Career Bridges is designed to assist individuals in career exploration, planning and decision making. The program encompasses three employability dimensions which include diagnostic/self assessment/skills enhancement, job search/employability skills and work exposure.

Within these employability dimensions there are program components designed to assist individuals to become active in finding new career directions and goals, to obtain a renewed sense of personal control, experience increased self-esteem and self-confidence, to channel their feelings into positive and constructive action, to develop a group support network that will help them organize and market their skills, as well as gain a realistic attitude toward the future that will facilitate a return to productive employment.

Career Bridges will provide participants opportunities to express their feelings associated with career development and change, identify their skills and learn about the ability to transfer their skills to various settings, as well as develop their personal and professional resources for their own success to career continuation and change.

Our objective is for participants to emerge from our program with a deeper sense of who they are and what they want to do resulting in career options that will increase job satisfaction and success.

Based on a needs assessment conducted by an employment counsellor at Career Development Services, Career Bridges, will tailor a program to meet participant’s needs.

Throughout the program, the emphasis is on a proactive approach to career planning. The greatest possible involvement by each participant is essential. Each participant is assigned a case manager who is accountable to him/her for the duration of the program. The Case Manager discusses with each participant, his/her identified goals, concerns, and the desired outcomes. The participant and the case manage will develop a plan of action to implement these goals. The staff will monitor and evaluate each participant’s progress throughout the program providing on-going feedback and support in the planning process. This feedback process is two-way as clients will be asked to do daily and weekly evaluations on the program effectiveness and interests in relation to identified program goals.

All participants have access to career guidance with the staff at Career Bridges. The staff will provide guidance and assistance in establishing realistic short and long-term vocational goals consistent with identified interests, values and abilities.

A Typical Day

One participant’s day will be different from another based on an individual’s needs. For example, one person may have a lot of work experience and has been referred to Career Bridges to build upon his/her present skills. Another individual may be reentering the workforce and has been referred to for career decision making. However, even though everyone’s situation is unique, there will be many issues that everyone will share as a group.

Our program is designed to allow participation to take many forms as there are various strategies to achieve program goals. These include but are not limited to interests, values and personality inventories to encourage self-discovery and confirmation, ability assessment and career exploration activities, resume writing, enhancing communication skills, and guest speakers.

The program is a 12 week program consisting of three phases: