Job Description: Employment Counsellor/Facilitator

Role: Persons in this position work with job-seeking clients, KES specialized placement personnel and support staff, trainers, external service providers and the employer community to develop clients’ ability to be effective in the labour market and establish or strengthen their connection to it.

Accountability: Client Services Supervisor

Duties: Employment counselling • Assessment o conduct the formal needs assessment at the commencement of case management o administer or access employability assessments as required to develop the action plan o refer to external service providers for additional assessment as necessary. • Case management o develop action plans collaboratively with clients and support them in their implementation o determine financial need and arrange program financial supports o negotiate and develop intervention agreements (training, self-employment, wage subsidy, etc.) o refer clients to external agencies as needed and track these connections as appropriate o monitor attendance and progress in program activities and interventions o obtain client releases as necessary o manage client information in a secure and organized manner and in accordance with established standards o adhere to security procedures to ensure the safety of clients and staff • Work placement o work collaboratively with the KES Job Developer who will work with the client, the employer community and the specialized placement services at KES to identify and secure suitable employment opportunities o negotiate and develop subsidized and unpaid work experience placements o assist employers and workers with workplace accommodation o assist employers and workers with job maintenance and retention • Data input o comprehensive ICM input to track all aspects of clients’ interaction with case management, ESC services and employment outcomes o other KES data collection systems as required • Follow-up o conduct and document systematic client follow-up

Group Facilitation • Gather or develop training materials including electronic presentations • Deliver workshops in a flexible manner that adjusts both content and approach in response to the needs of participants • Collaborate with all program staff to ensure seamless delivery • Follow-up on any outstanding inquiries generated during workshops • Record attendance • Administer evaluation forms

Qualifications: Employment counsellors must have a proven ability to successfully facilitate a client’s journey through the development and implementation of an employment action plan. Understanding various income support mechanisms such as EI and BCEA is essential as is in-depth knowledge of funding sources for job-seeker interventions such as training or self-employment. A thorough understanding of the labour market – local, regional, provincial, national and global is essential. An understanding of the issues that impact specialized populations is helpful and credentials in industry standard assessment tools such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is an asset.

Facilitation activities require excellent presentation, organizational and research skills with a proven ability to effectively deliver subject matter to groups of adult learners from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Proficiency in computer use is essential as is an attention to detail for accurate and timely data entry. Professional communication skills – oral, written and electronic are essential for all aspects of the job. This position requires a clean criminal record check, impartiality, and the ability to establish rapport with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.