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Participant Overview

Passport to Employment

 

A program specifically designed to meet the employment and learning needs

of individuals between the ages of 55-64.

 

Passport to Employment provides opportunities for the mature worker to take a number of "employment journeys".  Through Passport, participants build their job search strategies, confidence and employment readiness skills for specific industries.

 

Canada is entering a unique period of its workplace history.  The Canadian economy is expanding and workers are required. "Freedom 55" is being abandoned and being replaced  with "the invaluable older worker".

 

Workers who remain in the workforce beyond age 55 fall into four main categories:

 Those who:

1.      Want to continue working either full time or part time with no plans to retire.

2.      Want to retire but need to keep working.

3.      Retire, but begin new work experiences because they want to.

4.      Are unemployed and are seeking employment.

 

Passport to Employment Training

 

Part A:   Generic Employability Strategies

 

Job Search Skills:   The federal mandate of Passport to Employment is to provide training in four employability areas; Resume, Computer Skills, Interviews, and Job Portfolio.

 

Transformational Learning:   Mature workers bring a lifetime of personal and work experience to the work place. Most do not want to begin a new “career”. Passport identifies participants’ prior knowledge, and work experiences and shows participants how to link their knowledge and skills to new work experiences.

 

Workplace Communication:   Many mature workers feel there is a gap between their age group and younger workers. Workplace communication is designed to demonstrate to participants how to address the issue, and to gain confidence and better understanding of their age and stage of life.   

 

Health Knowledge and Health Profile:   A major issue with mature workers is workplace wellness.  Participants have the opportunity to take a comprehensive health profile administered by professionals from Murphy’s Pharmacies.  This profile serves as a health benchmark to create a personal and professional health plan of action. (See sample profile page 3)

 

 Part B:  Sector, Industry or Business Readiness Training (Bridge Training)

A “Bridge Training” method of delivery has been adopted to facilitate the training/employment needs of both participants and employers. Bridge Training prepares participants to successfully complete the initial training program offered new employees by most businesses.

 

Bridge Training:

·        Identifies a sector, industry or business with immediate employment needs and who is prepared to hire mature workers.

 

·        Recruits mature workers who want to work in that sector, industry or business.

 

·        Partners with the identified sector, industry or business to provide one to four weeks of industry specific readiness-training.

 

·        Participants then move to company specific training.