Flowercart’s Transition to Work project

The project helps young adults reach their goal of getting and keeping a job. Action Plans are developed with each participant and, as appropriate, his/her community support people, to facilitate reaching this goal. A participant may be enrolled in the project for a maximum of 52 weeks.

The Transition to Work project is located at Site 4, 8740 Commercial Street, New Minas, NS. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8:30 – 4:00. To contact the project employees, call 902-681-0824 or email Jennine Wilson.

Transition to Work is funded by Service Canada.

The project has three components: employability workshops and training, community project activities, and work experience placements.

Employability workshops

Workshops take place in the Transition-to-Work workshop room; most are facilitated by the TTW Employment Counselor—some are given by other Flowercart staff or experts in the community. Workshops follow the broad principles of adult education and employ a range of teaching approaches and strategies. The material is adapted from the Conference Board of Canada’s Employability Skills 2000 document. The sequence of topics is tailored to the needs of the participant/employees. Life-skills, which are deemed essential to perform well on the job, are an essential component of the curriculum.

The topics covered in employability workshops vary. A sample list follows.

1. Leadership
2. Communication skills
3. Problem solving
4. Career Decision-making
5. Community standards
6. Mock interviews
7. Job searching
8. Resumes
9. Job applications
10. Cover letters
11. Goals
12. Recycling
13. Informational interviews
14. Phone skills
15. Stress management
16. Budgets and money management

Project Activities

Project activities are employment-like jobs/tasks that are completed individually or in groups with the support of a Transition-to-Work employee. They occur within the Transition-to-Work workshop room as well as within segregated and integrated locations in the community. They also include tours, job shadowing, interviews, and field trips. These activities provide opportunities for skill development and practice of work and employability skills.

Project activities vary. A sample list follows.

1. Salon cleaning
2. Labeling raspberry boxes
3. Car wash and car care
4. Office cleaning
5. Cinema cleaning
6. Door-to-door with flyers
7. Vegetable prep
8. Training-Food Handlers course
9. Training-First Aid and CPR
10. Training-WHMIS and Occupational Health and Safety

A participant can participate in employability workshops and project activities for a maximum of 720 hrs. (approximately 24 weeks) during his/her enrollment in the project.

Work Experience Placements

After assessment and / or training the participants begin community work placements at employers of their choice. Many participants in the project will go on 3 or 4 different placements during their time in the project.

Past employers have included:

1. Nursing home
2. Animal hospital
3. Hardware store
4. Dog groomer
5. Restarant
6. Grocery store
7. Department store
8. Arts center
9. Landscaping company
10. Gas bar / car wash
11. Print shop
12. Private school
13. Stable
14. Bargain store
15. Golf course
16. Gift shop

Following are the criteria an applicant must meet to be accepted into the project:

1. Multiple barriers to employment
2. Intellectual or learning disability
3. Between 15 and 30 years of age
4. Out of school
5. Canadian Citizen
6. Not on Employment Insurance
7. Legally entitled to work in Canada

For application information please link here

QUESTIONS EMPLOYERS FREQUENTLY ASK

Who pays the participants’ wages?
Flowercart pays wages through the Transition to Work (TTW) project. TTW workers are Flowercart employees and are paid minimum wage for each hour of work while on work experience.

How many hours may the participant work?
Up to eight hours a day: five days a week. Hours are flexible to match the employer’s and participant’s needs. Participants can be available for shifts outside the normal 9 am to 5 pm workday.

What days of the week are participants available to work?
Any day!

Whose insurance covers the participant while they are on work placement?
For the entire placement each participant is covered by Flowercart’s Commercial General Liability Insurance and Workers Compensation. A certificate of insurance and clearance letter can be issued if requested.

What if an employer wants to hire a Transition to Work participant?
An employer who is hosting a work placement can decide at anytime to offer the participant a job. The process would be the same as hiring anyone else. Once hired the person would be covered by the employer’s insurance.


Interested?
Contact Transition to Work at:
Site 4, 8740 Commercial Street, New Minas, NS.
Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8:30 – 4:00.
902-681-0824
email: Jennine Wilson