ATHABASCA — Town councillors had an opportunity to hear about the barriers — and solutions — to employment in and around Athabasca as part of a presentation from Athabasca Employment Services after opening a brick-and-mortar location in town earlier this year.
During the Nov. 21 meeting, councillors voted unanimously — Coun. Jon LeMessurier was absent — to accept employment facilitators Nicole Kerr and Nadine Byer’s presentation as information.
Athabasca Employment Services, a division of Whitecourt Employment Services, provides a range of free assistance for job seekers in Athabasca County and Calling Lake. Services include help with resume and cover letter development, applications for programs such as Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) and Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), and learner licence prep courses.
“We found that serving people in person is definitely the way to go, face-to face has been missed for the last three years so it’s definitely been helpful,” said Kerr. The in-person offices in Athabasca, Westlock, Barrhead, and Whitecourt opened in March 2023, after serving clients via remote and in-person appointments at various community locations for 16 years.
Byers said in addition to providing weekly services for clients referred by themselves and Alberta Supports, one-time services for employment seekers are also part of the organization’s workload. It also hosts workshops on employment search and retention skills and gathers data on employment status following service provision.
Since the organization’s storefront doors, located in Turnabout Avenue Place at 5412 50 Ave, opened in March, around 60 clients have been served, and services are in demand. “In the last two weeks we have seen a drastic jump in the number of people who are accessing our services,” said Byers.
Kerr attributed the increase in community need to the holiday crunch and the change of season. Christmas shopping is on many Albertan’s to-do lists, and colder weather can mean higher utility bills.
Widespread support
Athabasca Employment Services was awarded funding under the Youth Development, Career Planning and Transition to the Workforce pilot program in May and has since started working with Edwin Parr Composite (EPC) High School. The partnership aids students in the community with skill development, career readiness, learners and driver's licence preparation, and connecting student volunteers with opportunities.
Kerr said Athabasca Employment Services will collaborate with EPC for the school’s career fair in May 2024, and will also be hosting keynote speaker Kristen Cumming, who hails from Edmonton, in February to speak to local municipal leaders and businesses involved with the Athabasca and District Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to the youth-centred services, Athabasca Employment Services acts as a resource hub. The pair noted they’ve referred clients to different resources in the area, including Dragonfly Counselling, which aims to help survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Both Kerr and Byers stressed the universality of the organization’s services. “You have to continually be reminded of the services that are out there, and have them made relevant to you in the moment,” said Byers.
Byers and Kerr said a chunk of their work focuses on removing barriers for locals to access job opportunities. Barriers can include costs of mandatory safety tickets and first aid training, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE).
Byers said while outfitting a recent client in PPE, she noticed prices for gear have jumped significantly in the last few months.
Mayor Rob Balay thanked the pair for their presentation and noted data collected from the organization may be useful for the newly-restructured Athabasca Regional Economic Development Committee.
“We will be trying to build cases to get grant money from the federal government for housing,” said Balay.
Coun. Sara Graling added the data and information in the presentation could help the town advocate for Athabasca Employment Services, and encouraged the pair to present to council on a regular basis.
“We have some idea, as a community of the (barriers), but when you get those reports in your hand it really helps you to improve the conversations you have.”
