Ladysmith Downtown Business Association
Ladysmith is located on the eastern shores of beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia. With a population of over 8,000, it has a thriving downtown business community centered around historic First Avenue.
The LDBA actively works to cultivate an environment of economic and cultural vibrancy in the Ladysmith downtown core. The meeting schedule is:
- Executive/Marketing Committee: 1st Thursday of every month
- General Membership: 3rd Thursday of every month
Latest LDBA News, Articles and Events
Employment Navigators Presents:
Students Helping Seniors Program 2009
Helping seniors with household tasks and providing youth with employment.
About the Program
Students Helping Seniors enables seniors to complete odd jobs around the home with the aid of local youth through a coordinated summer program. Students provide assistance with jobs such as, yard and garden maintenance, household chores, pet care and shopping. The homeowner supplies all the tools, materials and equipment required.
Why not read the rest of this article?
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Submitted by: Ann MacGillivray
Employment Navigators
The Labour Market Project was implemented at the end of September 2008 and ran to the end of February 2009. The focus was to research issues around the business capacity for human resource planning in the Ladysmith area. With employers reaching out to local employment service providers for assistance not only with recruiting the right talent for their businesses, but also in an effort to evaluate their policies and procedures to ensure they are operating in a manner that is ethical, supportive and conducive to long term employment.
The LMP researched the human resource planning needs of the business community, then prepared and presented the information and tools specific to these topics, encompassing the unique challenges faced by individual communities.
Employment Navigators subcontracted the project to Toro Marketing Research who, in turn, conducted research with local employers to identify the gap between employment and employee retention.
After initially sharing the findings with the Steering Committee; two excellent presentations were given:
- To the Ladysmith Downtown Business Association
- To the Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
The Labour Market Project makes for interesting reading identifying specific needs of both employees and employers in the Ladysmith area. In the coming 12 years, the current estimates provided by WorkBC indicate half of the new jobs will result from economic growth and the other half will replace retiring workers.
Labour activity, as we have seen in recent months can shift dramatically from shortage of skilled workers to an abundance of qualified people looking for work. When the LMP was launched it was classified as an “employees market”, with an abundance of positions available for prospective employees, within six months the market shifted to an “employers market” with many over qualified workers applying for positions.
It is important employers remain informed, prepared, and proactive to the current market trends no matter which shift pattern they are currently experiencing.
Ann MacGillivray
Executive Director
Employment Navigators
Funded in whole or part through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement.
Posted by Webmaster under: Articles.
Company name: Employment Navigators
Contact name: Ann MacGillivray
Website: www.employmentnavigators.com
Year formed: 1992
Address: 710 1st Avenue, Ladysmith, B.C. V9G 1A6
Local phone: (250) 245-7134
Local fax: (250) 245-2153
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Services
Employment Navigators (also known as Ladysmith Employment Assistance Society) began operations in 1992 to serve the population of Ladysmith and surrounding areas by providing an integrated Employment Resource Centre to the community. We are the only one-stop local employment assistance service agency in our area and take tremendous pride in offering FREE services a few of which are:
- Job posting (local, regional and national)
- Access to internet job banks
- Qualified career consultants who offer career assessments and workshops to assist unemployed individuals
- Referrals to other government funded programs such as wage subsidy, training support and self employment programs etc.
- Networking with various organizations to promote the Ladysmith area and businesses
Employment Navigators has been providing quality employment services for the residents, businesses and other community service providers and will continue to be strongly connected with all sectors, allowing for the collection of local labour market information and employment networking for clients.
In recent years, Employment Navigators has increased its support to local employers as an active conduit of linking employers and prospective employees in our area, along with being actively involved in local organizations which support increased employment and business growth.
If you would like more information on Employment Navigators and the services we offer, please contact our office at (250) 245-7134 or visit us at our website @ www.employmentnavigators.com. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Funded in whole or part through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement.
Posted by Webmaster under: Employment; Members.
Submitted by: Jack Tieleman
Global Vocational Services
The Wage Subsidy Program is designed to assist eligible individuals in gaining on-site work experience which will lead to continued employment upon completion of the contract.
The contract arrangement establishes a partial reimbursement of wages to the employer while the individual learns new skills through supervised instruction. The employer is able to offset labour costs and benefit from a capable employee.
Note: Employers must apply and receive approval before hiring the participant.
Objectives
To assist employers in offsetting the cost associated with hiring new employees and developing their skills in order to create long-term employment opportunities.
To assist unemployed persons in gaining employment where they can build on their existing skills or develop new ones.
Who We Are
We are a private company contracted by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to deliver the wage subsidy program.
Our staff is located in Parksville, Nanaimo and Duncan and they are trained in job development and employer/employee relationships.
Who Is Eligible
Unemployed individuals:
- who are currently receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. OR
- whose EI benefit period ended within the last three (3) years. OR
- who received EI Maternity or Parental benefits within the past five (5) years and are now returning to the work force.
Eligible Employers
Employers who are registered with Canada Customs and Revenue Canada for the payment of source deductions and with WCB and who are:
- Businesses
- Non – Profit Organizations
- Municipal Governments
- Bans / Tribal Councils
- Public and Educational Institutions
Steps for the Client
- The client needs to create a “Return To Work Action Plan”
- Client gets refered to the Wage Subsidy Program where the client will need to do an eligibility check and fill out some paper work before starting the job. The timeline for the application process is approximately 72 hours.
- If the client has an employer in mind, then he/she can ask the employer to contact Global Vocational Services to request participation in the program.
Steps for the Employer
- An employer contacts one of our offices and asks to speak to a Job Development Coordinator.
- Either the employer has a potential employee in mind or would like us to post a position.
- The employer would then need to fill out some paperwork and this must be completed before the participant starts work. The timeline f or the application process is approximately 72 hours.
- The employer and the Job Development Coordinator negotiate a wage reimbursement percentage and the length of the contract based on the amount of skill development the participant requires.
- The minimum number of hours the employer must offer the participant is 30 per week.
- We reimburse the agreed upon percent of the wage on a monthly basis and our commitment is to have the cheque out of our office within five working days of receiving the claim.
- Upon completion of the claim, the employer is asked to submit a short survey regarding their experiences with the program. The survey will be provided.
Note: Paperwork and procedures have been streamlined to ensure an efficient and timely development of the Wage Subsidy contract and reimbursement of claims.
The Job Development Coordinator will assist and support both the employer and the participant with the necessary documents.
Contract Parameters
The duration and percentage of reimbursement of each contract is determined by the skill development needs of the participant.
Hourly wages must meet industry standards.
Jack Tieleman
Job Development Coordinator
Global Vocational Services
#101-155 Skinner Street
Nanaimo BC V9R 5E8
P: (250) 753-3667
F: (250) 753-3676
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Company name: Global Vocational Services
Website: www.globalvocationalservices.com
Contact name: Jack Tieleman
Year formed: 2008 in Ladysmith but sub-offices in Duncan and Victoria
Address: #101-155 Skinner Street, Nanaimo B.C. V9R 5E8
Local phone: (250) 753-3667
Fax: (250) 753-3676
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Services
Global Vocational Services is an organization that assists individuals with employment transition. We hold two different employment related contracts:
- The Wage Subsidy contract
- The Cowichan Resource Center contract
From the Malahat to Bowser, we administer the Wage Subsidy Program. This program offers a subsidy for employers to enhance the skills of new employees through on the job training. It is easily accessible for both clients and employers with a minimum of paperwork and is open to unemployed and under employed individuals with an attachment to Employment Insurance.
In the Duncan area, we operate the Cowichan Career Resource Centre. The CCRC offers a wide range of services for unemployed individuals including career counseling, resume workshops, computer access, labour market information and job postings.
Our staff members are professionally trained and have a wide variety of skills and experience in the employment industry.
Wage Subsidy: 250-753-3667
Contact: Jack Tieleman
#101-155 Skinner Street, Nanaimo, B.C.
Cowichan Career Resource Centre: 250-748-9880
#301 – 80 Station Street, Duncan, B.C.
Contact Jack for employment help today!
Posted by Webmaster under: Employment; Members.
Submitted by: Jack Tieleman
Global Vocational Services
“Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” – The Vancouver Island Economy
After months of being pummeled by the media on the recession and job loss it’s important to note that there is some good news out there. Over the past month I’ve spoken to many employers and there is cautious optimism about the economy. There is no denying that we are witnessing a downturn. It’s also important to remember that life carries on. Through the Wage Subsidy Program we have assisted many employers hire and train staff over the last few months. People are finding employment in a wide variety of sectors from hospitality to management to resource based industries. These people are being resourceful with their connections within industries that they are interested in, utilizing available services and putting forth great effort in finding jobs.
One client was particularly successful in landing a job by being industrious. He utilized his contacts to determine where there was still work in his industry. From there he spoke to an employer he had known throughout his career. The employer was aware of his work ethic and ability but also knew this person needed training. This employer knew the cost of training a new employee. My client told the employer about the Wage Subsidy Program and how it could offset the cost of on-the-job training. He was successful. He started a new job this week and will learn new skills that he will have forever. By applying himself and seeing opportunity he was able to put himself back to work in a relatively short period of time. He essentially created his own job by being aware of opportunities and options available to him.
Here’s another recent success. After recovering from a serious medical condition, a client utilized the Wage Subsidy Program upon returning to job search. His return to work was facilitated by having his wage subsidized while he learned the new skills required for his position. It was a position within his industry but very different from his skill set. In this case the employer had accessed wage subsidy as an employee and went to purchase the business. His awareness of the benefits of Wage Subsidy came back to him when he hired new staff.
These are just a couple of recent success stories that help offset the reports of layoffs and downsizing. It cannot be stressed enough that in these down times we must be more resourceful in creating and seeing opportunity. There are many resources available to us that go unused.
One of our biggest untapped resources is our network of people. Through living and working on the island we all know more people than we ever would imagine. Tap into them! See what and who they know that might help you. Who knows where the next job opportunity may come from.
Another invaluable source is employment resource centres such as Employment Navigators. Jobseekers can access the Wage Subsidy Program through them. In addition they can help you with everything from resumes to labour market information to program referrals. There are experts right on First Avenue in Ladysmith to assist in exploring career options. For the last sixteen years plus they have assisted Ladysmith with a variety of employment related issues. Resources like this are funded through the brand new Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement as of Feb 2, 2009.
Jack Tieleman
Job Development Coordinator
Global Vocational Services
#101-155 Skinner Street
Nanaimo BC V9R 5E8
P: (250) 753-3667
F: (250) 753-3676
Posted by Webmaster under: Articles.
