I don’t know about you, but as a student growing up in Edmonton looking for a summer job, I would head over to the Summer Hire-A-Student office.
I was very grateful for the employers that hired students like me because it helped us raise money to pay for our post-secondary studies.
It’s difficult to think about summer jobs for students while we are in the dead of winter, but now is the time for Kelowna and Lake Country employers to consider hiring a student with the help of the federal government’s Canada Summer Jobs program.
Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative that helps employers create summer job opportunities for students 15 to 30 years of age who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year..
Designed to focus on local priorities, the initiative provides funding to not-for-profit, public-sector and small private-sector employers with 50 or fewer employees.
This year, the application process for employees will be held from Feb. 1 to 28.
Assessment of applications will take place in March and employers will be contacted in May so that students can be hired beginning in May 2013.
Canada Summer Job proposals will be assessed using the following guidelines:
• service to local communities
• jobs that support local priorities
• jobs that provide career-related experience or early work experience
• jobs with a salary that contributes to the student’s income
• employers who provide supervision and mentoring
• project activities that are directed toward members of, and support the vitality of, an official language minority community and
• employers who intend to hire priority students (students with disabilities, aboriginal students and students who are members of visible minority groups).
In 2011, Ottawa increased the budget for Canada Summer Jobs by $10 million, bringing the total program budget to $107.5 million.
The increased funding will help more students gain the skills and experience they need to be successful, now and in the future, while at the same time earning money for the upcoming school year.
If you are an employer who thinks you can hire a student this summer, please go to servicecanada.gc.ca/csj2013 for information and learn how to apply.
Nomination award call
I am asking all of you who know of an individual, a group of volunteers, a business or a not-for-profit organization that is making a difference in our community to consider nominating them for a 2013 Prime Minister’s Volunteer Award.
The Call for Nominations is now open until March 1, 2013.
The number of hours donated by volunteers in Canada is the equivalent of nearly 1.1 million full-time jobs.
We all know what a big difference volunteers make here in Kelowna-Lake Country and our quality of life is unquestionably better because of their efforts.
Information about the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards, including details about previous recipients, can be found at www.pm.gc.ca/awards or call 1-877-825-0434.
If you know a local individual or organization that merits the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Award, please take the time to nominate them and insure their valuable work is recognized.
Better yet, if you are looking for volunteer opportunities in our community, please feel free to get in touch with Dawn Wilkinson, who manages the Community Information and Volunteer Centre at Kelowna Community Resources. Call her at 250-763-8008.
