Open Door Group project director Melanie Guza (left) and jobs placement director Donelda Wood made a presentation to Town of Osoyoos council on Tuesday explaining all of the services offered at the WorkBC employment services office in Osoyoos. (Keith Lacey photo)
Far too many residents of Osoyoos don’t know about the myriad of services being offered at the WorkBC Employment Services Centre in Osoyoos, but the program director and her staff are working hard to change that.
Program director Melanie Guza and job developer Donelda Wood of the Open Door Group, which is one of the services offered by WorkBC, discussed the program before Town of Osoyoos council on Tuesday.
Guza said that WorkBC opened its employment services centres in Osoyoos and Oliver four years ago.
The head office in Oliver is open during office hours Monday to Friday, while the satellite office in Osoyoos, which is located next to the Red Apple retail outlet, is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
“We’ve been here for four years now and there are still many people who don’t know we are here,” said Guza.
WorkBC’s employment services centres offer client-centred, integrated services and supports design to allow clients full support in getting – and keeping – a job as quickly as possible, said Guza.
“We’re there for all job seekers and employers,” she said.
Both offices in Oliver and Osoyoos use community partnerships to offer exemplary employment services to all unemployed B.C. residents and employers, she said.
Those partners include the Open Door Group, Bowman Employment Services, South Okanagan Women in Need Services (SOWINS) and Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen, she said.
Counsellors at the centre offer general and specialized services for immigrants, youth, First Nation residents, persons with disabilities, francophones, survivors of violence and/or domestic abuse, those living in rural and remote areas and those who have multiple barriers to employment, she said.
Each office is designed to offer services that help meet local labour market needs that are responsive to the unique needs of each community, noting agricultural and farm labour is required for much of the year in Osoyoos and Oliver, she said.
“We will help you find out where the jobs are at and what you need to get there,” she said.
All WorkBC offices are open to all unemployed British Columbians seeking employment and legally eligible to work in this province, including anyone unemployed 16 years of age or older, anyone working under 20 hours per week and anyone who is facing imminent layoff from their job, she said.
Some of the available self-serve services offered to clients, include a fully staffed job search resource area, job search resources, employment focused workshops, self-serve assessment tools and essential financial supports for job search and job starts, she said.
The fully staffed resource centre can assist clients by offering computer workstations, public telephones, fax machine and photocopy services.
Case management services are also offered to clients who request to meet one-on-one with a professional to discuss and implement personal employment planning, wage subsidy supports, workshops and job placement follow up services.
“You can connect with our staff to help you build your personal employment plan,” she said. “This plan will identify what you will need to find a job and will lay out the steps to help you get there.”
Some other regular services include workshops offered by staff including those to create effective resumes and cover letters as well as interview skills, job maintenance workshops on how to get and keep a job and career exploration workshops to discuss personal skills and interests.
Depending on needs and eligibility, short and longer term training options are also available to help clients land jobs, she said.
“A WorkBC case manager will support you to do the labour market research to determine where your skills fit into the local area and if skill enhancement is needed,” she said.
Funding to access training is also discussed and made available to eligible candidates, she said.
September is Disability Awareness Month in Canada and the local WorkBC office is focusing its attention throughout this month on helping those with disabilities to find and keep jobs, while also working with employers to discuss the benefits of promoting diversity in the workplace, she said.
“Throughout the month of September, we will be celebrating people with disabilities in the workforce and the employers and resources in the community who pave the way to support them,” she said.
Clients can visit the local office and access self services or case management services and fill out registration forms to begin their job search, she said. The Osoyoos office is located at 4-9150 Main Street. The telephone number is 250-495-7731.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
