ALBERTON, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, May 8, 2009—Eight local unemployed people will get on-the-job construction experience thanks to Government of Canada support for an employment project managed by the Prince County Exhibition Association. The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Egmont, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“Our government supports Canadians, especially in these challenging times, and helps them contribute to the quality of life in their communities,” said Minister Shea. “With this project, not only are we helping Islanders get the work experience today that will help them get jobs tomorrow, but, when complete, this new, multi-use barn will serve Alberton for many years to come.”
The Prince County Exhibition Association will receive $119,864 in federal Job Creation Partnerships funding to help build a new barn to host community events. This funding, under the Canada-Prince Edward Island Labour Market Development Agreement, will provide eight unemployed workers with the opportunity to develop the skills and experience they need to find and maintain employment in construction trades.
“Skills development and job creation are key components of the Government of Prince Edward Island’s economic strategy,” said Mr. Pat Murphy, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Alberton-Roseville, on behalf of the Honourable Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. “This project will provide eight people with valuable employment experience in the construction industry, and it will also improve the infrastructure for the Prince County Exhibition, a popular event in western Prince Edward Island.”
The federal government works with the provinces and territories, communities and other stakeholders to provide Canadians with the training, skills and opportunities they need to participate in the workforce and contribute to their communities.
“We are very excited about our new building that was constructed through the Job Creation Partnerships program,” said Mr. Scott Gamble, President of the Prince County Exhibition Association. “With the money provided, we were able to replace three older barns with one larger more diverse building that will open up more opportunities for our organization to host different events.”
The Job Creation Partnerships program offers participants valuable work experience and is part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. The Government underscored this commitment in January when it introduced Canada’s Economic Action Plan, a key component of which is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development.
The program is delivered by Service Canada, which provides one-stop personalized services for Government of Canada programs, services and benefits. For more information about this program, call 1-800-O-Canada, go on the Internet at www.servicecanada.gc.ca or visit your local Service Canada Centre.