The Open Door Group in Sechelt is getting just over $548,000 over two years for its Jobs in Demand program.
The money is part of $10 million announced by the provincial government Dec. 9. Open Door’s parent organization, the Open Door Social Services Society, is one of 26 service providers and post-secondary institutions sharing in the funding.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons made the announcement in Sechelt on behalf of Melanie Mark, the minister of advanced education, skills and training. The money is coming from the ministry’s Skills Training for Employment initiative.
“This is a really good example of how the province sees that the workforce is changing all the time and it’s an important priority of the government to support people who want to be in the workforce,” Simons said.
“Overall this program is going to be supporting more than 1,000 British Columbians to get into the workforce, or re-enter the workforce in a job or a profession that they consider valuable to them and is valuable to the community.”
The funding in Sechelt will help Open Door offer its Jobs in Demand program to 90 people.
The program provides training to help people earn occupational certificates as well as job placements, coaching, support for Indigenous learners, support for people with disabilities and even financial support including child care.
“Too often we hear the words, ‘Oh, they don’t want to work’ or ‘they could really get a job if they really wanted to work,’ and too often it is said about the people who are facing really significant barriers and really big challenges in life, especially when it comes to careers,” said Alona Puehse, Open Door’s chief strategy officer, who added that people who join the program include those re-entering the workforce after a long absence, new Canadians and “people who’ve worked in one job their whole life and all of a sudden the ground moves, the workforce needs change and now they need a new skill set.”
Puehse said the jobs the program is targeting on the Sunshine Coast right now are mainly in health and social services and hospitality and tourism. “We look to expand these services because we know there are sectors screaming for staff.”
A couple of people currently participating in the program also shared their experiences. One of them recently moved to the Coast and is looking to get back into the workforce after raising a family. The other is working on ways to make her experience in big corporate offices in places like Montreal and Toronto more relevant in the local job market.
