August 2021
When I caught up with Cole at Cedar Saunas and Rentals, he was staining one of the business’s new “birdhouse” saunas. The business is having a lot of success with this design. Owner Leo St. Cyr gave me a tour and the interior feels spacious despite the fact that it is compact and portable. When I asked how Cole was doing on the job, he said “Cole has been unreal. He has never missed a day and he works over-time whenever I need him”.
Cole came to YES Employment Services after looking for work on his own for a couple of months. He was looking for something hands on and the pandemic was making it difficult to find opportunities. The Youth Job Connection program was a good fit for Cole and he completed the pre-employment training by attending our virtual workshops. Around the time that Cole was completing his training, Leo contacted YES. He was struggling to find staff for his growing business. Sales and rentals were taking off and he knew the YES Employer Services team could help.
Employer Relations Coordinator, Tracy Laffin was working to find Cole a placement when she connected with Leo. Although Cole didn’t have any direct carpentry experience, he was handy and he had identified labour and building as areas of interest. After the initial meeting, it was clear that Cole was a great fit. The placement clicked and the business took Cole on as part of their team in March 2021.
When the placement came to an end near the end of June, Leo did not hesitate to keep Cole on as a full-time employee. “He’s a diamond in the rough”, Leo explains. We are thrilled at the success Cole has had with this growing, energetic, locally owned company. Thank you to Cedar Saunas and Rentals for providing this long-term employment opportunity!
If you are a local business looking for staff, YES is now seeing a significant increase in job seekers coming through our doors. Contact our Employer Relations team by calling 807-623-0768, or e-mailing resource@yesjobsnow-com
We are officially kicking off our 40th Anniversary year! YES Employment Services (Thunder Bay) was established June 8, 1981 in the basement of St. Paul’s Church. We have certainly grown over the years, but our heart remains squarely focused on our original mission. We have activities and events planned to celebrate this exciting milestone so watch your inbox and social media for announcements and invitations. YES would like to thank our community for supporting us for 4 decades! Special acknowledgement goes out to our clients, our employers, our community partners, our staff and leadership team, our funders and our Board of Directors. Cheers to 40 years!