Employment Planning

General Educational Development

One of your limitations to establishing strong employment planning might be your lack of a High School Diploma. A GED might give you better opportunities for advancement in your existing employment or open up avenues for new career choices. Speak to a career counsellor to see if you can solidify your basic education by completing your high school education, perhaps through continuing education, remote learning, or even correspondence courses.

Job Boards

Employment Planning objectives can be established by assessing employment resources on local job boards or through government job sites such as the Canada Job Bank.

Job Search Assistance

Without understanding the basics of job search, employment planning can be a difficult process. Accessing local services that can provide contact information and resources for job search aid, and can assist you in developing an employment planning method.

Resume / Cover Letter Preparation
The basic tools for anyone looking for new employment opportunities are resumes and cover letters. Other than having the ability to fill out standard job applications, resumes are essential to communicating your skills and experience to potential employers. While it may seem obvious to many, others do not realize the true value of a complete resume and and accurate, relevant cover letter. Developing your basic skills in building these paper documents is critical to your employment planning strategy.

Subsidy Programs
There may be programs offered by and  supported by government employment, education and training initiatives, so it is a good idea to search for resources offered by different levels of government which may assist you in qualifying for additional subsidies or funding in particular areas of your employment planning process.

WHMIS Certification
WHMIS is a training program developed by Health CAnada and the Industrial Accident Prevention Association to help workers avoid illnesses and injuries associated with hazardous materials.

WHMIS Re-Certification
The WHMIS Re-Certification Program is a training program developed by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario to help workers avoid illnesses and injuries associated with hazardous materials.

First Aid/CPR Certification

FIRST AID/CPR training certification is mandatory for employees in many workplaces and occupations. CPR is a pre-requisite for the following occupations: nursing home staff, daycare workers, recreation and fitness staff, EMS workers and many others. Having First Aid certification gives you an additional skill and asset when applying for jobs in these specific occupations.

It’s possible that funding is available for your employment planning activities

Employment planning involves more than a simple job search and a resume. If you have devoted your last few years to advancing your education, through a university degree program or technical training for a specific trade, you might expect your transition from student to full-time employee to be an easy one. However, most universities, colleges, and trade schools do not guarantee placement when you complete your education and graduate–your career quest can forestall without proper employment planning.

While many institutions offer employment planning resources for students, the expectation is still that the student makes reasonable efforts to establish a career path, which includes appropriate employment planning. Often this includes participation in university planning seminars, online registration in programs for setting career goals, or preparation to enter the employment market.

One cannot expect a job to be handed to them upon completion of an educational program, and students must be prepared to invest the time and effort into proper employment planning strategies, and counselling resources. While colleges and universities might be the right place to start your employment planning, also seek the guidance of your local government to see if addition funding is available to you, such as Canada’s Action Plan.

Remember that we all still live in democratic societies where our careers are not chosen for us, and it is up to ourselves to establish our career goals through proper employment planning. If the government selected our careers for us, then we wouldn’t need this process, but we would be living in a nanny state or worse.

Don’t wait until you’ve finished school to start your employment planning activities. Access the resources available to you, and start planning now!

Employment planning resources through the Government of Canada

If you’re a Canadian and you’re looking for some career choices, one excellent resource you can look to is the career development website for Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). The website is quite thorough when it comes to providing information on career counselling, career specific information, and other employment opportunities.

Another key link is through the Canada’s Economic Action Plan, a huge resource for Canadians who are looking for jobs, employment planning options, career guidance, educational support, programs and services for aboriginals, unemployed, persons with disabilities, etc.

There are many sponsored programs and free available resources such as the Job Bank which is an excellent source of jobs available in each major centre, province, and across the country. As well, there are many training opportunities and other resumption of work programs for those who are underskilled or returning to the workforce after a long absence (such as maternity or parental).

The government of Canada offers funding to communities for apprentice training, skills upgrades, and other sponsorships, depending on the labour market, budget, and other economic considerations. Much is also available through the Service Canada website, especially for those who are unemployed, on Employment Insurance, or are otherwise eligible, as the Canadian government is looking to enable all Canadians into finding work.

For your employment planning and career opportunities solutions, the federal government has many programs and resources that are accessible to many Canadians. You just need to know where to find them!