Partners in Employment held an open house on Friday, celebrating 20 years in Moose Jaw with cake, hotdogs, and information. 

Attendees were given a “passport” to have stamped at each of six stations, which had staff members providing information on services offered: 

  • Career Development 

  • Job Search 

  • Job Maintenance 

  • Vocational Evaluation 

  • MentorAbility 

  • Work Readiness 

Sherry Young is a career planner and job developer and spoke about her role. “Once they go into career planning and they do the initial intake, we get to know them. Our whole thing is to find the right person, for the right job at the right time.” 

“We do a one-page profile and a job-ready form, getting a better understanding of who they are. And then from there, I also go out to the employers and make relationships with them,” she added.  

Young said part of her job is referring people to job maintenance and for vocational training as needed.  

Laryssa Hoffman, vocational evaluator, said she assesses people's skills, abilities, and interests. 

“It’s a really good tool to help you find employment, and it gives you a really good understanding of your strengths and barriers that you might not know about when you’re searching for employment,” explained Hoffman.  

Vocational evaluation includes hands-on assessments, academic assessments, and interest inventories.  

Kelly Korbo, job developer and maintenance coordinator, spoke about their maintenance services. “[it] simply means helping the individual maintain a position of their choice, as well as assisting the employer in having long-term employees.” 

“What sets us apart at Partners in Employment is, we provide long-term maintenance if needed,” she explained.  

Carmen Donald is the MentorAbility coordinator and works with individuals with disabilities to explore careers via mentorships that are one hour to one day long.  

“It’s a great initiative. People get a chance to see what’s behind that door, in that job, in that store, in that office, in that workplace.” 

In Demand Employment Coordinator Lyndon Fogal, runs a class four times a year for pre-employment skills. “We teach things like positive communication, workplace etiquette, interpersonal skills.” 

Fogal added that towards the end of the classes, they also focus on writing resumes and cover letters, and develop interview skills. 

“At the end of the class, we try to match them up with either mentorships or job placements or just full-blown employment at a place that has been marked as an interest area for the people in the class,” he added.  

Partners in Employment aims to assist those who experience disabilities or who face employment barriers.  

Cake