The staff at the action centre has been working hard to help workers in transition get into a variety of training programs. These programs have been funded in a variety of ways and have ranged from short programs a few days in length to long programs a year or more in length.

We would like to share with you the number of workers in transition that have received funding through the action centre and what types of programs they have been funded for.

We will also be posting individual success stories soon.

If you would like to be featured as one of our success stories, please contact the action centre.

To date we have helped 91 people get funding through the action centre.

Update !

Helen has completed her studies and is currently serving her required placement as a Medical Office Assistant at the Toronto Western Hospital

Way to  go Helen

We wish you good luck in your new career

Helen was our first employee in transition to be approved for training through the action centre. (Our guinea pig) She worked very hard and was meticulous in researching schools and gathering all of the documentation required to be approved for training.

Before going back to school Helen was an active member of the action centre staff working as a peer helper. She was able to help several other people put together their documents in preparation for approval for funding. We thank her for that.

Helen is currently enrolled in the Medical Office Assistance course at Medix School and will be finished at the end of October.

We have heard from Helen several times and she is thoroughly enjoying going back to school. She has expressed that it was a very good decision for her and she really likes the instructors and has been getting very good grades.

We are very happy to have helped Helen and look forward to when she calls to tell us she has found a job in her new field of work.

Congratulations Helen, and keep up the good work.

To Joanne and all the beautiful people in the Action Centre,

Hi everyone!!!Finally, I have very good news. On September 11, 2009, around 12:10PM I received a call from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and I was approved for my Second Career funding.  Tomorrow I will start my academic upgrading at Sheridan College and hopefully next September I can start my Practical Nursing.

Thank you so much for all the help, your advice and patience it made me go on and on!  To all my career counsellors, Stephanie McKenzie, Sharry Griste- Coate and of course Isabel Fonseca, you guys are great!  To Joanne, thanks for patiently listening to me and for all those follow – ups.  It wasn’t easy, but then again nothing is easy in this world.  Just think positive and follow all of the procedures and the rest will fall right into place.

Now I have so much hope and faith in my future!  I can move on and embrace my dreams.  Thank you ArvinMeritor, thank you Action Centre staff, peer helpers, counsellors and Rahim from VPI.

Also, just to let you know I had a blast last Saturday at the Academic Preparation Workshop given to us by Diane McIntyre as our facilitator.  It gave me so much confidence, relief and peace of mind.  She taught us about time management, how to overcome our fear as a mature student going back to school and tips on how to study, etc.  I wish more people going back to school would participate in this workshop and not miss this opportunity because it is so helpful!

I would like to thank also my family for being my inspiration.  To my husband, you always rock my world!  Thanks for believing and supporting me all the time.  To my children, you’re my jewels and to God for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Once again thank you very much!

Sincerely,

Hazel Hernandez

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