Multiple staff have referred to the BCIS Employment Hub in Brooks as an Employment Miracle. Since the middle of 2023, the climbing unemployment rate, the increased number of Newcomer arrivals, along with the decline in openings for entry level positions had left clients and staff in a particularly difficult position. This has led to a continuous and exponential increase in clients seeking employment supports. This continued all the way through into 2025. And this is where the “Miracle” kicks in…a grant that had been approved in 2024 got finalized and released in April of 2025. And on April 23, BCIS Employment Hub welcomed the first client booking. Since then, over 100 clients have had their initial appointment scheduled.
The BCIS E HUB is an employment supports program that is accessible to newcomers with a permanent Social Insurance Number (SIN). The streams of programming offered are:
- Resource Centre
- Employment Readiness Assessment
- Exposure Courses & Exposure Course 90 Day Follow Up
- Job Placement (JP) Services
- Workforce Development Services (Employment Development Activities, Work Exposure, WD Exposure Courses, & WD Employment Supports)
As of April 23, 2025, the BCIS E Hub Team has worked on onboarding 6 employers for the Work Exposure program which is allowing for 14 or 15 clients to not only have Canadian work experience but also have an opportunity to be gainfully employed in the long term. Additionally, 7 clients have been successfully placed and attained job offers. The team will be conducting 90-day follow-ups to check on the clients’ progress. Furthermore, workshops on pre-employment, pre-employment child safety, Interview preparation, and job search strategies are being offered on a group and individual basis.
Additionally, as of August 15, 2025, the Resource Centre open and available for all clients who are looking for work and can use computers independently. It is worth noting that volunteers have been trained and will start being scheduled to be in the resource centre during all BCIS office hours.
Highlight: One of the clients that just concluded his Work Exposure got a full-time permanent offer with the same employer. This client had been unemployed since he arrived in Cananda in August of 2023. Exactly 2 years later, he finds himself employed and finally checking off the integration through employment box!
We recognize there is a long way to go before we are achieving the desired outcome for most of our clients. However, the BCIS EHUB Team members are firm believers in celebrating along the way. Cheers!
