For Immediate Release
March 13, 2006

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS OFFERED IN 2006

As part of the Ontario government’s Youth Opportunities Ontario Strategy, the Ministry of Natural Resources is creating more than 2,100 jobs for young people in 2006. Through its integrated youth employment programs portfolio, the ministry creates opportunities for high school, college and university students – as well as recent graduates to work in a variety of summer jobs and internship positions. These jobs provide on-the-job training, work experience in natural resource management, and learning opportunities to help young people break the “no experience, no job” cycle.

• Ontario Rangers: Ontario’s oldest youth employment program is offering 292 jobs in 2006. Ontario Rangers is an eight-week summer job program that aims to provide participants with a unique combination of work, learning and life experiences. Rangers carry out a variety of tasks, including maintaining trails and portages in provincial parks, helping with fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects, monitoring and assessing plant, fish and animal populations and supporting biodiversity projects in local communities. Participants are required to stay at one of the ministry’s 13 Ontario Ranger camps for the duration of their work term. Applicants must be born in 1989 to be eligible in 2006. The application deadline is March 31, 2006.
• Ontario Stewardship Rangers Program: Twenty-one Ontario Stewardship Ranger teams will provide 105 jobs across the province in 2006. This year there will be two teams for the Greater Toronto Area. The eight-week program provides 17-year-olds with an opportunity to work with local conservation groups, focusing on community-based environmental projects. Participants live at home and travel to their work locations daily. Stewardship Rangers take part in a variety of projects, including stream and wetland restoration, building and erecting bird, bat and butterfly boxes, research for species at risk and biodiversity projects and helping to maintain trails by brushing and repairing boardwalks and small bridge crossings. Applicants must be born in 1989 to be eligible this year. The deadline for applications varies from location to location but is generally toward the end of April to mid-May 2006.
• Internship Program: This program will offer 76 internships, allowing college and university students and graduates within the past five years to gain significant work skills and experience in natural resource management. Interns work on contract for 40 weeks. The ministry offers specialized placements with enforcement, forestry, land management and policy. Jobs will be posted continuously from March through December.
• Post-secondary Co-op Program: The ministry will offer five positions in this program which is designed for post-secondary students enrolled in a recognized cooperative education program. Work periods range from 12 to 16 weeks, bridging the gap between education and work experience. Fall placements will be posted at colleges and universities with designated cooperative education programs.
• Summer Experience Program: More than 1,600 jobs are offered, mainly in Ontario’s provincial parks system, but also in areas of geology, lands and water sciences, and fish and wildlife. Young people aged 15 to 24 or up to 29 if disabled can gain a broad range of skills and experience in natural resource management. Positions will be posted on the youth programs website from March until the end of June.
• Ontario/Quebec Exchange Program: The ministry plans to offer six positions in this 13-week exchange program that allows university students to work in natural resource management while experiencing another cultural environment. Ontario applicants must have French language skills.

For more information on these programs, call 1-800-667-1940 or visit the youth programs website at www.youth.mnr.gov.on.ca.

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Contact:
Jennifer Standaert
Youth Programs
705-755-3138
705-761-2115 (Cell)

Disponible en français

www.mnr.gov.on.ca