The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, P.C., M.P., Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Cardigan, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister of Human Resources Development Canada, along with the Honourable Don MacKinnon, Provincial Minister of Development, announced today an agreement to launch the Small Business Employee Support Program on Prince Edward Island.
The Small Business Employee Support Program is a partnership between the Government of Canada and the Province of Prince Edward Island, which is funded through the Canada/PEI Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA). The program is client-centered and provides Employment Insurance (EI) eligible participants with skills and on-the-job work experience that will help prepare them for long-term employment.
The program will be delivered by Enterprise PEI (EPEI) and co-managed with Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). The program takes effect
immediately and targets small manufacturing and processing businesses on PEI, employing approximately 186 Islanders during the course of the program.
Employers will be selected from the private sector and must be able to provide a valuable work experience with the potential to provide long-term sustainable employment once the financial support ends. EPEI will consider the manufacturing, processing and other emerging sectors as potential clientele.
"This is an excellent support program," said Minister MacAulay. "It will help Islanders get the necessary skills to find long-term employment and also help our small manufacturing and processing businesses. We are really excited about this program because it helps improve prospects for everyone involved."
"Our job is to provide Islanders with access to the opportunity to develop skills necessary to secure meaningful, long-term employment. This program is designed to achieve that goal," said Minister MacKinnon. "By linking the employment needs of unemployed individuals with the local economic development priorities of the province, we maximize the employment opportunities of Islanders and strengthen our overall economy. It's a win-win situation for Islanders, and small businesses in the manufacturing and processing sector."
The Canada/PEI Labour Market Development Agreement is a cooperative partnership between the government of Prince Edward Island and Human Resources Development Canada. Under the agreement, the governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island work together to design and tailor labour market employment programs to meet the specific needs of communities, employers and the unemployed in the Island, and to complement provincial programming in its economic priority sectors.