Conestoga news

October 18, 2013 4:18 PM

Ontario Premier visits Conestoga

Premier Kathleen Wynne visited Conestoga’s Engineering and Information Technology campus in Cambridge on Wednesday, October 16 to announce details for a new Youth Jobs Strategy that will help create 30,000 job opportunities for young people across the province.

During her visit, the Premier had the opportunity to meet with students and tour Conestoga’s newest campus, opened in the Fall of 2011 as part of the largest expansion in the college’s history.

The facility, built with the support of government and community partners, is home to Conestoga’s School of Engineering & Information Technology as well as the Craig Richardson Institute of Food Processing Technology.

The Youth Jobs Strategy creates four new funds to help young people across the province find work, build job skills and start their own businesses:

The Youth Skills Connections Fund will match up young people with industry, not-for-profits and academic leaders to help them build career skills and secure industry jobs.

The Ontario Youth Innovation Fund will provide internship opportunities for graduate and post-graduate students, and help postsecondary students launch startups by funding campus-linked business accelerators.

The Ontario Youth Entrepreneurship Fund will provide additional funding for existing programs such as Summer Company and new programs to support the growth of youth-led companies with training, mentorship and seed financing.

The Ontario Youth Employment Fund, launched in September, helps employers offer four- to six-month job training placements for youth.

For more information, visit the Government of Ontario website.