Due to the upcoming Thanksgiving long weekend, our Centre will have extended hours on Thursday:

  • October 7 to 9 (Mon to Wed) - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • October 10 (Thu) - 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • October 11 (Fri) - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • October 12 to 14 (Sat to Mon) - CLOSED

My Barriers Don’t Define Me

Posted at:
shaking hands

Hi, my name is Sara and I came to Canada in 2006. I have always wanted to be in a field where I am able to help other people. Being an immigrant, I faced a few challenges and therefore wanted to guide others from my experiences. However, it was very hard for me to get into such a career without Canadian work experience and certification. Like many immigrants, this was my major barrier.

I started working as an admin person with the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction as well as did a lot of volunteer work for non-profit organizations including the Muslim Foodbank. After a lot of struggle and doing some basic survival jobs, I came to know about Project Based Labour Market Training (PBLMT) offered by Options Community Services. I learned that this training was fully funded by the Province of BC, including the work experience! It got me really excited and I registered with WorkBC Employment Services for a referral to this training.

With the help of WorkBC Employment Services, I took the Multicultural Worker Training program which was a 22-week long course. During the training, I received a fixed living support stipend, which immensely helped me, as I had no other source of income at that time.

After completing my training, the doors of success opened up for me and I started working as a Client Service Navigator immediately. I am successfully employed and applying my knowledge and skills from the training on a daily basis. At work, I help people coming from diverse backgrounds like Francophones, refugees, immigrants, youth, people with disabilities, and multi barriers. 

I am grateful to the WorkBC Team and Options Community Services for providing a long waited opportunity for me to be successful. The training got me closer to my goals!

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.