Loyalist students welcome the idea of help for employment

By Samantha Reed

BELLEVILLE – Most Loyalist College students say finding a summer job is hard.

Especially when you are trying to find something in your field.

Derrick Westerhof, a civil engineering student, says that the hardest part of finding a job is getting employers to look at your resume.

Westerhof has been looking for a summer job in his field for two months now and says getting in contact with employers has been a struggle for him.

The government of Ontario is trying to make finding summer employment easier for students like Westerhof with the creation of a number of internship and summer employment programs.

Some programs offer $2 per hour hiring incentives for employers who hire students, or eight weeks of paid employment and training, according to the government of Ontario website. These programs are available to high school, college and university students under the age of 30 looking for a summer job.

During a live-streamed news conference in Toronto Thursday morning, Tracy MacCharles, Ontario’s minister of children and youth services, talked about how important it is for students to find summer employment.

Westerhof isn’t the only student who is struggling to find summer employment.

Michaela Clement, a second year accounting student at the college, said that she finds getting a summer job in your field is very difficult:

Barbara Kovacs was sitting with Clement. Kovacs, a chemical engineering student, added that finding a summer job is not only hard, but students need enough hours and to be paid well enough to be to cover tuition:

All students who were said that they would use the program if they qualified.

Steven Mullin, a manufacturing engineering technician student, said he thinks the idea benefits both employers and students:

Applications are now being accepted for these programs and interested students can find more information on the programs available at the government of Ontario website.