June 27, 1996
(Education)

High-tech summer jobs for young people in Newfoundland and Labrador

Federal Industry Minister John Manley today announced the creation of 54 summer jobs for young people who are providing Internet training and developing content, mostly in small communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. These students have been hired and commenced work in communities throughout the province this week.

Funded by a federal contribution of over $152,000 from the summer employment component of its Community Access Program, the initiative is administered by the Provincial Information and Library Resources Board, with a contribution from STEM-Net, the province's education network on the information highway. The board maintains public Internet access in 27 libraries across the province, 15 of which were funded by the Community Access Program.

"This summer employment program complements the Community Access Program, which has funded public access to the Internet at 24 sites in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Mr. Manley. "Young people who know the Internet and its potential are helping others at these sites and elsewhere to use the information highway for economic and social development. At the same time, these young people gain valuable experience and earn income that is often used to finance their education."

"This initiative assists in the development of public libraries as a provincial network of Community Information Resource Centres," said provincial Education Minister Roger Grimes. "These centres provide a focal point in the community where the public can have access to a comprehensive range of resources in electronic, print and audio-visual format serving the informational, cultural, educational and recreational needs of the people of the province."

In addition to young people offering training at Community Access Program sites, those employed by STEM-Net are developing and creating links to educational materials on the Internet that are directly related to the province's curriculum. Also, some of the young people employed by STEM-Net are conducting Internet training sessions specifically for teachers.

The Community Access Program is a key element of Canada's Information Highway Strategy, which aims to ensure that Canada maximizes the jobs, growth and other benefits related to development of this technology. Under the Community Access Program, up to 1,500 public Internet access sites will be established by 1998.

     Contact: 

     Patricia Williams
     Industry Canada
     Tel (709) 772-4590
     Fax (709) 772-5093
     Internet: williams.patricia @ic.gc.ca

     David Gale
     Director
     Provincial Information and Library Resources Board
     Tel (709) 737-3964
     Fax (709) 737-3009
     Internet: dagale@calvin.stemnet.nf.ca