YOUTH Programs

March 2007

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Presentation Topics

• Skills Link

• Career Focus

• Opportunities Fund

• Canada Summer Jobs

• Foreign Worker

• Worksharing

• Canada Education Savings Plan

• SIN Applications

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Skills Link: Individual Work Experience (IWE)

Eligibility:• between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the time of

intake/selection; • out of school; • a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee

status has been conferred• legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial

legislation and regulations; • not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits; and • in need of assistance to overcome employment barriers. • Skills Link participants are youth at greater risk of not making a

successful transition to the workplace and establishing themselves within the labour market.  The assessment of risk encompasses a broad range of social, economic and demographic factors.

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IWE – cont’d

• Work Experience activities provide youth with opportunities to work with employers to develop and enhance employability and occupational skills through practical on-the-job experience. 

   • Participants receive wages that equal or exceed the

provincial/territorial minimum wage rate. However, Service Canada's contribution does not exceed the minimum wage rate.  Overhead costs are not eligible under an individual work experience agreement

• The typical duration is 52 weeks but an intervention may be longer or shorter, where justified by the needs of the participant.  Participation in this intervention should be full-time (i.e. 30 hours per week or more)

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Career Focus

• Career Focus is a program for post-secondary graduate youth designed to meet the needs of a knowledge-based economy.  The program links highly skilled young people with potential employers, and offers financial support to Canadian employers and organizations to provide a combination of career-related work experience and innovative skill development and learning opportunities. 

Career Focus aims to:• facilitate the transition of highly-skilled young people to a rapidly

changing labour market; • promote the benefits of advanced studies; and • demonstrate federal leadership by investing in the skills required to

meet the needs of the knowledge economy.

• Our objective is that full time employment results at the end of the agreement.

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Career Focus - continued

Eligibility:

• between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;

• post-secondary graduates;

• a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee status has been conferred;

• out of school;

• legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations and

• not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits

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Opportunities Fund

• The objective of the Opportunities Fund (OF) for Persons with Disabilities is to assist persons with disabilities in preparing for, obtaining and keeping employment or becoming self employed, thereby increasing their economic participation and independence.

• The intent of the program is to assist people with disabilities who normally have had little or no labour force attachment and who therefore do not qualify for assistance under the Employment Insurance (EI) program.

• The main program outcomes will focus on the labour market participation of persons with disabilities and the level to which the program helped them achieve greater employability and obtain employment.

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Opportunities Fund - continued

Activities that may be supported under OF include: • providing financial support to employers to encourage them to hire

persons with disabilities whom they would not normally hire;

• providing financial incentives to persons with disabilities to encourage them to accept employment;

• supporting projects to help persons with disabilities create jobs for themselves by starting a business;

• supporting projects that provide persons with disabilities with opportunities through which they can gain work experience which will lead to on-going employment;

• providing financial assistance to persons with disabilities to help them access employment or employment services;

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Opportunities Fund - continued

• providing financial assistance to support special services and interventions tailored to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in order to facilitate their integration into employment; and

Eligibilty:

Contributions may be made to the following when acting as project sponsors or employers in relation to an eligible activity:

• businesses, • organizations, including public health and educational institutions, • individuals, • provincial government departments and agencies

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Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ)

Canada Summer Jobs is about: • creating jobs that would not otherwise be created;

• helping students who need it the most because of where they live and/or other barriers;

• providing high-quality, career-related summer jobs.

• Canada Summer Jobs is focused on encouraging not-for-profit, public sector, and smaller private sector employers with 50 or fewer employees to create jobs that not only meet their needs, but benefit young people who need jobs the most.

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Canada Summer Jobs - continued

• Priority will be given to proposals which:• employ students living in communities with high youth

unemployment rates; small urban, rural or remote areas; and/or high crime areas;

• employ students facing barriers to the labour market, such as those with disabilities, visible minorities and Aboriginal students;

• provide students with meaningful and career-related work experience as well as an important financial contribution towards their continued education and future;

• create job opportunities for students to work in organizations with

social, community, health or environmental mandates.

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Canada Summer Jobs - continued

• How to apply for Canada Summer Jobs

• The on-line application process makes applying quick and easy. For all on-line applications submitted, a confirmation number will be issued. This number must be kept for future reference.

• Employers can also get a downloadable application.  A paper copy is available by calling the Youth Info Line at 1 800 935-5555, or by visiting the nearest Service Canada Centre.  Persons with a speech or hearing impairment can call 1 800 926-9105 (TTY).

• If employers choose not to apply on-line, completed applications may be submitted by fax, mail or in person.

• Deadline for applications is March 30, 2007.

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Service Canada Centre for Youth - Looking for summer help?

The Service Canada Centre for Youth will provide: • Job-posting services • Immediate access to students from all fields to help fill employment

opportunities • Flexible staffing options to suit individual business requirements (i.e.

casual labour, long or short-term employment) • Posting services for volunteer opportunities • Information on health and safety in the workplace • Information on prevailing wage rates, employment standards and

labour laws • Labour Market Information • Information on federal/provincial/territorial government programs

and services • Our office will open early in May and close in August.

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Temporary Foreign Worker

• The foreign worker is filling a labour shortage;

• The employment of the foreign worker will directly create new job opportunities or help retain jobs for Canadians;

• The hiring of the foreign worker will not affect a labour disputes or the employment of any Canadian worker involved in such a dispute.

• Also, please note that special criteria apply for employers hiring foreign workers in some industry sectors and occupations including :

Film and Entertainment, Information Technology & Live in caregivers

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Temporary Foreign Worker - continued

• To meet the pressing human resource needs of employers, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) and Service Canada (SC) have developed Regional Lists of Occupations under Pressure. For occupations found on these lists, employers will not be required to undertake lengthy or comprehensive advertising efforts before being eligible to apply to hire a foreign worker.

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Work-sharing

• Work-Sharing is designed to help employers and workers avert temporary layoffs.  The measure provides income support to workers eligible for Employment Insurance benefits and who are willing to work a temporary reduced work-week when there is a reduction in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer.  Work-Sharing agreements must be approved by both employee and employer representatives and by the Employment Insurance Commission and can range from 6 to 26 weeks with an extension of up to a maximum of 38 weeks.

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Work Sharing – continued

• Work-Sharing agreements benefit employers by allowing them to retain trained employees and to avoid the costly process of recruiting and training new employees when business returns to normal levels.  Employees benefit by maintaining their job and receiving Employment Insurance income benefits for the days without work. 

• The shortage of work must be expected to last for a minimum of 6 weeks to a maximum of 26 weeks.

• The employer is responsible for setting up a schedule of work hours and notifying HRSDC/Service Canada officials of any changes in the amount of time worked and the number of employees on Work-

Sharing.

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Work Sharing - continued

How can employers qualify?

• To be eligible, an employer must have been in business in Canada for at least two years.

• The company must also be able to show that the need for reduced hours is temporary and unavoidable, and is not a seasonal situation. A detailed Recovery Plan is required, outlining how the company will return to normal production schedules and hours of employment at the end of the Work-Sharing Agreement.

• No Work-Sharing Agreement can be approved or continued during a labour dispute.

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Canada Education Savings Plan

Eligibility:

• Parents, relatives and friends of a beneficiary may contribute up to an annual limit of $4,000 and a lifetime limit of $42,000 per child.

• Contributions must be made prior to the end of the calendar year in which the beneficiary turns 17.

• Special conditions exist for beneficiaries aged 16 and 17.

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Canada Education Savings Plan - continued

In order to receive the CESG, children must meet the following requirements:

• become a beneficiary under an RESP 

• be Canadian residents at the time the RESP contributions are made

• have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

• be under 18 years of age

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Canada Education Savings Plan - continued

Financial Information

The amount of the grants is based on the annual contributions made to RESPs and is calculated as follows:

• Families with an annual net income of less than $36,378 receive 40% of the first $500 contributed yearly to the child's RESP

• Families with an annual net income of $36,378 to $72,756 receive 30% of the first $500 contributed yearly to the child's RESP

• Families with an annual net income of over $72,756 receive 20% of the first $500 contributed yearly to the child's RESP

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Canada Education Savings Plan - continued

• All contributions over the first $500, to a maximum of $2,000, made yearly to a child's RESP enable families to receive a 20% grant on that contribution, regardless of family income.

• The maximum annual grant is $500 per beneficiary, to a maximum lifetime grant of $7,200.

• Grant contribution room can be carried to future years.

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Social Insurance Number Applications

Who can apply for a SIN?

• If you are a Canadian citizen, a newcomer to Canada or a temporary resident, you need a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to work in Canada or to receive benefits and services from government programs.

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SIN Application - continued

• You will need to submit ONE of the following primary documents with your application:

For Canadian Citizens• Birth Certificate, Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, Certificate of

Registration of Birth Abroad - issued prior to 1977, Permanent Resident Card, Foreign Passport, Single Journey Document for Resettlement to Canada, Single Journey Travel Document, Red Cross Travel Document, Record of Landing - issued before June 28, 2002.

For Temporary Residents• Work Permit - issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).• Study Permit - issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada AND

a contract of employment from a learning institution or employer on campus.

• Visitor Record - issued by CIC, indicating you are eligible to work in Canada.

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Contact Information

For general information

• Call!– 1 800 O-CANADA – (1 800 622-6232)

• Click!– servicecanada.gc.ca

• Visit!– a Service Canada Centre near you (633 Queen Street)

For local information on these programs, please contact:

John Lutes at (506) 452-3235 or john.lutes@servicecanada.gc.ca