A program to help unemployed people find work has officially launched in Red Deer.
Manpower's Career Leap offers resume building, funding for short courses and workshops designed to help the unemployed find work.
“The purpose of the program is to really help those who are unemployed, seeking to get back into the workforce, by helping them upscale or work towards transitioning into perhaps another industry and get back into the workforce,” said Manpower Director of Workforce Development Heidi Brandley.
Career Leap also offers a career consultant that helps match employers who need to fill vacancies.
According to a recent employment outlook survey done by Manpower, 17 per cent of employers in central Alberta report they will be hiring in the upcoming fiscal quarter.
“That is the greatest outlook that we’re seeing in the province of Alberta,” said Manpower CEO Randy Upright. “It’s a sign that the employers in central Alberta have an optimistic expectation about what is going to happen in the upcoming quarter.”
Career Leap has been running in Red Deer since April, where 50 people have accessed the service.
“The program helped me to get some confidence to market myself as an employee because after college it’s difficult to get employed without much experience," said Ivan Pozihun, who has been in the program for about a month. "I received some help with creating my resume, also I was coached on how to go on an interview; the workshops are very useful.”
Pozihun hopes to get a job in accounting or bookkeeping.
Career Leap is already offered in Edmonton, Calgary, Airdrie and Fort McMurray.
“We’ve had huge impact across the province,” said Brandley. “We’ve had over 500 successful job placements coming through this program so far.”
Career Leap is offered at no cost to participants and is funded by the province.
