It’s also back-to-school for the Montreal YWCA, and we are pleased to announce that our different employability programs will be starting up. Our focus for the 2020 back-to-school season is hope.
The need for employability services has undergone a total about-face thanks to the pandemic and self-isolation measures imposed upon us this spring. As compared to full employment at the start of the year, our current employment situation represents a radical change. For women in particular, there has been a significant drop in employment, to levels reminiscent of the situation approximately 30 years ago. There has been an exponential increase in the number of women who lost their job, who need to change direction, or who simply need to get a first job in order to make ends meet.
Want to help women who are facing job-related difficulties?
Donate to Women’s Y Foundation.
Fortunately, the Montreal YWCA has opened its doors and offers resources to help women navigate this new chapter in their lives.
The Montreal YWCA offers several programs that meet the various needs of Montreal women:
- Women’s Work Integration Program: This program provides support to and trains women, whether they are entering the labour market for the first time or returning to the workforce after several years. This program is funded by Emploi-Québec. Classes begin on September 2 and are offered in a hybrid classroom format and online.
- OSE (Orientation and Services for Employment): If a woman is considering a career change, guidance counsellors are available to provide help. Participation in this program has increased significantly since the reopening of the economy. This support is provided as soon as a participant requires help, on an as-needed basis. This program is funded by Emploi-Québec.
- Fringues & Cie: This is a training program that takes place in a combination boutique-school; its objective is to provide participants with their very first retail experience, after which they receive a certificate recognized by the province of Quebec. This program is funded by Emploi-Québec. Classes begin on September 2.
- S’Entreprendre: This program provides support to women entrepreneurs or women returning to school and is funded by the Lise Watier Foundation.
In its desire to continuously innovate, the YWCA has adapted its programs to meet the new needs of women wishing to find a (new) job and also comply with public health requirements. Indeed, teleconferencing tools training have been added so that participants can learn to use those tools to eventually be interviewed or work remotely. Also, the training format has been modified so that some sessions can be offered online.
Here are some colleagues that had something to say about YWCA Montreal’s employability services
“This year, our organization celebrates its 145th anniversary; we have been offering employability services since 1885. It goes without saying: the autonomy of employed women is at the heart of the Montreal YWCA’s mission. This autonomy is paramount to providing freedom to women wishing to live a life that aligns with their values and to which they have a right. The pandemic has totally transformed the face of the job market and has exacerbated women’s vulnerabilities. Here, hope is the order of the day… Especially this year!” – Mélanie Thivierge, CEO of the YWCA Montreal
“Our programs meet several needs, from providing immigrant women with their first job experience in Quebec, to receiving retraining support that is consistent with their skills, to help in launching their own business. Regardless of the situation she finds herself in, the participant who has registered for a program that meets her needs will receive help from professionals and will have access to all Montreal YWCA services, which include, among others, psycho-social follow-up services and the legal information clinic. By coming to the YWCA, she will equip herself with the tools she needs to succeed.” – Antonella Talarico, coordinator of the Montreal YWCA’s employability services
“Even though they often find themselves in a bad situation when they come to us – a precarious financial situation, concerns regarding their abilities and skills, concerns about the future – our participants gradually evolve over the course of the program. The relationships that they build and the opportunities that open themselves up to them when they complete the program are a testimony to the relevance of what we are doing. When the graduation takes place, the graduates talk about how proud they are of having chosen a new life by taking that first step of registering in the Women’s Work Integration program.” – Léa Gosselin, employment counsellor with the Women’s Work Integration Program
Want to help women who are facing job-related difficulties?
Donate to Women’s Y Foundation.