Prince George, B.C.- A program aimed at helping businesses hire young people and provide   skills training has been extended to the end of March of 2014.

 

Funded with $75 million dollars in a joint program of the Provincial and Federal governments, the project provides employers with up to $2800 per youth hired, and a further $1,000 for specialized training. Employers can qualify to hire  a maximum of three young people .

 

The project is one of the efforts to address the skills shortage  facing the province and is aimed at   those aged 15 to 29, an age group which tends to have the highest unemployment rate.

 

Since the program started in 2011, a full 174 people  in the region from Prince George north, have benefited from the program.   Applications  have grown from 641 in 2011, to 1259 so far this year.

 

Applications have come from every sector of the economy, but the   highest number of requests from employers in the north so far, has been for the accommodation, food services sector.