ACFO of London-Sarnia has a vast array of valuable community services and resources available to all French-speaking persons and Francophiles in the London-Sarnia area. Services are provided in French and in English. If you looking for employment or you are an employer looking for qualified bilingual job seekers, we are here to assist you!

Employment Counselling

For job seekers, we offer…
· one-on-one job search assistance and career planning;
· help with resume writing;
· assistance with the Skills Development Program;
· various workshops on job search techniques.

For employers, we offer…
· a database of bilingual job seekers;
· wage subsidies for qualified employees.

Skills Development Program

The Skills Development Program is sponsored by Human Resource Development Canada (Service Canada). The purpose of the Program is to provide financial support to the eligible unemployed individuals in acquiring skills through education and training. The candidate’s employment action plan (Return to Work Action Plan-- RTWAP) shows that the lack of skills is an obstacle to employment and that the training or education requested constitutes the most direct route to employment.

Who can apply:

1. Individuals for whom an unemployment benefit period has been established or has ended     within the 36 months prior to the date of requesting assistance; or

2. Individuals for whom a benefit period that included a maternity or parental claim has been     established within the 60 months prior to the date of requested assistance, after which the     individual remained out of the labour market in order to care for a newborn or newly-adopted     child and is now seeking to re-enter the workforce.

How do I apply?

To apply for the skills development program, it is necessary to meet a case-manager or employment counsellor at the Resource Center of ACFO of London-Sarnia. The designated counsellor will assist you in writing an employment action plan and with processing your training application.

Call (519) 675-3816 between 9am - 5pm or by e-mail at cre@acfo-ls.org for more information or to book an appointment with a counsellor.

Job Search Techniques and Career Exploration Workshops

Why take these workshops?

Should you want to develop a better understanding of what careers paths are right for you, receive assistance with your career development planning, write a better resume or improve your job search techniques, these workshops will be of great benefit. Please note that the workshops are offered in French only.

Some highlights of our workshops:

· dynamic, experienced and bilingual facilitators;

· groups from 2 to 8 persons that allow personalized attention in a friendly, positive and relaxed   setting;

· individual follow-up with an Employment Counsellor who will assist you in your job or career   search.

Workshop Description:

Career Exploration

The goal of this workshop is to help you explore career choices that will suit your individual situation and personality. A series of questionnaires will help you prioritize your needs and examine the factors that are important to the process of choosing a career. The workshop will guide you in narrowing down career choices and establish the necessary actions to achieve your goals.

Duration: 5 days (including the True Colours workshop)

True Colours

The True Colours workshop discusses the Don Lowry four personality types. The workshop will help you identify your personality type, main colour, and secondary colours. Participants begin to see themselves and others around them in a new light and are able to improve their communication skills either in their personal or professional lives. The workshop is educational and entertaining as well!

Duration: 5 hours

Job-Search Techniques Workshop

The goal of this workshop is to give job seekers an overview of the process and the different tools used in job search. Themes discussed are: job market, resume writing, networking, telephone skills, interviews, follow-ups, etc. The workshop will be adapted to the needs to the participants to improve their individual job search techniques.

Duration: 5 days (including the Resume Writing workshop)

Resume Writing – The Self-Promoting Tool

The Resume Writing Workshop is part of the Job Search Techniques Workshop. The goal of this one-day workshop is to help participants write professional resumes and to offer them the tools to build and update their own resume with minimum assistance. The structure and the various types of resumes will be reviewed, including the SnapShot resume and how to avoid common resume mistakes.

Duration: 3 hours (or more to help participants write their own resumes)

Call (519) 675-3816 between 9am - 5pm or by e-mail at cre@acfo-ls.org for the workshop schedule or to register.

Our resources:

· Books, brochures, newspapers and other job search materials in French and English.
· Computer and Internet access., fax and photocopy services.
· Brochures and other information on community services in London.
· Directories of Canadian colleges and universities.
· A comprehensive and updated computer software “CHOICES/CHOIX”. This personal career   planning software program is designed to help you discover more about yourself and assist you   in making more informed career choices and training options.

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