Job-Ready Training for New Canadians
Partnership with Action for Healthy Communities
The CLAC Foundation has partnered with Action for Healthy Communities (AHC), an Edmonton-based charity, to provide the training that new Canadians need to be job-ready.
Courses currently offered include WHMIS, CSTS, and first aid. When AHC clients finish their various preemployment courses with CLAC Training, they get a jobs profile via CLAC Jobs and have access to job listings. New lists are sent to AHC weekly and AHC staff help clients sort through and apply for jobs.
The foundation and AHC have also created an innovative Community Trainer program. Through it, new Canadians are trained to be certified WHMIS trainers. These new trainers have started supporting other newcomers who need WHMIS training at AHC. This is particularly beneficial for newcomers who are still working on their English. By having a trainer who speaks their native language, they are able to engage in the material more fully.
About AHC
AHC is a registered charity serving the needs of youth, seniors, and adults in Greater Edmonton. AHC’s objective since its creation in the 1990s is “to build the capacity of individuals and groups to improve their lives and communities through a unique community building process, including support, mentoring, and training.” That training now includes courses with CLAC Training through the CLAC Foundation. The employment and integration program is also supported by the federal government and a number of other organizations. AHC provides everything from employment counselling to a resource room to training to get people into the workforce.
The AHC employment team is responsive, client-centred, and skills-focussed. They maintain a big-picture view to support job seekers to build individual and community capacity. Rather than look only to the immediate issues, they continue to develop and implement programming, resources, and relationships to help to transform systemic barriers. This allows them to truly pursue newcomer integration and meet community development goals.
