.

"The youth in this program are learning the skills and expectations employers want in their staff in order to improve their ability to do business," Knight said. "These youth are the backbone of business; they are the future of our governments, our organizations and our businesses."

The program is designed to motivate and guide youth between the ages of 17 and 29 who were formerly on social assistance in developing meaningful career plans that will help them get jobs, and to encourage them to become active participants in their communities. It will create education, training and job opportunities for people in the Fort Qu'Appelle area, and will provide linkages to jobs in the local labour market.

Working through the Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services (CSCES) office in Fort Qu'Appelle, Dimension 11 Ltd. will assess each youth to determine his or her existing strengths, knowledge, experience, interests and ambitions. They will then use the results to create individual plans, help the youth build the necessary skills and place them in jobs to gain practical experience.

Community Resources and Employment operates the 20 CSCES offices in the province. The CSCES offices offer employment programs that bring together individuals, community based organizations, employers, and government in providing opportunities for unemployed people, and they enable the province to link job seekers with employers.

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For More Information, Contact:

Jennifer Beaton Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Regina Phone: (306) 780-3143	Janet Miller Community Resources and Employment Regina Phone: (306) 787-0531
Sherry Knight Dimension 11 Ltd. Regina Phone: (306) 586-2315