Group guides youth on path to employment

Others need a confidence boost to knock on doors, she said.CJE is a non-profit group that helps young West Islanders prepare for the next step in their working life with job-search skill development, career-orientation and entrepreneurial services. The assistance is free, she said.

“There are enough jobs available, it’s

just finding them,�? said Leblanc, a CJE em-

ployment counsellor for more than three years. “It’s about being proactive to get started. Simply searching on the Internet or faxing CVs (curriculum vitaes) aren’t the best methods (to find a job),�? she added.

The West Island CJE’s counsellors meet youth at offices in Dorval and Dollard des Ormeaux. Locals are invited to drop in with or without an appointment, she said.

Qualified CJE staff guide job hunters through the searching process. Help-wanted ads are posted at the bureau, but seekers are taught to create opportunities and not just scan the classifieds.

“Not all employers post jobs, I think this is something that young people don’t necessarily know,�? said Leblanc, who works at CJE’s Carson Avenue office in Dorval.

In some cases, employment is found by simply connecting with the organization, she added.

“(CJE) is also free for companies,�? she said. “If they want to hire people and they want to put up a job posting, they can call us. Sometimes we have employers who come here to recruit people on the spot.�?

Employment counsellor Marcelline Poirier said job prospects annually sag in January, but by February employers are already thinking about boosting their staff for summer.

She estimates the Dollard branch sees about 20 clients a day.

The bureau’s orientation counsellor, Nadia Keskinbicak, helps people fed up with their careers and those who want to return to school.

Private orientation services costs around $80 an hour and an entire process can easily surpass $400, she said.

Clients are often surprised the counselling is free, she said. “But sometimes they think

if they pay they will get a better service,�? Keskinbicak said.

However, with the guidance of CJE’s energetic and qualified team, she said clients receive a service that is as good as any.

West Island industrial commissioner Gerry Arsenault said a common perception of the region is that everyone is highly-

educated and there are few young people looking for $10- to $12-an-hour jobs.

That belief isn’t true, he said.

“There’s that element of kids who may drop out of high school, who may drop out of the CEGEP level, so it’s very important that there be somebody who can work with that group and help them get their life in order,�? Arsenault said.

He said CJE has been effective in helping young West Islanders find jobs, establish their own businesses and think about their future through visits to local high schools. But the mobility of local youth remains a challenge, he said.“In the West Island, for the unskilled, semi-skilled labour, there are a lot of jobs out there,�? he said. “(But) the big obstacle for a lot of these kids is that the jobs are available in the industrial parks, but how do they get to them? Public transportation in the West Island is terrible, particularly when it comes to servicing the industrial parks and it certainly isn’t doing these young people any favours.�?

To contact the CJE oAs the holiday season melts away, often, so do the temporary jobs filled by West Island youth.

In their search for employment, locals aged 16 to 35, face challenges of finding the right fit, assembling a winning resume and preparing for an interview, according to Julie Leblanc of the West Island’s Carrefour jeunesse-emploi (CJE).

Others need a confidence boost to knock on doors, she said.CJE is a non-profit group that helps young West Islanders prepare for the next step in their working life with job-search skill development, career-orientation and entrepreneurial services. The assistance is free, she said.

“There are enough jobs available, it’s

just finding them,�? said Leblanc, a CJE em-

ployment counsellor for more than three years. “It’s about being proactive to get started. Simply searching on the Internet or faxing CVs (curriculum vitaes) aren’t the best methods (to find a job),�? she added.

The West Island CJE’s counsellors meet youth at offices in Dorval and Dollard des Ormeaux. Locals are invited to drop in with or without an appointment, she said.

Qualified CJE staff guide job hunters through the searching process. Help-wanted ads are posted at the bureau, but seekers are taught to create opportunities and not just scan the classifieds.

“Not all employers post jobs, I think this is something that young people don’t necessarily know,�? said Leblanc, who works at CJE’s Carson Avenue office in Dorval.

In some cases, employment is found by simply connecting with the organization, she added.

“(CJE) is also free for companies,�? she said. “If they want to hire people and they want to put up a job posting, they can call us. Sometimes we have employers who come here to recruit people on the spot.�?

Employment counsellor Marcelline Poirier said job prospects annually sag in January, but by February employers are already thinking about boosting their staff for summer.

She estimates the Dollard branch sees about 20 clients a day.

The bureau’s orientation counsellor, Nadia Keskinbicak, helps people fed up with their careers and those who want to return to school.

Private orientation services costs around $80 an hour and an entire process can easily surpass $400, she said.

Clients are often surprised the counselling is free, she said. “But sometimes they think

if they pay they will get a better service,�? Keskinbicak said.

However, with the guidance of CJE’s energetic and qualified team, she said clients receive a service that is as good as any.

West Island industrial commissioner Gerry Arsenault said a common perception of the region is that everyone is highly-

educated and there are few young people looking for $10- to $12-an-hour jobs.

That belief isn’t true, he said.

“There’s that element of kids who may drop out of high school, who may drop out of the CEGEP level, so it’s very important that there be somebody who can work with that group and help them get their life in order,�? Arsenault said.

He said CJE has been effective in helping young West Islanders find jobs, establish their own businesses and think about their future through visits to local high schools. But the mobility of local youth remains a challenge, he said.“In the West Island, for the unskilled, semi-skilled labour, there are a lot of jobs out there,�? he said. “(But) the big obstacle for a lot of these kids is that the jobs are available in the industrial parks, but how do they get to them? Public transportation in the West Island is terrible, particularly when it comes to servicing the industrial parks and it certainly isn’t doing these young people any favours.�?

To contact the CJE office in Dollard des Ormeaux, call 514-421-1414 or visit 4360-B Sources Blvd. For the Dorval branch, call 514-633-9663 or drop by 1075 Carson Ave.ꆱffice in Dollard des Ormeaux, call 514-421-1414 or visit 4360-B Sources Blvd. For the Dorval branch, call 514-633-9663 or drop by 1075 Carson Ave.ꆱ