KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA–( EMWNews – April 8, 2008) – The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, and Ms. Betty Hinton, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, congratulated the Central Interior Partners in Aboriginal Human Resource Development on the approval of its project to help up to 150 unemployed older workers to retrain for new careers.

“The Government of Canada is committed to creating the best-educated, most-skilled and most flexible work force in the world, and that work force includes older workers,” said Minister Day. “That is why we’re proudly investing in this CITAC project, which we expect to benefit up to 150 unemployed older workers from the Kamloops area, including Barriere, Chase, Salmon Arm, Lillooet, Lytton and Merritt, and specifically help former workers from the forestry industry.”

This organization will receive up to $790,789 ($664,263 from the Government of Canada, and $126,526 from British Columbia’s Ministry of Economic Development) to deliver a project carried out under the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers. The Central Interior Trades and Apprenticeship Centre (CITAC) project will provide employment assistance services, as well as a combination of other activities such as specific skills training based on labour market demands, and assistance to become self-employed.

This investment is made possible through the two-year $9.7-million Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, signed in July 2007.

The Initiative helps workers aged 55 to 64 who have lost their jobs get the training they need to get back into the work force. Eligible workers include those who live in areas of high unemployment and/or single industry communities that have been affected by a plant closure.

In Budget 2008, the Government of Canada provided an additional $90 million to extend the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers until March 2012. This is above the original $70-million investment the federal government made to launch this initiative in Budget 2006.

This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.

Visit the new Human Resources and Social Development Canada Web site at www.hrsdc.gc.ca.