July 29th, 2010
Are you a youth or know a youth interested in the construction and trades industry? BladeRunners is a Youth Skills Link program that builds community partnerships and connects motivated, job ready youth with valuable employment opportunities in the construction and trades industry.
Eligibility Requirements:
Youth between the ages of 15-30 and out of school
In need of assistance to overcome employment barriers
Canadian citizens, permanent residents
Not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI)
Youth must attend the information session to qualify for an interview
Orientation Dates:
August 3/10, 10-11am, or August 3/10, 2-3pm
Held at Nanaimo Youth Services Association
290 Bastion St., Nanaimo, BC
BladeRunners will:
Participate in four weeks of in-class skill enhancement
Participate in up to 60 hours of work experience
Be eligible for safety gear and tools
Obtain First Aid OFA Level 1, WHMIS, Fall Protection and other related tickets and group based employability skills
Participate in Construction Safety Awareness
Receive individual support and guidance
To find out more, call 250-248-3205 to make an appointment with a Employment Consultant at The Career Centre.
Posted in Construction, Trades, Youth | No Comments »
July 29th, 2010
Thinking about starting a business and not sure what permits and licences are required? The Parksville Chamber of Commerce shared information about a new program:
Opening a business has become easier thanks to BizPaL, an online service that gives entrepreneurs a personalized list of permits and licences needed to establish and run their business.
Entrepreneurs can use BizPaL to receive a personalized list of the permits and licences needed to establish and run their business. This unique partnership between federal, provincial, territorial, regional and local governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden small businesses face.
For more information visit the Parksville Chamber of Commerce Website for the full press release and links.
Posted in Business, Self employment, Small Business | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2010
Recently The Career Centre created a Facebook Fanpage to share local job postings and employment trends with job seekers in our area on Facebook. Recent updates include:
Naked Naturals is opening another store in Qualicum Beach in late fall. The store will be located in the Terra Verde “Green Planet” building, located at 670 Memorial Avenue with frontage on Fir Street. This means they will be hiring between 5 to 10 more employees in the near future. If you’re interested in being part of their team, beat the rush, and drop off a resume and cover letter in person at the Parksville location.
Recent labour market information from B.C. Jobs & Economy: Planning your career? BC Stats notes that among the high tech occupations, jobs for medical technologists and technicians will lead the way the next 10 years. Employment in these occupations is projected to climb 31 per cent from 2009 to 2019. More BC labour market outlook info here: http://www.workbc.ca/docs/BCLMOutlook.pdf.
Just enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Lefty’s in Parksville. The BBQ chicken pizza was DELICIOUS!! Also discovered Lefty’s is still taking applications for the pizza counter and kitchen.
We invite you to “like” our page and feel free to comment and share any local employment information you may have.
Tags: Job Leads
Posted in Employment | No Comments »
June 29th, 2010
Summer is here and often people relate summer to fun, play and vacations. Looking for work could be a tough task when the sun is shining and the beach is calling. So here are some ways to add some fun to your job search:
1. Start a blog or website that focuses on your interests and passions. Have you felt a surge of energy when you are telling people about your favourite fishing hole or the great golf game you had yesterday? Does time fly when you are scrapbooking? Share these passions with the rest of the world and you never know where this may lead. Perhaps a golf course hires you to help in the pro shop or a local scrapbooking company hears about your blog and hires you to assist in a workshop. Start with www.blogger.com, an easy free blogging site. Sign up for our Using Social Media for Your Job Search workshop to find out more.
2. Most jobs aren’t advertised and job seekers find out about jobs through their network. There are fun ways to expand your network, like signing up for that course you always wanted to take, even if it isn’t related to your job. Who knows who might be in the class? Join a recreation class; you get exercise and meet new people, who may be possible employers, or know someone who is hiring.
3. Pamper yourself – get a new haircut, pedicure or a new outfit. You will feel and look good and present well in interviews and when dropping off resumes. The Vancouver Island University Spa Institute offers reduced rates for spa services at the Parksville/Qualicum campus.
4. Get out in the community! Summer is packed full of festivals, markets and special events in the Oceanside area. Volunteer to help out at local events and meet people, gain more skills and enjoy the day. Oceanside Tourism Association has a calendar of local events.
Posted in Employment, Social Media, Workshops | No Comments »
June 23rd, 2010
Recently one of the Career Centre Employment Consultants presented to the Oceanside Construction Association on our local job market. Here is an exerpt of his presentation:
In July of 2008 there was a severe shortage of workers, not just skilled workers but all workers. We were seeing wages rise as a result and there was poaching going on in several industries as the challenge to find workers increased.
This scenario changed rapidly by the fall of 2008 when the banking system collapsed in the US creating a recession that would affect all sectors of the business world. In the Oceanside area we have not seen a lot of job loss as a direct result of the recession but there has been a significant reduction in hiring and there are also still a lot of people moving in to the Oceanside area. These are mainly families who are bringing great skills with them and are looking for a lifestyle change.
I am optimistic about the labour market both in the Oceanside area and Vancouver Island in general. I base that optimism on the following indicators:
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Construction, Major Projects, Trades | No Comments »
June 9th, 2010
June 7 to June 13, 2010 is Tourism Week in Canada. The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) indicates in their media information kit that Tourism is a $71.5 billion industry, making it bigger than the fishery, forestry and agriculture industries combined. In 2009 a total of 1.8 million people were employed in the tourism sector in Canada, which represents nearly 11% of all employment in the country.
The 2006 Census shows that in Parksville 25% of the labour force worked in sales and services (a tourism related field) and it is no secret that we are a vacation destination. So is tourism right for you? The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council has a great website, Discover Tourism, that provides interactive quizzes and career profiles to further investigate various jobs in the industry. The website even has different sections relevant to youth, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and mature workers. Go2 is a B.C. focused website with even more information on the tourism industry and it provides a job posting page. If you know you want to work in the tourism field in Oceanside, check out the business directory on the Oceanside Tourism Association website for a list by category of employers in the industry.
Posted in Tourism | No Comments »
June 3rd, 2010
The recent economic downturn has resulted in some tough times for job seekers. However BC Stats is showing some positive results for the first quarter in 2010 and here at the Career Centre there is a definite increase of job postings on our website.
The Provincial Government has recently posted Labour Market Outlook for 2009 to 2019 on the WorkBC website and 208,000 job openings are expected for the Vancouver Island/Coast region over the ten-year period. It is estimated that 60% of these job openings will be due to replacement demand and 40% will be from expansion. Across B.C. the largest number of job openings are expected in:
Sales and Service Occupations
Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations
Business, Finance and Administration Occupations
“In Vancouver Island/Coast, Masonry and plastering trades is expected to have the highest growth rate at 4.3 percent per year. Two health occupations including physicians and registered nurses occupy the second and third spots.” Of course no projection can be completely accurate, but being aware of this information can assist a job seeker make a more educated decision in their future.
Posted in Labour Market, Projections | No Comments »
May 20th, 2010
Major projects are making the news these days and Canada’s Action Plan website has a page where you can search projects using an interactive map. If you are able to relocate and have a background in construction or the trades here are a few you may want to follow up on:
- Site C Clean Energy Project. The province has recently announced they will move foward with this project. The Site C Project will be the third dam on the Peace River in northeastern BC and will produce enough electricity to power appoximately 410,000 homes per year. The provincial government news release indicates this project will “contribute to the local and provincial economy by creating an estimated 7,650 direct construction jobs through the construction period, and up to 35,000 direct and indirect jobs through all stages of the project.”
- The December 2009 Major Projects Inventory for BC highlighted two large projects in our region that have started construction: Channel Ridge Village on Salt Spring Island (estimated value $200 million) and a $91 million Central Vancouver Island Transmission Reinforcement project in the Nanaimo area.
- A May 6 News Release from the Provincial Government has announced the construction of two new major metal mines: Copper mountain outside Princeton and the New Afton Mine outside Kamloops. “Copper Mountain is expected to provide about 200 jobs during the construction and another 250 when the mine is fully operational. at New Afton, up to 5550 jobs will be created during construction and 250 when the mine is fully operational.”
Interested in learning more about upcoming projects in our area and other labour market information? Attend our workshop Beyond the Postings: Finding Work in Oceanside. The next date is Wednesday June 2nd, 9:30am to 12:30pm.
Posted in Employment, Major Projects, Mining | No Comments »
May 18th, 2010
The Service Canada Centre for Youth is now open at Suite #201, 60 Front Street in Nanaimo. The Youth Centre assists students in their search for summer employment by connecting them with local employers and helping them prepare their resumes and cover letters and apply for Social Insurance Numbers. Youth served are generally 15 – 30 years of age.
The Centre also offers a Casual Labour Program. It’s a great option to gain skills and make some money while you seek full time summer employment. Call the Centre to register initially (250-754-0222, Local 477) and then you need to call every morning to have your name added to the list for the day.
The office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm until August 20th. For more information check out the
Youth Canada Website and the Service Canada Student Job Bank.
Posted in Seasonal Employment, Youth | No Comments »
May 6th, 2010
Are you one of the many people who have moved to the Oceanside area for the beauty, the climate, the small town lifestyle, or to help care for aging family members? If you are, welcome to our community and our Career Centre! On a daily basis, talented people come in to our agency to discuss their return to work goals. Although they bring a plethora of skills and experiences, they may be challenged by the lack of companies here that are similar to those they have experience in.
For some, creating a job is the solution. Business ideas are everywhere and so are resources that can help. The number of books, websites, and blogs related to self employment is endless. Google “business ideas” and see what comes up. One blog, The Dreaming Cafe, links to other websites that profile businesses and provide endless business ideas. I was intrigued by a wearable hummingbird feeder. While that might not be a viable business idea for you, reading resources like these helps to get creative thoughts flowing. Some experts say that when you think about an unmet need that people are prepared to pay for, that’s a potential business. Here are three sources of support in the district:
- Community Futures recently opened an office in Parksville where current or potential entrepreneurs can get free advice.
- Creating Your Own Employment, a free workshop we offer, is scheduled for Friday, June 11th from 9am to 12pm. In this workshop, participants will examine trends for potential business ideas, complete an Entrepreneurial Assessment, find out about resources, and listen to advice from self-employed members of the community.
- Check out the links under the self employment tab on the Career Centre website.
Posted in Business, Self employment | 1 Comment »
