Edmonton, Alberta — In a virtual panel, Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister discussed COVID-19’s impact on young people with a wide array of panelists from Edmonton’s youth community. And Collision Repair magazine’s very own columnist Cecile Bukmeier was a part of the discussion.
In the webinar held on June 18, Bukmeier, who is an autobody repair instructor at The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) brought forward her concerns about post-secondary students’ ability to find jobs amid the pandemic.
She described the increasing level of anxiety students are feeling about their futures.
“It’s concerning that even though their job positions may be deemed essential, many were still laid off and left them feeling like they could not move forward with their career,” Bukmeier said according to reporting from The Gateway.
Bukmeier then asked Freeland about the government resources students can access after they finish post-secondary school.
Freeland said the government is working hard to make sure post-secondary students can find jobs in the future.
“Part of the answer is being sure that student loans are not a burden on building your life,” Freeland said according to The Gateway. “That is why one of the things I personally pushed for in the budget is you don’t have to pay your student loans off until you are making $40,000 at least, and the cap at repayment is 10 percent of your income.”
The hour-long webinar featured several other panelists from the youth community who explained how the pandemic has affected lives.
