The province's new employment program will be ready to open its doors across B.C., including in Prince George, a top government official said this week.
The centrepiece in this city will be a WorkBC Employment Services Centre at 1511 Third Ave., just off Victoria Street, in downtown Prince George and it is on schedule to open Monday.
"The way that we manage this, as a very big and complex project, is we looked at whether things are green, yellow or red and right now they're green across the board," said Ministry of Social Development assistant deputy minister Allison Bond.
There was a time when there were 10 separate federal and provincial employment programs, each with different eligibility criteria and services - some of which overlapped - and they were all managed through 400 different contracts across B.C.
It made things "extraordinarily confusing," not only for jobseekers but for contract holders. So when the provincial government took over administration of federal program funding, an 18-month push towards an integrated system was carried out.
"We now have a one-stop shop where an individual can go in, they will get assessed for how ready they are, they will have access to the full suite of services for which they're eligible from that one place," Bond said.
Kopar Administration Ltd. has signed a five-year contract to deliver the program in this city. The contract is worth up to $10.1 million a year depending largely on how many clients are served and the success Kopar and collaborating agencies have in finding jobs for them.
There will also be three satellite offices catering to specialized populations and run by partner organizations: Carrier Sekani Family Services, 987 Fourth Ave.; Collge ducacentre College, 1752 Fir St.; Prince George Young Men's Christian Association, 2020 Massey Drive.
"There are some specialized services that are going to be better addressed through a separate door, so to speak," Bond said.
Several other service providers are also involved: Sandra Day and Associates Ltd.; TRADES (UFCW Local 24); Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association; Prince George and District Elizabeth Fry Society; Prince George Brain Injured Group; AiMHi; and Immigrant and Multicultural Services.
