The new WorkBC Employment Services Centre run by Open Door Group officially opened its site at Sunnycrest Mall in Gibsons on June 1, to the delight of Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe.
JUNE 10, 2012
CHRISTINE WOOD/STAFF WRITER
OPEN DOOR GROUP
Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe was on hand last Friday to officially open the new WorkBC Employment Services Centre run by Open Door Group at Sunnycrest Mall in Gibsons. See more photos from the open house in our on-line galleries at www.coastreporter.net.
“I am delighted they have set up in Gibsons for people who are looking for work because it’s a real barrier for many in our community to go up to Sechelt in order to connect with the employment centre,” Rowe said. “I think this is a great asset to our town.”
Alona Puehse, director of public relations and corporate development with Open Door Group, said the new site has already seen steady use by the Gibsons community.
“People come in every day to look at the job boards or use the computers,” she said, noting the site offers two levels of service for job seekers. “The first is self services, which is the job board and the employment-focused workshops we offer. And people can also have access to a case manager to help them set up a plan to get back to work.”
An additional level of service that Open Door Group was pleased to announce on June 1 is their on-line job board, dubbed the netWORK.
“WorkBC launched the website that has labour market info and job postings, etc. There is also one specific to the Coast at www.secheltesc.ca because we really wanted to create something that’s tailored to this community,” Puehse said, noting the Sunshine Coast is referred to by WorkBC as the “Sechelt catchment area” thus the title of the website.
On the netWORK, employers can post their job openings free of charge and then Open Door Group will match registered job seekers with the proper skills, qualifications, abilities and experience to those employers.
“We really want to connect employers and employees, but we want to do much more than that. Our goal is to make sure the fit works and the job stays,” Puehse said.
With centres now open in Sechelt (an open house was held there on May 31) and Gibsons, Puehse said Open Door Group is exploring options for a satellite centre in Pender Harbour as well. “As we get to know the community more, we will know where it makes sense to do outreach in order to make sure everyone can access the services,” she said.
