Thank you.
Hello. My name is June Muir. I am the CEO of the Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor, Ontario. With me today is Pat Katona, the supervisor of the targeted initiative for older workers program.
I thought I'd give you a little background and history about the Unemployed Help Centre, the UHC. The UHC was established in 1977 to respond to the needs of the unemployed and under-employed in Windsor and Essex County. We offer many programs and services geared to older workers, youth, and newcomers seeking employment. We also offer social services to meet the basic needs of individuals and families through our “Keep the Heat” program, food bank, community kitchen, and a food rescue program.
We are proud recipients of the Minister's Award of Excellence and the Minister's Award of Excellence in Service Results from MTCU, and champions of the education award from the Greater Essex County District School Board.
The UHC has provided the TIOW, the targeted initiative for older workers program, since July, 2010. I thought I would give you a bit of a program description of this program.
This program provides training at no cost to teach displaced workers aged 55 to 64 who require new or enhanced skills to transition into new employment. The program provides six different certifications and two licences, if required. If you were an older worker and you lost your job, just imagine how difficult it would be to find a job when you faced multiple barriers and didn't have a centre like ours to come to and someone to coach and help you, and if you did not have on-site programs.
Why do we need this program? Windsor has the highest unemployment rate in Ontario, because of the closures surrounding the automotive industry. Of the workers displaced, 24% are aged 55 or greater and lack the skills needed to find alternative and viable employment. Most laid-off workers cannot afford to pay for retraining. Most of them are facing losing their homes and are trying to feed their families. There is no money to retrain.
Short-term training will provide the older workers with the skills and the knowledge to regain access to the current job market, at no cost to them. Our programs are short term to allow them to get out there and work again.
Without this TIOW training program, which is funded, older workers may experience devastating financial hardship, mental and physical health issues, and isolation that will have a domino effect upon their families and the community as a whole.
What are the weaknesses of older workers ? They lack the essential skills needed to pursue their chosen career path; lack the finances to register for training programs to obtain skills required for employment; lack knowledge of how to job search; lack experience to complete job interviews successfully. If you have lost your job and you are going to a job interview, you need coaching; you are not able to get through that interview successfully. They also lack self-confidence and have a feeling of hopelessness. Finally, they lack computer skills and education and face technological changes and job restrictions.
What are their needs? When they come to us, they need the UHC to continue and to expand on the target initiative for older workers training programs: to provide the older workers with the essential skills they require in order to be qualified for the job that's in demand. They need training programs that are at no cost to the older worker; training in job search skills; assistance to determine a new career path, training in interview techniques; education on labour demands; education on what essential skills they require to pursue their chosen career path; certifications, if required, for workplace-specific skills.
And they need the TIOW job developer—this is key—to secure job placement and provide them with the coaching needed to retain the job. Our job developers have relationships with our employers. They speak to the employer; the employer knows how important it is to hire a worker. This job developer helps the older workers with their self-confidence while they're on the job.
What skills have we found employers are looking for in an older worker? They want experienced, skilled workers with transferable skills related to the position; adaptable, reliable, flexible, and loyal workers who have updated skills—including certifications, licensing, and technology training—required for the job; workers with the intelligence and the confidence to plan, organize, set priorities, solve problems, and get the job done; with the experience to take leadership roles and achieve company goals; with the maturity and willingness to work as part of a team and to get along with others.
What are the employers seeing when they hire an older worker versus youth? Through the training provided by us from the TIOW program, workers have the certification, licensing, and skills needed to fill the job, transferable skills, reliability, loyalty, flexibility and proven work ethics. They have the life experience and the maturity to problem-solve, excellent customer-service skills, and emotional intelligence. With no child-care issues or maternity-leave concerns, and seeking financial stability rather than job progression, they're much more content.
What would the benefit be for us if additional training dollars came to the program? We could continue and expand our UHC/TIOW training programs and services offered to the older workers to meet current job demands. Currently, we offer three training programs from the nine promising sectors, and additional dollars would allow us to increase these programs, train more older workers who have become displaced or unemployed who need a program to turn to, provide support dollars to equip workers with the tools needed to assist them in their job search, including transportation, work attire, tools, and other areas of need.
I'm very proud to tell you about the success of our TIOW program, the targeted initiative for older workers. Since the program's inception in July 2010, we have assessed 359 candidates, who came to our centre and went through an information session, and whom we helped to decide if they wanted to start the program. We have employment counsellors who do a short intake. They're there to support and guide them, and help them make their career choice. We're happy to say that 320 started the program, with 270 successfully completing the program and 246 older workers securing employment—some 91%—from what we did to help them.
I've worked at the agency for 12 years. Our employment counsellors are very passionate about what they do. Our job developers are very dedicated. We work with these older workers and they need these programs to continue. We have many success stories that we'd love to share with you. If you'd like to visit our centre, you're always welcome.
We'd like to thank you for the opportunity today to explain our program.