April is a stressful month for students for a number of reasons. Not only do students have to cope with term papers and final exams, but it’s also a time when many students are starting to feel the pressure if they don’t already have a summer job. Finding meaningful summer employment that develops the skills necessary for a job after graduation in their field of study can be a daunting task for students, made even more difficult by the necessity of juggling job applications and interviews with a final exam schedule. In addition, employers are often reluctant to invest significant training in an employee that will be returning to school in four months, making it challenging for students to break out of the burger-flipping employment bubble. Last summer, the unemployment rate for Ontario students who planned to return to school in the fall was the highest in the country and twice that of other Ontarians at 17.5 per cent. Among students who did find employment, the average number of hours worked was only 23.6, indicating that full-time positions can be difficult to come by.
For all these reasons, Employment Ontario’s Summer Job Program is a key resource for students who are looking to gain meaningful summer employment. Through the program, students aged 15 to 30 can search for jobs in a variety of fields that are specifically designated for students returning to their studies in the fall. Additionally, non-profit, private and public employers are offered a $2.00 per hour incentive to hire and train students. The program also offers grants to students who have an entrepreneurial bent, and wish to start their own business. Last year, approximately 130,000 secondary and post-secondary students gained work experience through the Summer Job Program, and yesterday the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities announced an additional investment of $22.5 million in the program. This program and others like it enormously benefit students. Rather than handing the money to a limited number of students in the form of a grant, or further increasing student debt through a loan, summer work programs give students the opportunity to earn money to pay for their education while gaining relevant work experience. We congratulate the government for its continued investment in a program that should go a long way to helping students across the Province.
Speaking of summer jobs, OUSA would like to welcome Kristen Holman and Chris Rudnicki to the home office team. The two have been selected as the OUSA summer interns to start in May, and we’re really looking forward to working with them. Congratulations to both of them!
-Sam Andrey
OUSA Director of Research & Policy Analysis
