New Employment Services Providers for Cape Breton

More Cape Bretoners will have access to a one-stop job search and career-advice resource as the YMCA Cape Breton and le Conseil de développement économique de la Nouvelle-Écosse (CDÉNÉ) expand their delivery of employment services.

People in Arichat, Chéticamp, Inverness, Port Hawkesbury, St. Peter’s and Sydney will have access to their services online or in person starting this month, about three months earlier than expected.

“In looking for new, permanent providers to fill a gap left by a service provider’s closure, we were committed to making sure that employment services and funding remained in Cape Breton,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “We’re pleased that an additional 23 employment service positions will be added to support the delivery of services in Cape Breton and further support Cape Bretoners as they acquire skills and connect with job opportunities.”

The YMCA Cape Breton and CDÉNÉ were the successful applicants to an expression of interest issued by the Department in October. The criteria used to select the new providers included:

• in-depth knowledge of the labour market in Cape Breton
• knowledge – gained through service experience – of the specific communities to be served, including geographic, socioeconomic and labour market knowledge
• the ability to build new relationships in the community
• the ability to offer all services in both English and French
• demonstrated, effective experience managing government contracts and funding agreements
• a defined service start-up plan, outlining the activities and timelines to ensure employment assistance services are available to the public (both virtually and in person) by the service start-up date
• experience successfully transitioning displaced clients, setting up new service delivery locations and managing significant change.

Employment opportunities for career practitioners and other positions with the YMCA Cape Breton and CDÉNÉ are available at: https://novascotiaworks.ca

Quotes:

“CDÉNÉ is very pleased to partner with the Department in the expansion of our employment services to the Arichat and Chéticamp regions. We have been providing employment services in French and English in the Acadian regions of Clare and Argyle for over 20 years, so adding these two Acadian regions of Cape Breton where we already provide various services in economic development will enable us to further respond to the needs of these communities.”

– Julie Oliver, Executive Director, le Conseil de développement économique de la Nouvelle-Écosse

“The YMCA of Cape Breton has been administering employment services for more than 30 years, offering an integrated bundle of employment services to help Cape Bretoners understand, prepare for and meet the needs of the provincial labour market. Our centres also provide services to support businesses in recruiting, managing and developing the talent they require to be more productive in the local economy. At its very core, the YMCA as an organization is committed to building healthy communities through the power of belonging. With this expansion of services, Port Hawkesbury, Inverness and St. Peter’s employment centres now belong to the YMCA Cape Breton family of Nova Scotia Works Centres along with our existing centres in Sydney, Glace Bay and New Waterford.”

– Sabrina Vatcher, CEO, YMCA Cape Breton

Quick Facts:

• the total annual investment to expand employment service delivery in the Cape Breton region is $1,839,118
• the Department ended its funding agreement with Island Employment on November 21, 2021, after the Office of the Ombudsman found “a misuse or gross mismanagement of public funds or assets” at Island Employment

Additional Resources:

Office of the Ombudsman 2020-21 Annual Report: https://ombudsman.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/documents/annual_reports/OmbudsAR-2020-2021.pdf

To access Nova Scotia Works services online or find a centre visit: https://novascotiaworks.ca