Ready! Set! Action! Power Up! 2015 participants complete Pre-Employment Training
Power Up! 2015 participants display Pre-Employment Training Completion Certificates. Missing from photo: Rachel Young
The Pre-Employment phase of Power Up! 2015 has just concluded with 8 new participants “hitting the pavement” in hopes of securing a 930 hour work placement. During the initial four week training session, emphasis is placed on building upon one’s life experiences and embracing the concept of life-long learning. For Corinne Tulk, Program Coordinator, the fifth consecutive period of assisting SAR adults transition continues to be a fulfilling and rewarding experience.
As participants engage in job search and ultimately, begin their work placement, each participant is armed with the courage and determination to change the course of their lives. Each began on June 15, 2015 with their own personal agenda, “I don’t’ want to be on welfare. I want to make my kids proud, show them they can change their lives if they aren’t happy.” Some feel a strong survival need for change, “I need to get my foot in the door, start a new chapter of my life. This is where I start my life’s new beginning.” While another looks for guidance towards post-secondary education, “I just finished my ABE at 50, I’m not stopping now…I need this to connect me to funding for my HEO course.”
In partnership with the College of the North Atlantic, participants were exposed to the essential pre-employment training skills which included life and social, effective communication, and team building in a classroom setting. While many hold a high school diploma, they all indicated one can never have enough skill enhancement and job search assistance. As one participant reported, “I always knew what I wanted to do; this program is just offering my insights into what I can do.”
Each of the successful participants has indicated their excitement about being given the Power Up! opportunity. As one participant so humbly put it, “I’m tired of feeling like a nobody, that I don’t belong in today’s society. Power Up! has already given me back my drive. I won’t waste my opportunity. I’m gonna do it…I’m going all the way. It’s my turn to shine.”
Amanda King, Brett McCrae, Cindy Woods, Gary O’Quinn, Jeremy Bjanes, Kevin Williston, Rachel Young and Robert Collins join a growing list of participants who have availed of the career development program offered since 2008.
