Skills Link Program

The Skills Link Program helps youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas and high school dropouts. The program will help them to obtain the knowledge and develop the broad range of skills and work experience they need to participate in the job market.

Eligibility Criteria

To participate in Skills Link projects, youth must be:

• between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at time of intake/selection;
• in need of assistance to overcome employment barriers;
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons on whom refugee protection has been conferred;
• out of school;
• legally entitled to work according to relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations; and
• not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.

Summary

Who Can Be A Recipient

• Businesses
• Crown corporations
• organizations (including not-for-profit, professional, employer and labour associations)
• public health and educational institutions
• band/tribal councils and
• municipal governments

How To Apply

Interested employers should contact their local Service Canada Centre and consult the Youth Employment Strategy Guide for Applicants. The guide helps applicants develop proposals for federal funding offered by Service Canada under the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy. It also sets out the specific roles and responsibilities that must be met in projects approved for funding.

How Are Projects Selected?

Project selection is based on local community needs, innovative approaches, targeted participant selection, relevant skills enhancement and work experience, possibility of long-term employment, contributions of sponsors/partners and funding availability.

More information

To obtain further information about Service Canada and its programs, please contact your local Service Canada Centre.

New Brunswick Contact(s):
Service Canada Centres
For a complete list of all Service Canada Centres please visit the Web site or check the government listings in your telephone directory.
Web site: http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/gateways/where_you_live/regions/nb.shtml

National Contact(s):
See regional contact(s).