The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills:

Employers Moving Forward with Student Employment Programs

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to inform Honourable Members that employers are well into the process of hiring students for summer job positions throughout the province. These job opportunities are provided through a number of programs offered by the Department of Advanced Education and Skills.

Mr. Speaker, organizations throughout the province are currently posting job positions and interviewing candidates to find students for the positions they have available.

Student employment experiences play an important role in a young person’s life as they prepare for future careers and opportunities. It is often a young person’s first exposure to the labour market and a great way to establish positive life-long work habits that teach the value of earning a living. These jobs enable young people to acquire life and time-management skills and ultimately contribute to the economic success of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This government recognizes the importance of student employment. Students can take advantage of employment opportunities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador as the result of over $6.6 million provided by the Provincial Government for employment programs. This funding will benefit nearly 3,000 youth across the province.

Mr. Speaker, these student jobs span a wide and diverse range of sectors including, tourism, culture and heritage, sports and recreation, environmental sustainability, health and medical, marketing and economic development. These jobs are helping young people with costs of education, while providing work experience in a chosen field and teaching important life skills.

With the expectation that the province will see as many as 70,000 job openings in the next 10 years, this government is directly supporting student employment and is focused on creating opportunities, providing skills training, delivering affordable and accessible education, and building a prosperous future for our young people.

For many, this province has always been a preferred place to live and work, and now improving economic circumstances are providing young people with greater opportunities to settle in our province and make a life here.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage students to seek out one of our student job opportunities. There are many resources available to find out about these opportunities, including JobsinNL.ca , visiting one of our Career Work Centres or calling the Labour Market and Career Information Hotline.

Thank you

2012 06 14                         2:00 p.m.