September is Disability Employment Month in B.C. and the Career Centre is working with service providers to support individuals with diverse abilities in their job search.
According to the Canadian Survey on Disabilities (CSD) report 2012 funded by Statistics Canada, one in seven (14 per cent) of Canadians aged 15 or older, reported having a disability.
Job developers at the Career Centre (198 Island Hwy. East, unit 110, Parksville) support individuals with diverse abilities or mental health issues to either return to work or gain work experience. They also work with employers to help them navigate what roles they need filled at their business and whether those positions can be modified slightly to accommodate individuals with diverse abilities.
“The benefit to employers is that we can work with their needs but also the needs of the job seeker to basically tailor the employee to the work that the employer needs by knowing who we have available and what their skills are,” said Cheryl Dill, Career Centre executive director. “We have job developers that can support employers in that way, we just ask for employers to be open-minded to that process as best as they can. We respect the need of employers, they have a job to do, they have deadlines, so what we want to do is customize what they’re looking for and make that match between the job seekers and their needs.”
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The Career Centre also works with “precariously employed” individuals whose earnings aren’t enough to sustain basic needs like rent and groceries.
“We’re able to work with people in that category,” Dill said. “If someone has some challenges or diverse abilities to move forward we can also obtain other sources of funding to support them in their job search. That’s the benefit of coming to the Career Centre, we have various support systems for all kinds of individuals.”
Wage subsidies are also often available, Dill said, for employers.
“There’s always a training period for anyone starting a new job,” she said. “What we can do is see if the job seeker that we’re suggesting to employers is eligible for a wage subsidy. That means that employers can get up to 50 per cent of the cost to hire and train that individual for up to six months or more.”
Dill said the Career Centre has helped facilitate many successful matches between job seeker and employer.
“It’s everyone’s gain to be able to utilize the funding that’s available for (this program),” she said.
Offering additional supports and teaming up with the Career Centre to assist job seekers with diverse abilities is the subcontractor Vancouver Island Vocational and Rehabilitation Services (VIVRS). The VIVRS deals with individuals with persistent multiple barriers who may need additional supports like assistive technology to get them to their workplace.
“If someone comes in to [the Career Centre] and they have specific needs, we’re either going to have them work with our case managers or VIVRS case managers,” Dill said.
A diversity employment specialist from VIVRS, Birgit Kuit, said in the Career Centre’s September “Tip of the Month” that “regardless of what type of diverse ability you may have, you need not look upon it as a liability while job searching. Just as there is always a silver lining in a dark cloud, it is important to look at what gifts you bring to any work situation. If you are not able to get the job on your own, and/or if you struggle with anxiety or mental health issues that greatly impact your ability to be successful in meeting with employers, you can always obtain the support from a job developer.”
Ingrid Tanasichuk, VIVRS executive director, said job developers have a positive and creative approach when marketing individuals they work with.
“It involves carving positions that work well for the job seeker and the employer,” Tanasichuk said. “We provide a lot of on-site job coaching and on-site support to ensure success and we tweak things if necessary. In this day and age employers need good employees and being creative is very attractive to both.”