May 2021
Christina’s success story starts with a move to a new city. Coming from Windsor, Christina was trying to settle in to a routine in an unfamiliar place in the middle of a pandemic. She felt ready to work, but wanted to ease into it, so when her counsellor recommended the Youth Job Connection program at YES, Christina saw it as a good option.
After her YJC assessment, Christina was supported by her YES Youth Worker as she successfully complete 60 hours of pre-employment training. The training was done virtually, which lessened Christina’s anxiety. The fact that she was paid for this training was important. It helped her establish herself financially while she explored her employment future.
The Youth Job Connection program focuses on both employment and education. The goal is to have participants focus on long term, meaningful employment. Christina did just that. When the pandemic devastated long term care homes during the first wave, provincial recommendations focused on staffing. The Fast Track program in Ontario seeks to address staffing issues by training more individuals as Personal Support Workers. Working in long term care appealed to Christina and she was able to get registered at Confederation College through the Fast Track program which provides free tuition, and payment for clinical hours. Christina starts her PSW program in June.
In the meantime, she wanted to gain skills and increase her comfort level working directly with customers. She worked with Tracy from our Employer Services team to find something related to her field. “Tracy really focused on my interests and looked at what I wanted to accomplish with my placement”, Christina said, “I decided to take a placement as a Cashier at Shopper’s Drug Mart and Tracy was able to set up a way for me to ease in to the job and stay supported while I work there. ”Christina is now looking forward to a bright future and the Youth Job Connection program gave her the flexibility and support she needed to explore her options and accomplish her goals at her own pace. Congratulations Christina!
If you are interested in the Youth Job Connection program, learn more by visiting our YJC program page, or by connecting with us directly:
Phone: 807-623-0768, Text: 807-633-7990 E-mail: resource@yesjobsnow.com
Launching an Appreciation Draw to thank our Clients and Local Businesses
Cheers to The Sweet North Bakery! YES is launching the first of 4 draws this year to help support local businesses and our clients. The prize for our first draw is a $50 gift certificate from The Sweet North Bakery, a locally owned business that not only weathered the pandemic restrictions, but actually managed to open up a new drive through location (802 Fort William Road) during a province wide “stay-at-home” order. Join us in supporting their new drive through! To enter the draw, just register with YES, attend one of our workshops or connect with your Career Development Practitioner or Youth Worker. A winner will be selected on Wednesday June 30th. Good luck to all our clients!