Education and Job Skills for Employment
If you're an Ontario Works participant and don't have your high school diploma or if you're applying for social assistance, you may be asked to complete a brief literacy screening questionnaire.
This questionnaire will help identify whether difficulty with reading or writing is a barrier for you to get and keep a job.
The results may show that you should take part in a literacy assessment and / or a training program to improve your skills. Improving your skills could help you to reach your employment goals.
We can help you create a plan for:
- General Education Diploma
- High school credits and workplace skills
- English as a Second Language
- Adult learning
Your casemanager has information about program options and locations across Niagara. Ask how you can get started.
Job skills training
Our Ontario Works staff has up-to-date knowledge of Niagara's labour market and its current needs.
We'll work with you to identify your strengths, skills and interests and help you access industry-standard training to prepare you for employment in an in-demand job field in Niagara.
We work with many partners who offer specific training in fields such as health care, hospitality and tourism, sales and service, security and office administration.
Skills and development assessment
During one of your early meetings with your casemanager, you will complete a skills and development assessment. The assessment identifies your current skills, your short-term and long-term goals, and what you need to do to reach your goals.
The assessment helps you and your casemanager create an action plan as part of your participation agreement. The plan helps to move you towards employment and financial independence.
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Skills
For the purpose of the assessment, your current skills are divided into two categories.
Transferable skills
These skills are transferable from one job field to another and are useful in many employment situations, such as:
- Problem solving
- Oral communication
- Punctuality
- Reliability
Job-specific skills
These skills are more specific to a particular job field, such as:
- Advanced computer skills
- Carpentry
- Customer service
- Retail sales
You will also be asked to include:
- Any trades that you have experience in, such as masonry, mechanics, hairstyling
- Languages that you know
- Any certificates, diplomas and licences, such as first aid, CPR, health and safety
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Development
This area of the assessment deals with your short-term and long-term goals and what kind of help you'll need to reach your goal.
Job-specific skills training
Training may include:
- Computer basics
- Hospitality and tourism
- Food service
Basic education
Training may include:
- High school equivalency
- Adult education
- English as a second language
Employment services
- Resume workshop
- Job-readiness workshop
- Self-employment workshop
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