My name is Izee and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to work with WorkBC Whalley and my  Employment Counsellor Svitlana. She is a wonderful person, a professional in her field, and thanks to her, my life has completely transformed. In 2019, I started my journey with Work BC Whalley, while I was on my maternity leave.  The cleaning company I had worked for had shut down and I did not have a place to return.  Though I had extensive experience as a seamstress in Ukraine and Canada, but I knew  that I didn’t want to return to it, as it would not serve my family needs. 

My name is Sim and I came to Canada in 2016. I possess a bachelor’s degree and had four years of work experience at a finance company as an administrative assistant in my country.  In Canada, I started working as a server at a restaurant and worked for f4 years. Due to the pandemic, I was not able to work as much as I used to before Covid-19. Therefore, I was in financial difficulty and wanted to change my career. 

I am Aynaz, a single parent from Iraq with 2 kids. I came to Canada in 2017 as a refugee with my children aged 2 and 3. When I came, it was all so new for me. I did not know anybody. I was rejected for work because of poor English and I had no Canadian experience. So, I took a 3 month course to improve my English language skills, and started looking for a job but that was extremely hard because when I used to apply, I would be asked for Canadian experience and my resume was not appealing either.

I was able to discover a new career for myself and completed one year diploma in Early Childhood Education, all funded by WorkBC. I hope my story can inspire someone else to reach their career goal and use the resources available at WorkBC.

I heard great reviews about Surrey-Newton WorkBC from some other immigrants I befriended in my job search process, who mentioned about the constant support offered and how the team here goes out of its way to help their clients find a job that is suitable for them. I am so glad I made my choice and decided to come here.

The timely support of Sunnie Song and having the Security System Technician certificate increased my confidence in security installation and troubleshooting and gave me the knowledge base to support my ideas.

At Newton WorkBC, staff continued to encourage and motivate me to pursue my career reminding me not to give up. They referred me to the ACCEP program, which confirmed my eligibility for wage subsidy through a letter of support for employers; this immensely increased my chances of getting a job. 

I really did not know what to expect and was guided to classes and information that was so helpful in my job search. Thankfully, I was at the right place at the right time and was steered in the right direction.

WorkBC employees helped me in many ways - they helped me to improve my resume and cover letter. They also researched about my job and sent me some interview questions and general advice so that I could be ready and confident for my interview. Thanks to the hard work put in by the entire team, I am currently working as an Education Assistant at Surrey Schools.

I was sent weekly job-leads, invited to virtual job fairs, offered a 1-1 resume review by one of their many facilitators. I received weekly and monthly check-ins on my job applications. I am so grateful for the help and support of the Guildford WorkBC team and I highly recommend them to anyone who needs a support team to guide them through the competitive job market!

It is because of the continuous efforts of the entire team at WorkBC that I found a way into my dream career – I started a job in school as an education assistant.

Newton WorkBC not only paid for the training but also help me with my financial needs and provided me with the opportunities to find a better job. They were patient with me and guided me to achieve my goal.

After many years of struggle with my self-esteem, I was finally felt heard. My counselor at Newton WorkBC was understanding, patient and encouraging. I am forever thankful to WorkBC for all that has been done for me.

“It has been a whole year and I am still successfully working. Thank you so much WorkBC for the guidance and support which was much needed at that time.¬”

My Employment Counsellor supported me in many areas including settlement, transportation and understanding labour market in Canada. She helped me make an employment goal to start my career with some entry-level jobs.

"When I first encountered my amazing Employment Counsellor, I absolutely knew I had come to the right place; I felt truly heard! I felt that everyone I encountered at WorkBC wanted me to be successful and my Employment Counsellor was my greatest cheerleader.

"The jobs that I had did not last very long. They were sufficient enough to only keep the bills paid, the roof over my kids' heads and put food in their stomach"

"I came to the country as a new immigrant and was unemployed for 2 months"

"I gained my confidence back, started earning again, and it helped my self-esteem a lot. It has been a blessing to have the support of WorkBC and to know that someone has your back!"

"You always have to put in work to get what you really want in life. In the end, it all pays off!"