The modern economy requires more of a job-seeker than having a few skills and knowing how to fill in an application.
Most vocations demand college or technical training. To enrol for a program — especially a popular one, such as information technology — you need to pass an entrance test. Some students have to brush up on their math and language abilities to get the “pass” they need.
More are turning to Project Literacy for extra help. The Society provides free tutoring support for adults who want to improve their writing and math skills so they’re better qualified fo the jobs they want.
“All computer-related programs do really well, and graduates are in high demand. But there’s always been a bit of a barrier if you can’t pass the entrance exams or you don’t meet their requirements to get into college. So we’ve been doing more and more of that,” said Executive Director, Diana Groffen.
Simon Guillot found out he needed a tutor. Born and raised in Quebec City, he worked as a computer tech in Quebec until he moved to B.C., five years ago. He landed jobs in construction, landscaping and retail. But when he decided to get back into the computer industry, he realized he had to update his skills at Okanagan College.
“All my computer science courses I had, they are worth nothing,” he said.
Guillot, 39, applied for a two-year program called Network Telecommunication Engineering, which qualifies him to work as a Computer Tech all over Canada. He was unable to get much one-on-one help at the college, so last November he turned to Project Literacy.
He met once a week with tutors, Bonnie Girouard and Bev Mallett — both former teachers, to help him with English so he could write his language proficiency test. Kevin Wood, whose background is IT, worked with Simon on his math, twice a week.
“Part of what we’re trying to do is give people that little step up that they need. Simon came here with all the ability and motivation because he’d done this stuff before. He just needed a little brushing up on things he hadn’t done like fundamental math,” Wood said.
Among other concepts, they focused on exponents — the powers of various numbers — and reviewed how to multiply and divide them. The tutoring got Guillot to finish the line. He passed his entrance exam and started his two-year diploma program this month.
“Project Literacy brought me the extra help I needed,” he said, “I’m really grateful…here was one resource to help me with my math and my English, at the same time.”
“At the college it’s like a big factory. Here, they help you and it’s like if you have more questions, they are just there.”
More than 120 tutors volunteer to help people like Guillot. Project Literacy worked with over 450 learners last year. Four in five of them approach Project Literacy to find a job.
“The province keeps saying ‘we have all these jobs we can’t fill because people aren’t suitably skilled,’” says Groffen, “We’re filling that gap.”