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<p>Hello all. Here are a few excerpts from the recent budget that
should be of interest to community networks and digital literacy
training providers. The details are not out yet, but these are
funding sources worth watching. The full budget can be accessed
here: <a href="http://www.budget.gc.ca/2017/docs">http://www.budget.gc.ca/2017/docs</a>/plan/chap-01-en.html<br>
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<h4 id="Toc477707335" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height:
1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 11.5px; font-weight:
700; margin-top: 26px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform:
none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(249, 249,
249); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color:
initial;">Teaching Kids to Code</h4>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Providing educational
opportunities for digital skills development to Canadian girls and
boys—from kindergarten to grade 12—will give them the head start
they need to find and keep good, well-paying, in-demand jobs. To
help provide coding and digital skills education to more young
Canadians, the Government intends to launch a competitive process
through which digital skills training organizations can apply for
funding. Budget 2017 proposes to provide $50 million over two
years, starting in 2017–18, to support these teaching initiatives.</p>
<h4 id="Toc477707336" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height:
1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 11.5px; font-weight:
700; margin-top: 26px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform:
none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(249, 249,
249); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color:
initial;">Expanding Digital Learning Opportunities</h4>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Digital skills widen
Canadians’ access to a world of possibilities. Budget 2017
proposes $29.5 million over the next five years for a new Digital
Literacy Exchange program. The program will support non-profit
organizations to implement initiatives that teach basic digital
skills, including how to use the Internet safely and effectively,
at pre-existing facilities such as public libraries, refugee
housing complexes and seniors’ homes. The program will focus on
vulnerable groups such as low-income individuals and families, and
seniors.</p>
<h4 id="Toc477707318" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height:
1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 11.5px; font-weight:
700; margin-top: 26px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform:
none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(249, 249,
249); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color:
initial;">Youth Service</h4>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">As announced in Budget
2016, the Youth Service Initiative will help young Canadians gain
valuable work experience while providing support for communities
across Canada. The Government will launch the Initiative in the
fall of 2017, including a call for proposals to give youth the
opportunity to serve.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><br>
</p>
<h4 id="Toc477707314" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height:
1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 11.5px; font-weight:
700; margin-top: 26px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform:
none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(249, 249,
249); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color:
initial;">Expanding the Youth Employment Strategy</h4>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Canadian youth have the
talent and drive to succeed in the labour market. To help them
make the transition from school to work and get a strong start in
their careers, the Government invests in the Youth Employment
Strategy, a government-wide initiative to help support Canada’s
newest workers.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Last year, the
Government announced new investments in the Youth Employment
Strategy and the Canada Summer Jobs program, which help to create
short-term job opportunities for students between the ages of 15
and 30. </p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">These investments are
supporting the creation of:</p>
<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom:
11.5px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open
Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2;
text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;
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249); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color:
initial;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Over 5,000 opportunities for
young Canadians under the Skills Link stream, which helps
vulnerable youth overcome barriers to employment.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Nearly 2,500 new green jobs
that help young Canadians learn about their natural environment
and contribute to economic growth in the environmental sectors.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Additional job opportunities
for young Canadians to work in the heritage sector through the
Young Canada Works program.</li>
</ul>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">To further expand
employment opportunities for young Canadians, Budget 2017 proposes
to provide an additional $395.5 million over three years, starting
in 2017–18, for the Youth Employment Strategy. Combined with
Budget 2016 measures, these investments will help more than 33,000
vulnerable youth develop the skills they need to find work or go
back to school; create 15,000 new green jobs for young Canadians;
and provide over 1,600 new employment opportunities for youth in
the heritage sector.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px; color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:
normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Marita<br>
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normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal;
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text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><br>
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