The Personal Empowerment and Employment Program being offered through Chinook's Edge School Division (CESD) recently received $542,000 from the federal government to fund the program for the next two years.
“We've been doing this program since 1995. They've just gotten a little bigger and a little better all the time,” said Michele Brewster, director of the program.
The funding allows the program to pay each of the 17 youth participating in the program minimum wage for the 22 weeks of classroom time the youth spend in the program, plus half of the wage during the 26 weeks the youth spend on the job.
Youth in the program are aged 16-30 and are not attending school.
CESD provides the accounting function to the program, while Alberta Works provides the youth with any job-related training costs they might have to incur such as driver's licences or safety training, on an as-needed basis.
The program is running in Didsbury while next year it will be operating in Innisfail. It has operated in Sundre, Olds, Sylvan Lake and other locations in the past.
Brewster said the youth benefit from the program immensely.
“These are young people that are not attending school for whatever reason … and (the program is) how to find work and how to keep it. The employers are what makes this really successful,” she said.
The government expects the program to have 70 per cent of participants complete it. Last year's program had a success rate of 86 per cent. Brewster said it has regularly hit that level of success.
Brewster said both the employers that participate and CESD have been tremendous supporters of the program.
"These are young people that are not attending school for whatever reason, ... and (the program is) how to find work and how to keep it."Michele Brewster, director, Personal Empowerment and Employment Program
