NB 5
Jan. 8, 2008
FREDERICTON (CNB) - Applications are now available for the Student Employment and Experience Development (SEED) program for students looking to get started on their summer job search. Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty made the announcement today.
"As the minister responsible for both post-secondary education and labour I understand the importance and value of students finding a good, quality summer job," Doherty said. "I would like to encourage all students who will be spending their summer in New Brunswick to take advantage of the opportunity that the SEED program offers."
The provincially funded program provides summer jobs to eligible students in provincial government departments and agencies, municipal and First Nations offices, and non-profit organizations. Students entering a post-secondary program in the fall of 2008 are eligible to apply. The program provides employers with a wage supplement of $7.75 per hour during the summer months to help eligible students gain valuable work experience while earning a living.
Doherty also advised students to apply for the student entrepreneurship component of the SEED program, which provides assistance to those wanting to start their own summer business, and includes an interest-free loan of up to $3,000. If the loan is repaid on time and all program requirements are met, the student entrepreneur may qualify for a reimbursement of one-third of his or her loan.
"The youth of today are the foundation for tomorrow, which is why it is important that we work hard to retain them," Doherty said. "One way in which we can achieve this is by affording them unique opportunities to develop valuable workplace skills here at home. The SEED program is about more than just earning a wage throughout the summer. It's also about learning practical, real-world skills that will help prepare them for a career after completing their post-secondary education."
Doherty also said that the SEED program is just one of many programs government has in place to help build a strong economy and put the province on the road to self-sufficiency.
Applications for the SEED program are now available at university campuses; community colleges; high schools; regional offices of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; human resource services centres; and Service New Brunswick.
For more information on SEED and other employment programs and services for students, visit the Employment Programs and Services website.
08/01/08
MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn Hearn, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, 506-453-2568.
08/01/08