The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister

Student Summer Employment Programs Under Way in Province

A summer job is often a young person’s first exposure to the labour market. It is a great way to establish positive life-long work habits and to understand the value of earning a living.

I rise today to inform my Honourable colleagues of the Provincial Government’s commitment to student summer employment throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. We are proud to deliver student summer employment programs, such as the Student Work and Service Program, the Level I, II and III Student Employment Program, and others from within our Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy. In Budget 2011, a total of $3.9 million is being invested in these programs.

The Level I, II and III Student Employment Program helps high school students secure work with not-for-profit organizations, community-based agencies and municipalities in summer recreation, heritage and community improvement projects. This year, this program will support approximately 550 projects and employ over 700 high school students.

The Student Work and Service Program assists individuals currently attending or who plan to attend a post-secondary institution and matches them to both for-profit and not-for-profit employers for the summer.

In addition, through the Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy we will continue our support for Shad Valley, a not-for-profit organization focused on identifying high potential future achievers both nationally and abroad. They offer youth internships for Level I, II and III students who can benefit from an enriched four-week internship in a field of their choosing. Through an investment of $50,000 the Provincial Government will help offset the cost of students from this province participating in Shad Valley programs at universities across Canada. About 50 students will participate in similar programs at Memorial University.

We will also deliver a new project called PERCÉ with the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador (Economic Development and Employability Network of Newfoundland and Labrador). Through a $50,000 investment this initiative will encourage young post-secondary students from Francophone populations outside Newfoundland and Labrador to return to the province to gain an attachment to the labour force with a local employer.
By directly supporting student summer employment, the Provincial Government is focused on creating opportunity, reducing students’ debt and building a better future for our young people.

In total, the Provincial Government will match over 1,360 post-secondary students with employers for meaningful summer employment this year. I encourage our students to be safe on the job this summer, to gain new experience, to learn news skills and enjoy our great province.

2011 04 21                                                         1:55 p.m.