The B.C. government has allocated new funding to help Victoria residents get skills training and follow-up support to prepare them for re-entering the workforce.
The funding will be part of a new Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project and is intended for BC Employment Assistance Persons with Disabilities designation.
The project will provide training and support for as many as 32 eligible Victorians to re-enter the workforce as part-time service-sector workers.
“This new CEP project is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to sharpen their skills and gain confidence to help them get back into the workplace,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “A well-paying job can make a significant positive difference in an individual’s life.”
The Province says it will be providing Our Place Society with $180,000 to deliver essential employability and occupational skills training over four intakes and the project will be offered through Our Place Society’s employment training program.
Participants will receive six weeks of essential employability and occupational skills, four weeks of on-the-job work experience and two weeks of followup support to help in their job search, according to the government.
Skills-training courses include stress management, conflict resolution, numeracy and budgeting 101, resume writing, keyboarding, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, social media management, business communications, retail business machines orientation and essential customer service for the service industry.
Participants will also receive certification courses in Serving It Right, SuperHost and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System.
The training provided will help eligible participants be qualified for customer service, cashier, retails sales, maintenance/security work, food service and kitchen-duty positions.
“Our Place Society is thrilled to receive funding from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction,” said Ashley Macdonald, manager, Our WorkPlace. “We believe that People in Progress will give people who are living with barriers to employment an opportunity to get into the labour market in a safe and supported way.”
Part-time, group-based learning for the first intake of this project starts on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. Project activities run through to Feb. 5, 2022.
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