News Release
Communiqué - Laurel Broten, M.P.P. Etobicoke – Lakeshore
For Immediate Release
January 30, 2007
LAUREL BROTEN ANNOUNCES ONTARIO GOVERNMENT HELPS STUDENTS FIND SUMMER JOBS IN ETOBICOKE
Programs Strengthen the Skills and Experience of Ontario’s Youth
ETOBICOKE – The government will help Etobicoke’s young people find jobs or start their own business this summer through Ontario Summer Jobs, Laurel Broten, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore announced today.
“The McGuinty government is on the side of hard working Ontario families who want their sons and daughters to find opportunity,” said Broten. “So we are investing more than $52 million in Ontario Summer Jobs so that young people can earn income, develop insight into the working worked and gain valuable experience.”
This year, Ontario Summer Jobs will help more than 70,000 Ontario young people ages 15 to 24, or up to 29 for persons with disabilities, find work. Ontario Summer Jobs programs run between April and September and include:
• A $2 per hour hiring incentive for businesses and community organizations to hire students for up to 16 weeks
• Free job-search and self-marketing support to help students find summer jobs
• The Summer Company program, which provides students with up to $3,000 to help them start up and run their own summer business
• Jobs in provincial government ministries and agencies.
The Ontario government has helped create more than 210,000 summer jobs for youth over the past three years. Last year in Etobicoke the government provided JobStart and the Etobicoke YMCA Youth Employment Services more than $570,000 to support 1,048 job placements and deliver job search workshops to 870 students.
“The Ontario Summer Jobs connects employers with students,” said Julia Knapp, Director of Programs and Services at JobStart. “Through this program students are able to get their foot in the door and employer’s needs are met. The positive comments from both students and employers support the value this program brings to the community.”
Ontario Summer Jobs is a part of Employment Ontario, which offers close to $1 billion in training and employment services to more than 900,000 people through 1200 service providers in all regions of the province.
Since 2003, investments in infrastructure, postsecondary education, research and innovation and key economic sectors have helped strengthen Ontario's economic foundations and continue to build opportunity. Specific Ontario government initiatives to create opportunities for Ontarians include:
• Investing $6.2 billion more in postsecondary education and training by 2009-10 – the most significant multi-year investment in Ontario's higher education system in 40 years
• Increasing the minimum wage to $7.75 per hour – the third increase to minimum wage in three years
• Increasing the number of new apprenticeship registrations to 26,000 annually by 2007-08.
“Giving young people insight into the working world helps inform their education and career choices,” said Broten. “By investing in our youth, we strengthen our community.”
Employers and students can find information about Ontario Summer Jobs programs and services by calling Employment Ontario at 1-800-387-5656 or online at www.ontario.ca/employmentontario.
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Contact:
Shawn Bassin, Constituency Assistant
Office of Laurel Broten, MPP
416-259-2249
