– by Deborah Rogers –
This is part of a rotating series of articles on members of Sidney Meet Up Women’s Networking Group, featuring women in business on the Saanich Peninsula.
Beacon Community Services should be the first place you go if you are looking for work. At their Sidney offices on Third Street, the Employment Services team hosts a variety of services to help the whole community.
It is immediately apparent that Nicole Eyre, the Community Coordinator for Employment Services, is in the right job, as we discuss the success of the centre and her passion for helping people find work that’s right for them. She has worked at Beacon for four years but is new to the Sidney Meet Up group, and is enthusiastic about the opportunity it gives to share resources and information. Although she used to do employment counselling herself, Nicole’s role now sees her promoting Employment Services, to ensure the Employment Service Centre is used by the community it was set up to serve, and co-ordinating job fairs in collaboration with partners across the area. There is great satisfaction in networking and bridging the gap between people who need work and where the work is.
There is undoubtedly a need for the service. In 2013, 963 people were served by Beacon’s employment services programs, with 700 WorkBC “case managed” clients (those with an employment counsellor to assist them.) Other services offered are free workshops, assessments, retraining and job-specific training such as Food Safe, Forklift, Serving It Right and First Aid. There are employment advisors to help guide you toward the correct training for the job you want to do, and the opportunity for wage subsidies. Other programs include Springboard to Success (for youth) and JobOptions for those who have been outside the world of work for some time.
Nicole talks passionately about working with youth and the importance of helping young people make good decisions about what they want to do with their lives. Beacon’s Employment Services can help with work placements for work experience as well as trades or apprenticeship programs. There is additional support for immigrants and First Nations and a fantastic resource room that anyone can use to help update their resumé, use a computer or photocopier.
For more information, visit the Celebrate Beacon event on May 2nd, 1 to 4 p.m. at 9860 Third Street, commemorating 32 years of employment services. There’s a chance to meet the team, explore tools and resources, take a free personality quiz and receive free professional resumé advice. Providing employment services since 1982 also means some retro fun with a photobooth, games, activities and prizes.
Beacon’s mission statement is “people helping people help themselves.” Nicole’s promise is that “we really care about people and about giving them the tools and resources they need to stand out in this job market.”
