WorkBC Centres connect in more ways than one

Immigrants and refugees share their stories on how WorkBC Centres helped them find connections and employment.

When Ukrainian nationals arrive at the Vancouver International Airport, they receive information in their own language about the free employment services offered by WorkBC Centres.

Eliza runs the WorkBC Centre in Richmond and says this early connection is valuable. Eliza’s team works closely with S.U.C.C.E.S.S. settlement services stationed at the hotel where many Ukrainians stay when they first arrive. “This way we can help right away. People are eager to find work,” Eliza says. “We provide client needs assessment, make arrangements for attending workshops, short-term training, financial supports for job start, and several of them now have good jobs.”

When Zhanna arrived in B.C., a single mom with three children, she had a lot on her plate settling her family into a new country. WorkBC Centre Richmond helped her find a job. Her youngest child was really struggling and Zhanna had to reduce her working hours to care for her family. WorkBC Centre Richmond quickly stepped in to connect the family with counselling services and other resources. Things are going better for the family and Zhanna is working more hours again.

WorkBC offers a personal approach to help people succeed in employment.

Liliane arrived in Canada in late 2020. After struggling to find a job on her own, a friend recommended Liliane contact her local WorkBC Centre (Burnaby Edmonds). She has strong qualifications and training in her field but needed some extra help learning about approaching employers and doing interviews. With some one-to-one help from her employment counsellor, Liliane learned how to search for jobs, write her resume and prepare for interviews.

While Liliane searched for employment, her employment counsellor promoted Liliane to potential employers. “As a result of this teamwork, and after some interviews, I got a job offer in my work field and accepted it precisely one month after I signed in for WorkBC Employment Services,” Liliane says. Thanks to the WorkBC wage subsidy program and employment counsellor, Liliane is putting her skills and experience to work as a quality assurance analyst.