Over the past several months, we’ve been hearing your stories of partnership, caring and perseverance. In this edition, we wanted to highlight some great stories about resilience among job seekers. We acknowledge that it can be tough during ‘normal’ operations, but these stories of Mason, Carole and Jeff highlight workers who managed to stay motivated during these trying times.
Twenty-one year old, Mason was interested in pursuing a carpentry career, but as many of us know, finding work during COVID 19 shutdowns was difficult at best. Once the employment offices were able to offer online support for job seekers, Mason connected with the Community Employment offices in Pembroke to continue his search for an apprenticeship opportunity. As many youth struggle with various barriers; transportation, limited education and experience, trying to find any work during a global shutdown seems impossible. In Mason’s case, he also has a child to provide for so tapping into CERB or remaining unemployed was not an option. Mason took an interim job but continued accessing employment services to find a carpentry opportunity. After two months of job development, training and support, the right fit was found. A local employer met Mason, saw his potential, and wanted to help him gain carpentry skills and experience. Mason was successful in reaching his employment goal. We salute Mason for his perseverance!
“During the Covid-19, I was forced to refocus my job search efforts, and this resulted in re-training in a new line of work. My initial choice was to be in a classroom setting but due to the pandemic, courses were moved to an online platform. With the support of Andrea and Julie, from ontrac Employment Resource Services, I was able to get the guidance and support needed to move forward in my new chosen career path. I am looking forward to continue with my studies and transition to my new career even in these uncertain times.”
Carole
“Starting over in a new career was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made and in the Covid pandemic it all seemed that much worse. With 25 years working in the Aerospace industry, I was very secure in my job but knew it wasn’t where I needed to be. With the determination of change on my mind, I felt confident. I decided to pursue a career in construction. This has long been a passion of mine as I enjoy building and creating. A little confused where to start, I called ontrac Employment Services. They happily helped me with a resume and gave me the tools to search for jobs. Three weeks later, I was connected with an employer who took a chance on me working in the construction trades! It was that easy! I know this seems too good to be true but that’s how it happened. Now in my new job we do all aspects of the building and I have quickly realized that all construction jobs are not ideally what I want to do; however, this is the start of a new career and it will give me the experience I need to grow so I can narrow down my field of expertise. Thank you ontrac!”
Jeff
