Education & Skills Training
WorkFirst - North Okanagan Employment Development Program
The program is designed to assist the homeless population and Emergency Shelter clients in the community who require assistance in entering or returning to the workforce.
Provider(s):
- The John Howard Society of the North Okanagan/Kootenay Region of BC
Sponsor(s):
- The Province of British Columbia
Location(s):
- Howard House - Men's Shelter
Contact:
- Ed Devlin - Employment Counselor
The goal of the program is to overcome the barriers to employment by providing supportive recovery programs, employment readiness, life skills training and job search assistance.
This program provides services to the broader community and is not limited to but includes residents of Howard House and Gateway Shelter. Men and women are able to access the services of the program. The program also assists individuals who have been in conflict with the law and are now ready to reintegrate into the workforce as contributing members of society and the community.
What can we provide?
In-house and/or funded training:
- WHIMIS
- Level 1 first aid
- Food safe
- Transportation of dangerous goods
- Basic computer skills
- Literacy upgrading
- and more...
Why?
Employment is a crucial aspect of successful social integration. The homeless population and ex-offenders face a variety of barriers in getting back into the workforce. Substance abuse problems, spotty work history, poor educational backgrounds, lack of identification and a bank account, lack of a secure home base and low self-esteem are common factors.
Working in conjunction with JHSNOK, the goal of the WorkFirst program is to overcome the barriers to employment by providing supportive recovery programs and employment readiness and the life skills training and development.
In addition, the Employment Counselor liases with the community to promote and market the program to potential employers. As an advocate in the community for this group, he paves the way for an application which might otherwise not happen.
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