SEPTEMBER IS DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT MONTH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA!

September is Disability Employment month in British Columbia and the Career Centre is celebrating the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, as well as the employers and communities that support their success.

Please join us on Wednesday September 20^th from 4-5 pm when staff from the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society will be coming to Parksville with their workshop ‘Understanding Brain Injury’. This free workshop is designed for people living with brain injury, their family and friends, as well as service providers to have a better understanding of the complex issues and consequences of acquired brain injury. Call 250.248.3205 for more information or to reserve your spot.

More than a half million British Columbians live with some form of disability including physical, mental and emotional. Some barriers people with disabilities may face in the workplace include discrimination during the recruitment process, lack of disability awareness on the part of the employer, and an unwillingness to provide reasonable accommodations.  Employers could hold false beliefs that employees with disabilities are less productive with lower capacity, costly, and harder to dismiss for underperformance. The fact is, people with disabilities represent a highly-skilled yet under-utilized pool of individuals that could supply the workforce demand that exists today. According to the Job Accommodation Network, 57% of employees with disabilities cost their organizations nothing to accommodate, with the majority of requests being for flexible work hours, requests for job redesign and requests for additional training. According to Statistics Canada, the most frequently required workplace accommodation was flexible work schedules in the form of modified hours or days, or reduced work hours.

If you have a disability and are seeking employment, you may be torn on whether to disclose your disability to the prospective employer. You are not legally required to disclose your disability if you do not need accommodations, but consider your strengths and barriers and apply for a position in which you will be successful. The publication, Disclosing Your Disability – A Legal Guide for People with Disabilities in BC  produced by the Disability Alliance of BC, has great information on disclosing your disability and accommodations, including a table on the advantages and disadvantages of disclosure at various stages of your job search. Remember, employers may ask if you are able to meet the requirements of the job, although they legally cannot ask if you have a disability in an interview.

It requires resilience and courage to apply for and sustain employment, as well as fully participate in one’s community when faced with a life-changing disability. By focusing on what you have to offer because of the barriers you overcome, paired with the compassion, understanding and accommodation of employers, we can work together to have an inclusive community.

• Check out our workshops at the Career Centre such as “Branding You”
• Want to develop your personal resilience? Check out these helpful resources
• Other helpful resources to help you succeed

Join us as we celebrate Disability Employment Month!

How cultivating your own Social Emotional Skills can improve employment resilience

Social emotional skills (SES) are becoming key hiring priorities for employers from various industries. SES includes attributes in five core areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

1. Self-awareness – can be defined as having insight into our own thoughts and behaviors.
2. Self-management – Can include managing emotions, and having the ability to prioritize.
3. Social awareness – is having an understanding and awareness to empathize with others including those from other backgrounds & cultures.
4. Relationship skills – interacting with others in a respectful way, building trust, and creating rapport.
5. Responsible decision making – making well-thought out ethical decisions.

Any work environment can be stressful, at times there can be conflict or challenging decisions to be made. However, one of the core concepts of improving and cultivating your own SES is that it can lead to better job satisfaction through open communication, understanding, and the ability to be resilient.

Please visit https://www.lifeskylls.in/ for more information about SES.

There is also a free 1 hour online course offered by CASL on Social Emotional Learning. https://www.lifeskylls.in/.

PATHWAY TO TRADES – FREE TRAINING!

PREPARING YOUNG ADULTS FOR EMPLOYMENT IN THE ELECTRICAL AND CARPENTRY TRADES

Have you considered working in the construction or electrical trade industries but aren’t sure how to get started? Are you between the ages of 16-29?

If you answered yes, Pathway to Trades (PTT) is an exciting new opportunity happening this summer in Parksville that may be just what you are looking for!

Participants in Pathways to Trades will gain valuable knowledge, skills and experience by attending classroom sessions over eight weeks and receive soft skills, pre-employment skills, and short term occupational skills training. PTT has partnered with Vancouver Island University to deliver trades exploration and foundational learning in the construction and electrical trades right here in Parksville. This component also includes hands on learning projects to put your new knowledge into practice and develop your skills.

After the eight weeks of in class learning has concluded, participants will have a 4 week paid work experience placement with a local construction company. This company will be working in partnership with the Career Centre, so participants will have ongoing support from not only their employer, but Career Centre staff as well. This will ensure that participants are confident in their new knowledge and skills to work in entry level trades positions!

Additional benefits of participating in this FREE program include the small cohort learning group, gaining employer contacts, learning to network and hands on learning and work experience. There is also a weekly stipend provided to participants in the 8 week classroom portion.

To find out if you are eligible, learn more about the program and dates of upcoming Information Sessions, please click here or give us a call at 250.248.3205.

YOUTH WEEK AND LOOKING FOR A SUMMER JOB

BC Youth Week is a provincial celebration of youth held annually during the first week of May. It is a week of fun filled interaction and a celebration intended to build a strong connection between youth and their communities. Because of this, we decided to focus our May 2023 Tip of the Month on our young people and student job seekers.

Tips for Looking for a Summer Job

Working a summer job can help you gain experience and earn money. Working can be highly rewarding but sometimes challenging to find the right fit. If you are looking for a summer job, it may be helpful to learn more about strategies and tips you can use to make your job search as effective as possible.

What kind of work do you want?

To find a job that best fits you, start with thinking about your interests and values. Even if the position is temporary, you want to enjoy what you are doing. Consider topics that you enjoy and how your interests and values can transform into a summer job.  For example: if you like sports, you might want to apply at a sporting goods store, if you like reading you might want to apply at a book store.

Get your references ready

Put together a list of three references. These can be former employers, but if you’ve never worked before, or have limited experience, you can use volunteer references, coaches, teachers, neighbours, former coworkers and acquaintances. Ensure you ask your references for permission first and be sure to get a phone number and an email address for your list.

Check out your social media with a sharp eye. What would a potential employer see if they were to look you up? Do you seem trustworthy and professional? Would you want to hire you to represent your business? How are your privacy settings? If you think no one is going to look, you’re probably wrong.

Write a Resume and Cover Letter

For most jobs, you will need a resume and cover letter to submit to the employer. MS Word has templates and a quick google search will reveal many more great examples. Always have two people proofread your documents before you start handing them out to employers. The Career Centre has an online resume and cover letter workshop https://learning.careercentre.org/ and resume examples on our website.

 Get Help with a Summer Job Search

The https://www.careercentre.org/find-a-job/  and https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/youth  are great places to start looking for work. Most employers in the Oceanside area post jobs on the Career Centre website. If you’re a student, check with your school Career Education office and ask how they can assist you.

 Check out Summer Youth Employment Programs

Many organizations have summer programs that run between June and August. They are typically city, provincial, or non-profit agencies. Finding these positions may require a little digging, but this is another instance where an online search is your friend. The City of Parksville and Chambers of Commerce are good examples of this in our community.

 Network, network, network!

Networking really does work! It is an excellent way to tap into the hidden job market and it’s not all that difficult. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work. Talk to family, friends, friends’ parents, teachers, coaches, anyone and everyone – and ask if they can help you or if they have any leads.

Networking is the best way to find a job and most people are glad to provide job leads and advice. For more information on the hidden job market, the Career Centre sends out news via JAM (Jobs and More), a bi-weekly resource containing up to date local information.

 Apply Online

Read application instructions carefully. You don’t want to be screened out because you submitted an application online without attaching your resume or showing up at the wrong time. Depending on the organization, you may need a resume and possibly a cover letter or there may just be an online application. Every employer has different criteria, be sure you know theirs.

Apply In-Person

Applying in-person allows you to make a personal connection and gives your potential employer a chance to chat with you. Some jobs require a resume, some require an application. Everyone could be different. Be sure to be neat, well groomed and appear “ready to work.” You may be interviewed on the spot!

 Good luck and happy hunting!