MEDICINE HAT, AB, April 3, 2013 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is providing support for Medicine Hat youth to help them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by LaVar Payne, Member of Parliament for Medicine Hat, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity," said Mr. Payne. "The Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow."

The Medicine Hat Family YMCA is receiving more than $556,000 from the Skills Link program to help youth overcome barriers to employment. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES).

Through workshops, participants will gain valuable life and job skills including budgeting and teamwork. They will also benefit from on-the-job experience with employers, based on their career goals and development plans.

The Medicine Hat Family YMCA is grateful to the Government of Canada for this funding," said Jim Smith, CEO, Medicine Hat Family YMCA. "This continued support will enable us to provide unemployed youth in the Medicine Hat region with life skills, employment training and job placements."

With an annual budget of more than $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop employment skills, find jobs and stay employed. 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.

Economic Action Plan 2012 provided an extra $50 million over two years to enhance YES with a new initiative that connects young Canadians with jobs that are in high demand and helps them develop tangible skills and gain work experience. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to support 5,000 more paid internships.

Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada's broader strategy to create an educated, skilled and flexible workforce. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy 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 actionplan.gc.ca.

The Government of Canada is helping youth plan their careers, learn new skills and find jobs through enhanced online services available at youth.gc.ca.

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Government of Canada invests to help youth in Medicine Hat get jobs