Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley announced she will restore the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) to give Alberta students entering the workforce a leg up.
“We need to build an economy that works for everyone,” said Ganley. “That starts with ensuring that students have every opportunity to get ahead with real work experience and a chance to develop critical skills for our economic future. Restoring the STEP Program after the UCP senselessly cut it is one step we can take.”
In 2019, the UCP government suddenly eliminated the Summer Temporary Employment Program, describing it as “free money” for employers. Prior to its termination, it employed 3,000 students with a budget of $10 million.
This was the second time a Conservative Government eliminated the program, with the PC government eliminating it in 2013. It was then restored by the NDP Government let by Rachel Notley in 2016.
“I hear consistently from young people that they’re worried about having the same opportunities in Alberta that their parents did,” Ganley said. “One of the things they tell me is that they can’t get relevant work experience. This is a real solution that allows them to play a major role in building our economy.
“I was proud to be a Minister in the government that reinstated STEP. I want my daughter and all of our kids to see their future right at home — this is a concrete step towards that.”