Over $1 million in funding received in the Oakville riding created 352 summer jobs with 116 not-for-profit, public sector, and private sector employers. Thanks to an increase of $113 million to the Canada Summer Jobs program, this initiative was able to provide more valuable, relevant work experience than ever this summer to Oakville students.
The Canada Summer Jobs program provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer jobs opportunities for young people ages 15-30 who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year. A total of $220 million was awarded to organizations across Canada this summer, creating 77,000 new jobs for summer students. This is more than double of last year’s funding, and an increase of over 40,000 jobs.
The summer jobs in Oakville ranged from business administration and engineering to camp counselling and grounds keeping. Many jobs created this summer directly relate to students' fields of studies, including computer science, social work, and business. Beneficiaries were located across the riding of Oakville, from Bristol Circle to Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
"Working with Iconic Brewing has been an unforgettable experience. Not only have I been given the opportunity to hone my marketing and business development skills, but I was also able to gain valuable insight as to the operations of start-ups from an insider's perspective," stated Samantha Dixon, a summer student who benefited from the Canada Summer Jobs Program.
Kerr Street Mission received one of the largest Canada Summer Jobs grants to hire camp counsellors and organizers for its summer camp program. The camp provides experience for children from lower-income families in Oakville, and gives kids a wide variety of fun activities, including guitar lessons, sports and field trips to Canada’s Wonderland, all for $10 a week.
"This support has made it possible for us to hire and invest in 18 students. In turn, these students have helped us to give 125 - 140 children per week a fun and memorable summer experience. Our Summer Camp program is critical for a number of reasons. It reduces the financial burden for families that are often struggling to make ends meet while giving parents peace of mind that their children are well cared for and safe," commented Gary O’Neill, Executive Director of the Kerr Street Mission.
The Canada Summer Jobs program is part of the Government's larger Youth Employment Strategy, which also includes Skills Link, a program to assist youth who face more barriers to employment that others to develop basic employment skills and gain valuable job experience, and Career Focus, which helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships.