P.E.I. Liberals promise more jobs for young Islanders

The Liberal Party of P.E.I. outlined its plans today to provide more job opportunities for young Islanders if elected.

Liberal candidates at a campaign announcement in Wellington announced Wednesdaya $4.8 million expansion of the Graduate Mentorship Program that's $1.2 million dollars per year over the next four years.

The Skills PEI program offers wage subsidy support of 50 per cent to employers to hire a recent post-secondary graduate in a job related to their field of study.

Promises to 'make life more affordable'

Since 2013the Graduate Mentorship Program has helped 1,200 young Islanders advance their career goals and gain experience, MacLauchlan said, and he predicted the new spending will help 2,000more enter the workforce.

"The programs we are proposing today will ensure that we will continue to make the progress that we've been seeing throughout our province and it will do so in a way that will make life more affordable for thousands of Islanders."

The Liberals are also promising a $4.5 million P.E.I. workers benefit to help more than 12,000 working Islanders by providing incentives of up to $3 per hour on a portion of earnings.

"This worker benefit willsupplement people who are in that lower part of the income spectrum and in particular, people who are earning incomes annually up to $28,000," MacLauchlan said.

The Liberals said they would also create a new seasonal industries health and benefitsplanfor many uninsured Islanders working in seasonal industries.

The Liberal Party already announced in its platform it intends to create 3,500 more full-time jobs, mostly tied to a $750 million infrastructure plan.

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