Human Resources Minister quietly axes student job centres

CANADA-The employment centres for students that have opened every spring for more than four decades in communities across Canada have been cancelled by the federal Human Resources department, which says it can offer the same services online.

The centres began as a Hire-a-Student pilot project in Moose Jaw, Sask. in 1968 and quickly spread to other regions. But the government says they have seen their attendance dwindle in recent years as increasing numbers of young people turn to their computers to find employment between April and September.

The Human Resources department is also under pressure to trim costs as the government grapples with a multi-billion-dollar deficit. The elimination of the centres will save Ottawa about $6.5-million a year.

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley did not actually announce the demise of the network of offices that are now known as Service Canada Centres for Youth. Rather, in a news release issued Jan. 27 , she said her department would be enhancing the tools that young people need to entre the workforce.

Canadian youth have asked for better online access to employment services and the government is responding by bolstering the websiteYouth.gc.ca with resources such as tips on writing résumés and cover letters, Ms. Finley explained. The site also includes a link to the online job bank for students.

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