OTTAWA, November 6, 2018 – The government’s Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) released a report echoing some of the recommendations made by students earlier this year.
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) advocates for more work-integrated learning opportunities for post-secondary students, such as co-op placements, internships, and apprenticeships. This past April, CASA sent the HUMA committee various recommendations on how to provide students with more meaningful career-relevant experience during their studies. You can read CASA’s submission here.
Last week, the HUMA committee released its own recommendations based on the feedback it received from stakeholders such as ourselves. Students are pleased to see that some of their own recommendations were adopted by the committee!
Specifically, the committee echoed CASA’s recommendation to transform the Canada Summer Jobs program into a program that also offers part-time and year-round work opportunities for young people. This would particularly help those students who do not have summers off or who need consistent income throughout the school year.
Adam Brown, CASA Chair and VP External of the University of Alberta Students’ Union, commented: “It is refreshing to see that the federal government is listening to students when it comes to our desire to have more and better work-integrated learning opportunities in post-secondary. Our ultimate goal is to have enough high quality work opportunities for 100% of students across Canada, and this would definitely be a great place to start!”
The HUMA committee also recommended that the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, which helps trades students afford the expenses of their placements, be made available into the first year of an apprenticeship, as well as into the Journeyman year (the transition year following the successful completion of a trade certificate). Finally, the committee highlighted the importance of ensuring young people are appropriately compensated for any work they do and that additional supports be available for vulnerable youth. CASA advocates for each of these changes, and was happy to see the committee champion them.
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About CASA:
Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, national student organization composed of 22 student associations representing 270,000 post-secondary students from coast to coast. Through its partnership with the Quebec Student Union (QSU) and its 8 members representing 79,000 students, CASA presents a national student voice to the federal government. CASA advocates for a Canadian post-secondary education system that is accessible, affordable, innovative, and of the highest quality.
Contact:
Lindsay Boyd, Communications and Public Relations Officer
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 613-236-3457 ext. 224
