Operational hours for the holiday season:

  • Dec. 23 (Mon) - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Dec. 24 (Tues) - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Dec. 25 - 26 (Wed and Thurs) - CLOSED 
  • Dec. 27 (Fri) -  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Dec. 28 (Sat) - 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Dec. 29 (Sun) - CLOSED
  • Dec. 30 - 31 (Mon and Tues) - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Jan. 1 (Wed) - CLOSED
  • Jan. 2 (Thurs) - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Jan. 3 (Fri) - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Jan. 4 (Sat) - 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  

Found Myself!

Posted at:
stethoscope, calculator, and billing for treatment

Hello, my name is Tabassum and I am originally from India. I came to Canada as an immigrant with my husband. When I landed in BC, I started working as a warehouse associate with Amazon, and later joined Lululemon where I worked for four months. The job was really tiring and due to financial instability and being a victim of domestic violence, I decided to leave that job and look for better options to support myself.

I heard about WorkBC Employment Services and registered with Surrey-Newton. My employment counsellor was a gem of a person who listened to my situation with her full attention. She guided me at the time, as I didn’t know anything about WorkBC or the new immigrants’ career path process.

Due to a lack of Canadian certification and instability at my previous jobs in Canada, my self-confidence was very low and I was confused and badly in need of skills that were required for jobs at that time. I decided to shift my career and decided to opt for a health career assistant course. My counsellor helped me choose the best course that aligned with my interests.

Even after my enrollment in the Medical Office Assistant (MOA) program, I was unsure and faced challenges as I was in the middle of changing my career. The MOA program was a really tough one for me for many reasons, one being the language barrier. The team at WorkBC helped me throughout and gave me the confidence I had lost in my job search struggle. I cleared my CLBPT English eligibility ranking to get into the college and completed my MOA certification with a 10-week practicum.

Soon things started to fall into place. I was hired at my practicum and successfully completed my second week at work in February 2022. I am truly thankful to everyone who supported me in my journey especially my counsellor at WorkBC Centre, Surrey-Newton. They not only helped me establish my career but supported me emotionally as well.

As a new immigrant. I wanted to express my personal gratitude to WorkBC for the efforts and extra time you have contributed.  Thank you for creating personal confidence in me. You made me (myself).

WorkBC

WorkBC is the provincial government's access point to the world of work in British Columbia. It was created with one key goal — to help all British Columbians to successfully navigate B.C.'s labour market.