Greater Halifax Partnership Applauds Federal Government's commitment to youth employment

Halifax, Nova Scotia - The Greater Halifax Partnership applauds the federal government’s announcement of a new initiative to help thousands of young Canadians find jobs in high demand sectors. The announcement was made this morning by the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, at an event hosted by the Partnership at the Nova Scotia Community College.

“The Greater Halifax Partnership recognizes the importance and value of attracting and retaining young people in Halifax and all of Canada to fill current and future labour market demands,” says Paul Kent, President and CEO of the Greater Halifax Partnership. “This significant investment of $50 million for new youth employment projects is welcome news that will help to address labour challenges many businesses are, and will be, experiencing.”

Retention of young and emerging talent is vital to the growth of Halifax’s economy, particularly as baby boomers head to retirement and the global competition for talent increases.  Halifax has a major competitive advantage with more than 40,000 students studying at one of its three community college campuses and six universities each year. 

Through initiatives such as the Halifax Connector Program and the Hire Young Halifax campaign, the Partnership is actively working to help these and other young people in Halifax connect to the labour market and to the community.

“This kind of investment provides fertile ground for growing initiatives such as our Connector Program, a successful program that is helping young talent build a professional network and connect with career opportunities,” says Kent.  “We look forward to exploring potential opportunities under this new initiative.”