plus 3, The Government of Canada Helps Timmins Youth Prepare for Jobs - Newsblaze.com |
- The Government of Canada Helps Timmins Youth Prepare for Jobs - Newsblaze.com
- Yanks' Cano doing grand job in cleanup spot - Philadelphia Daily News
- Rhetoric vs Reality in KC's Job Market - ChristianNewsWire
- 'Gen Y' gets dose of hard reality in recession job market - Philadelphia Daily News
| The Government of Canada Helps Timmins Youth Prepare for Jobs - Newsblaze.com Posted: 24 Aug 2010 05:58 AM PDT Published: August 24, 2010 TIMMINS, ONTARIO - (Marketwire - Aug. 24, 2010) - Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. Mr. Greg Rickford, Member of Parliament for Kenora, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development."In today's environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market," said Mr. Rickford. "By supporting this project, we are helping Timmins youth develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential." The Ontario March of Dimes will receive $193,565 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Achieving Success program, which will help 18 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. Skills Link focuses on helping 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 youth who have dropped out of high school. "The Government of Canada's funding of the Achieving Success program provides youth at risk in the community an opportunity to explore and develop skills to assist them in entering the workforce," said Ms. Lesley Smith, Employment Services Coordinator, Ontario March of Dimes. "The program enables participants to discover their abilities, providing them with career exploration opportunities and establishing work placements where they can further enhance their knowledge through hands-on learning." The federal government is working with the provinces and territories, community organizations and other stakeholders to provide Canadians with the training, skills and opportunities they need to get jobs and contribute to their communities. Through the 2010 "Jobs and Growth Budget," the Government of Canada committed an additional $60 million to the Skills Link and Career Focus programs. This additional one-time investment will enable more young Canadians to gain the experience and skills they need to successfully participate in the labour market while the economy recovers. Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada's strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada's Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca. The Skills Link program is delivered by Service Canada, which provides one-stop personalized services for Government of Canada programs, services and benefits. For more information about this program, visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca, call 1 800 O-Canada or drop by your local Service Canada Centre. Backgrounder The Ontario March of Dimes is one of the largest service providers for people with physical disabilities in the province of Ontario, delivering a wide range of programs and services to maximize their independence and community participation. The 18 youth participating in the program will attend employability workshops, as well as take part in work placements. The workshops will focus on such topics as communications, thinking and problem solving, teamwork, and job preparation skills. The work placements will allow the participants to put into practice the knowledge and skills gained during the workshops. As part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, the Skills Link program is one of three programs that help young Canadians, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs and stay employed. The other two programs are Summer Work Experience and Career Focus. Skills Link focuses on helping 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 youth who have dropped out of high school. It offers a client-centred approach based on assessing an individual's specific needs. The program supports youth in developing basic and advanced employment skills. Eligible participants between 15 and 30 years of age-who are not receiving Employment Insurance benefits-are assisted through a coordinated approach, offering longer-term supports and services that can help them find and keep a job. This news release is available in alternative formats upon request. 819-994-5559 Tags: ,Government,State,POLITICS This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Yanks' Cano doing grand job in cleanup spot - Philadelphia Daily News Posted: 23 Aug 2010 12:01 AM PDT Robinson Cano looks as comfortable in the cleanup spot as CC Sabathia does on the Yankee Stadium mound. Cano hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs, Sabathia extended his home winning streak to 15 decisions and the New York Yankees routed the visiting Seattle Mariners, 10-0, on a rain-slicked field yesterday. Austin Kearns and Jorge Posada also homered for the Yankees, who notched another win minus slugger Alex Rodriguez. New York is a confounding 12-0 this season without the three-time MVP, placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained left calf. "It just shows you how deep our lineup is," manager Joe Girardi said. Cano is a big reason for that success. Making his own bid for an MVP award, the All-Star second baseman launched his 25th home run in the fifth inning off Luke French (2-4) on the first pitch following an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira. Cano's fourth career slam gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead. Bumped up to A-Rod's cleanup spot, Cano homered in four wins on a 5-2 homestand against a pair of struggling teams, helping the Yankees (77-47) improve to a season-best 30 games over .500. "Now it's time for me to step it up and help the team win games," said Cano, acknowledging that he feels an increased responsibility to produce until Rodriguez returns. "That's his spot, not my spot." In other games: * At Detroit, Justin Verlander (14-8) pitched eight strong innings, rookie Will Rhymes had four hits and the Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with an 8-1 win. * At Baltimore, Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero each hit three-run homers, Tommy Hunter earned his career-high 10th win and the Texas Rangers beat the Orioles, 6-4, to split the four-game series. * At Oakland, Matt Garza came out on top in a matchup between pitchers who threw no-hitters this season, outpitching Dallas Braden for his career-high 13th win and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 win over the Athletics. Garza (13-7) scattered four hits over 7 2/3 innings and overcame a balk that led to Oakland's only run against him. Braden (8-9) allowed only four hits but gave up all three Tampa Bay runs and took the loss. * At Boston, Clay Buchholz (15-5) pitched six innings of five-hit ball to lower his AL-best ERA to 2.26 and Bill Hall hit a two-run homer as the Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-0. * At Kansas City, Jason Kendall hit a game-ending single with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Royals a 3-2 victory over the White Sox in the teams' third extra-inning game in less than 24 hours. The Royals and White Sox played three games totaling 9 hours, 32 minutes and 31 innings. They split a doubleheader Saturday night, the first game going 11 innings and the second 10, that did not end until 1:11 a.m. * At Minneapolis, Scott Baker (11-9) pitched seven shutout innings, Michael Cuddyer had a bases-loaded double, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Los Angeles Angels, 4-0.
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| Rhetoric vs Reality in KC's Job Market - ChristianNewsWire Posted: 22 Aug 2010 04:51 PM PDT Rhetoric vs. Reality -- What's really happening in the 5th District's job market Contact: Mark Dillon, 816-960-1492 MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 22 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a recent taxpayer-funded newsletter mailing to constituents of Missouri's 5th Congressional District, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver detailed the statistical improvement in the nation's job market over the past year. Nationally, there's been a modest level of renewed private industry hiring, which he illustrated accurately with a bar chart. What our Congressman left out, however, is the story of what's been happening in Jackson County and Cass County, Missouri. Unemployment rates in our backyards as of June 2010 were higher, not lower, than a year earlier, U.S. Department of Labor figures show, and payrolls in the Kansas City metro area dropped for same 12-month period in nearly every major sector of the economy except for heath care. Looking at Missouri as a whole, some 16.2% of the labor force -- one out of every six workers -- was either unemployed, discouraged or employed fewer hours than they would like as of June 2010. That compares to just 10.8% of the workforce as of a year earlier. This percentage is generally believed to be much higher in urban areas of the 5th District, but the federal government does not report such specific data separately on a regular basis. Are we better off than a year and a half ago? Four years ago? Not by a long shot. Who's hiring? Not many. How is the "Recovery Act" being spent in the 5th District? In his newsletter, Rep. Cleaver says he considers a job "the best social program" and that he Change in Jackson County jobs We think Rep. Cleaver deserves credit for helping to bring and maintain a few companies and jobs within the region, such as the Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City, Dow Kokam in Lee's Summit and Ford in Claycomo, as outlined in his newsletter. But what is missing is a discussion of what to do about the much longer list of companies - large and small -- that in the past year have announced plans to lay off hundreds of people, cut back operations or plan to relocate out of the 5th District, including H&R Block, American Airlines, DST, Cerner, JP Morgan Chase, Hoefer Wysocki , Assurant Health Care, and HNTB. America and Kansas City are at a crossroads, says Jacob Turk: "We can take our leadership in a new direction by looking for fresh answers. We need to squarely face the economic challenges, bureaucratic obstacles and Democratic machine politics that have consistently destroyed jobs in our region for decades and come to a genuine consensus to better shape our region's future." Jacob Turk, Republican candidate for the 5th District, believes that our next representative must • Listen to all • Lead with integrity • Protect life and property • Champion opportunity This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Gen Y' gets dose of hard reality in recession job market - Philadelphia Daily News Posted: 24 Aug 2010 07:02 AM PDT Posted on Tue, Aug. 24, 2010 MIAMI - It was only five years ago that Miami accounting firm director Richard Berkowitz thought he had a problem during tax season relating to his younger workers. "When I told them it was mandatory they come in on the weekend, they looked at me like I was out of my mind." Today, his younger workers are much easier to manage. The recession has brought a shocking reality to the Generation Y professionals who stumped baby boomers when they first entered the workforce with their desire for work/life balance over the corner office. Stunned by a barrage of pink slips instead of promotions, Generation Y- people between ages 18 and 30 - has swallowed a piece of humble pie. Those who still have jobs are adopting new workplace attitudes and making themselves more valuable. They still want a chance at career development, but they are no longer demanding that it happen on the fast track. "This is the generation that dreamed they wanted to be CEO of a public company but didn't have an idea what to do to get there," Berkowitz said. "What's happened is that realization set in. They've discovered you have to be on the ground and working hard to accomplish great things." In some ways, this coddled, tech-savvy generation, also known as the millennials, is best positioned to prosper post-recession: They never really trusted corporate America. They know how to scour the Internet for opportunities. They grew up innately adapting to change and embracing fast-paced innovation. As a group with high self-confidence, they are approaching their plight with optimism. "They are seeing this as a re-evaluation period," said Tamara Bell, editor-in-chief and president of Y Gen Out Loud, a news platform for political and public policy conversations. "They will tell you, 'We can do this. We can make the change necessary to get the engine going.' They see it as an opportunity to change what they were doing and learn something new instead of being in complete panic mode." By all measures, the newest members of the workforce are bearing the full effect of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression. The recession brutalized their income, savings and career-ladder potential. About 37 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds have been underemployed or out of work during the recession, the highest share among the age group in more than three decades, according to a Pew Research Center study released in February. Even more, the unemployment rate for Gen Y remains much higher than the national rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the overall national unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in June, the latest figures available for making that comparison, for Gen Y it was 15.3 percent. Because of these stark numbers, many of them realize that they can't make demands for raises, promotions, time off, training and the hottest technologies during a recession. Cesar Alvarez, executive chairman of law firm Greenberg Traurig, thinks the recession was the wake-up call for this group of workers, much like other generations had defining events that changed their behavior. "I think their concept of the ultimate safety net has shattered," Alvarez said. "I'm seeing them much more engaged. I think this was a tipping point that helped the new generation suit up for the game." To be sure, the legal sector underscores the new world at work. Only a few years before the Wall Street meltdown, law firms had lured young legal grads with salaries as high as $160,000. Then came the recession, and these young lawyers were told to hit the bricks as firms slammed them with layoffs, pay cuts and withdrawals of job offers. As of last month, there were 17,200 fewer U.S. legal jobs in the than there were in July 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before the recession, senior partners regularly complained about their young lawyers who wanted to work less and get paid more. Now, Alvarez explains, the young lawyers don't necessarily want to work more hours but they are putting in the effort and bringing the technology to get the job done in less time. "They are changing the business model," he said. Their workplace priorities have changed, too. In the past, they wanted to work for companies that incorporate community involvement and charitable giving. Now they value organizations that are financially strong above all else, said Jaret Davis, administrative shareholder at Greenberg Traurig. He used to get questions about the timing of pay raises and promotions. Now, Davis said, the questions he gets from young recruits are, "How is the firm doing financially? Will it be around? Will my job be around?" Christina Totfalusi Blake, a 29-year-old attorney, feels lucky to have a job, particularly one that provides the attributes most Gen Y workers value - meaningful work, opportunities for learning, quality of life and likeable colleagues. Blake joined Kelley, Kronenberg, Gilmartin, Fichtel, Wander, Bamdas, Escalyo and Dunbrack in Miami Lakes after working solo in Orlando, Fla., for two years. She views her workplace as a social hub where collaboration has value. "There's an open-door policy so I can chat with other attorneys," she said. "For me, brainstorming, having senior associates to bounce ideas off is huge. It's something I can't put a value on." But Blake still wants the high salary and work-life balance. "Young attorneys are taking lower-paying jobs for the same long hours. But our hopes are still there, in light of our student loans and high debt, that compensation will go back up." Some seek those same goals by working for themselves. For some millennials, there is little to lose in becoming an entrepreneur: no mortgages, no families and not a whole lot of obligations. They often start businesses on a shoestring budget or look to their parents for start-up capital. Sonny Palta, 23, has started two businesses alone and co-founded two others, including Green Monkey yoga centers in Miami. He won't even consider working for an employer, nor would many of his peers. "We look at it as unbearable. Work without passion is nothing to me. I'd rather do something I love for bare bones and hope I hit that one idea that makes it big." Almost five years ago, the consulting firm Deloitte turned to Stan Smith when it became alarmed by the high turnover of its youngest employees. Smith not only studied this group for the firm, but he also went on to publish his first book, "Decoding Generational Differences: Fact, Fiction ... or Should We Just Get Back to Work?" Smith, now an independent consultant, said the recession has made Generation Y workers more concerned about their future, more compliant to employers' demands. But he's believes the attitude change is temporary. "They are compliant for now. Yet if you dig beneath the surface, their underlying values are still there," Smith said. "They want flexibility. They want work-life balance. But for now, they are just not as vocal about how they want it served up." Indeed, this is where employers need to be cautious, said Bell of Y Gen Out Loud. "They will go into a job to the pay bills, but really are looking for something fulfilling. If they can't find it in the job they take, they will stay until the economy turns, but at some point they are out the door." Bell said the best way to keep young workers is make them part of a team. "They want to know their contribution is valued and they are sitting at the table with everyone else." Michelle Zubizarreta manages a Hispanic ad agency whose workforce skews heavy toward millennials. She has done exactly what Bell suggests: given her young staffers a seat at the table. "They are motivated by having their ideas heard and feeling like they count. I will call them into a new business pitch, saying, 'We've got to talk to the young consumer. Talk to me about how to do it.' " As the recession created the need for new revenue streams, Zubi Advertising turned to its tech-savvy, multitasking, Gen Y staff for creative input. Zubizarreta gave her young workers the green light to use Facebook to do consumer surveys. She also created innovation groups, setting up teams to develop ad-related iPhone apps and come up with other money-making ideas. She said her young workers seem enthused. "I tell them they're going to work hard, but they will have fun." At Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant, Rachel Merritt, 23, clearly is her accounting firm's future. After only a year, she has contributed key analysis for a major litigation case underway in her department. Digging through data took late nights, and Merritt was recognized for it by supervisors. Merritt said she's motivated because "I have the opportunity to work with people many levels above me who explain the bigger picture." She said she watches as her friends jump at any job they can get and go in lacking motivation. "They might work the hours I do but they won't do it with a smile on their face." Berkowitz says he's already learned something important about his Gen Y workers: "They aren't going to walk in and become great. You have to teach them how to be great professionals." (c) 2010, The Miami Herald. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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