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Mark MacNevin thinks area employers in need of motivated workers and young people still searching for a meaningful summer job should take a look at what the Fredericton Service Canada Centre for Youth has to offer.

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HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE: Mark MacNevin, right, of Service Canada Centre for Youth, presents Kingswood Park manager Kevin Johnston, left, with a certificate of appreciation as part of the centre’s Hire a Youth Week.

MacNevin is the lead youth service officer for the centre, a service that provides a forum for employers to post jobs, along with resources and educational tools for young workers. He said the centre posts jobs that cater to a number of different skill sets.

The centre offers its services to people between the ages of 15 and 30.

"There's pretty much anything and everything available out there," said MacNevin. "We've had contact with close to 1,700 students through our group information sessions and by going to different schools, so a lot of people know about our services.

"We originally posted about 1,000 vacancies so far this year, and there are about 300 vacancies posted at the moment."

Kevin Johnston, golf manager of Fredericton's Kingswood Park, said hiring young people can be a long-term investment for companies willing to take a chance on them.

"We've been hiring students for the past six or seven years, and for the most part they stay for at least four or five years," he said.

"That's good for us because you don't have to keep training them every season, so it's money in the bank."

As part of the centre's annual Hire a Youth Week, Kingswood was honoured for its continued involvement in hiring young people during the summer.

Johnston said young people possess many of the qualities he looks for when hiring.

"We're looking for kids with the ability to multitask and who are able to contribute to the golf course in a number of different ways," he said. "We're also looking for kids with the willingness to work, who are eager to learn and for the most part we've had no trouble finding those types of people."

The Fredericton centre offers assistance to young people with resumé building, searching for a job and how to get through the interview process.

The centre is located at Brookside Mall and can be reached at 452-3770.

Student-job postings can be viewed at www.jobbank.gc.ca.