ATHABASCA — A local organization connecting job seekers with positions and employers in the area got a fresh start in a new building this spring and wants Athabascans to come celebrate with a grand opening — complete with free food and air conditioning — this week.
Athabasca Employment Services is one of three branches of Whitecourt Employment Services operating in the Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock area. On July 16, the Athabasca branch is celebrating their grand opening, or a grand re-opening, according to employment facilitator Nadine Byers.
“We’ve actually been operating here in Athabasca for more than 10 years,” said Byers in a July 10 interview. The organization receives funds and direction on what services to offer through contracts with the provincial government.
“It depends on what the nature of those contracts are as to what kind of services that we offer, but in some capacity, we’ve been doing things here for quite some time,” she added.
The grand opening event, slated to run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will mark the services move from Turnabout Place Avenue to its new location at 4803C 50 Street, beside 3% Realty Progress and Morning Star Ink.
Local staple Minhgo’s Way food truck will be in attendance, and the first 85 guests will receive a $12 voucher for lunch. The new office is also equipped with air conditioning, a perfect retreat from the midday summer heat.
According to Byers, one of their active contracts requires a brick-and-mortar location for in-person delivery of services. After entering the contract, Athabasca Employment Services secured their first space in March 2023, but Byers said herself and facilitator Nicole Kerr noticed a need for a larger space to serve clients with a range of needs.
“We’re able to meet a little bit more individually, before we just had one big open room,” said Byers. “We can each be meeting with people, we can have a couple people using the computers if they need, as well as having an additional staff member.”
Byers and Kerr provide three different levels of service to clients of Athabasca Employment Services. An open job board is available for anyone to drop in and browse, and the office has computers and internet for jobseekers without access at home.
Job Club is another service, which allows individuals looking for help with their resume, cover letters, and other aspects of the application process to get advice and assistance. Job Club clients are short-term, typically served by facilitators with one or two sessions.
Last, but far from least, Byers and Kerr have a set of clients they assist and collaborate with on a long-term basis.
“Those people need to be unemployed or underemployed, and we basically work with them from start to finish,” said Byers. “Some people have relatively few barriers, and some have more.”
Obstacles to full-time employment can include access to childcare, transportation to and from work, education and certifications, as well as disabilities. Services offered for differently abled individuals include weekly Wednesday workshops, which can touch on topics like social cues.
“We’re just trying to get people more job-ready and confident,” said Byers. “We’ve noticed a lot of confidence that comes with coming out and being around other people who have some of the same challenges.”
Since they began in-person services in March of last year, Byers and Kerr have served more than 120 individuals, ranging from differently-abled clients to one-time drop-ins and high school students. According to a whiteboard on the wall of the new office, 68 people have found work thanks to Athabasca Employment Services.
“If people do want to access our services, they can self-refer, or we get people referred to us through Alberta Supports,” said Byers. “If there is someone in the community that wants some help, we are here to help them, and our services are free.”
