Fleming College

Haliburton ON – (June 29, 2015) – Providing workplace experiences to youth facing barriers to employment helps ensure they gain the skills needed to succeed at the same time as meeting the needs of the economy.

The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, and Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Barry Devolin today announced that Fleming College will receive $399,989 from the Government of Canada to deliver two programs that will help a total of 30 youth find employment.

Starting in July, the Skills Link program will provide 10 youth in Peterborough the opportunity to gain valuable skills and workplace experience. Fleming CREW employment services will deliver the program, which consists of three weeks of in-class workshops and a 12-week work experience placement with a local employer.

Participants will acquire employability skills, enhance their transferable skills, and further develop personal qualities such as self-esteem, self-reliance, communication, and team work, at the same time as contributing to their communities.

As well, Fleming CREW will deliver the Career Focus program to 20 youth in Peterborough. Career Focus enables youth to make informed career decisions, develop their skills, and benefit from work placement opportunities. Youth who have recently completed advanced studies (college or university) are helped to gain the skills and experience required to meet the needs of the economy and facilitate their transition into the labour market.

Skills Link has already been successfully delivered in the Haliburton area. In fact, on June 18 the Skills Link project in Minden held its graduation at the Haliburton Campus. An earlier program was also delivered in Haliburton in the fall and participants were recognized for their accomplishments at the end of their placement in February.

“With funding from the Government of Canada, the Skills Link programs delivered by Fleming CREW helped 23 unemployed youth facing barriers to employment, giving them the opportunity to gain new hands-on skills in workplace experiences,” said Debby Keating, Manager, Fleming College Employment Programs. “They showed enthusiasm, gained confidence and demonstrated a strong work ethic. At the recognition event, a participant shared that the program had changed his life and helped him find his passion. His employer stated that he had exceeded their expectations.”
Interested participants are invited to contact the Fleming CREW Employment Centre in Peterborough for more details at flemingcrew@flemingcollege.ca or 705 775-2739.

About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Science, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has 5,900 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and more than 68,000 alumni.

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