Program has helped Islanders bridge the skills gap for a decade

by Stacy Dunn

On PEI, the Workplace Essential Skills Program (WES) helps individuals upskill for their workplace or career goals, obtain their high school equivalency, pass a Red Seal test, or prepare for other industry certification tests.

The program has been offered in the province for 10 years. Sessions held in Charlottetown and Summerside are funded by Skills PEI. On Lennox Island, sessions are funded by the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI.

“WES responds to the learning needs of people who fell between the cracks at schools that offer traditional models of learning,” says Lori Johnston, WES Program Manager.

“School may not have worked for them because they were living below the poverty line or dealing with health issues. They may have had to work straight out of high school or had family responsibilities that made them unable to commit to a full-time school schedule. The WES program provides options and flexibility for these individuals.”

The class sizes are small – one learning coach for five to six clients. One-on-one support is offered as well. The coaches assist clients to develop their own learning plan.

“Between 80 and 90 percent of our clients have been diagnosed with a learning disability, so that requires extra preparation and support from our learning coaches,” Lori says.

WES clients are referred by Holland College and other learning institutions. Lori says the program’s intent is to complement, not compete with the college or these other centres.

“We get referrals from other agencies too, such as Career Development Services and ResourceAbilities,” says Jacob Robar, Learning Coach. “They may call us looking for advice regarding a client who has a goal that fits within the mandate of our program.”

Helping tradespeople

As a new focus this year, WES can also help experienced tradespeople, referred to as Challengers or Qualifiers, who are looking to challenge the Red Seal certification exam.

Jacob says Challengers who have years of experience in a trade usually have the required hours to get a Red Seal certification. However, instead of going through the Apprenticeship program or going back to school, they can apply to challenge the Red Seal certification exam.

Currently, a Challenger can only prepare for the exam on their own, but they may require additional help. WES is bridging that gap by offering preparation sessions or one-on-one coaching on test taking skills, navigating available resources, study skills, or even help with trades math.

Success story

Jacob recalls a plumber who was in his early 40s who came to the office for help to prepare to write the Red Seal exam.

“He had been a plumber his entire life and needed his Red Seal certification to take over his uncle’s company and be able to sign off on permits.

“It had been 10 or 15 years since he had been in school. He was referred to us and we provided tutoring, math help, study and test-taking tips.”

He started with the WES program and transferred to the Apprenticeship Learning Support Program. Jacob says they worked with this plumber for over a year to get him to the point when he was able to pass the Red Seal Exam.

“During that long process, he was diagnosed with a learning difficulty. That diagnosis allowed him to retroactively apply for a Disability Tax Credit, which benefitted him financially.”

Employability skills

The WES Program identifies the following as employability skills:

This year, Jacob conducted workshops with various employers based around these employability skills. “The feedback I received after these sessions was that everyone in the company, no matter the hierarchy, needs to attend these workshops.

“They said they can teach employees to work on a machine, but employers are struggling with teaching employability skills.”

Lori says WES programming is customized to the learner’s needs and that the staff are learning experts who can help learners meet their needs and address gaps. “It’s the foundation of just about everything we do. We help them to ‘learn how to learn’ and get ahead.”

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Did you know:

Skills for Success Day was held across Canada in September to raise awareness of the nine essential skills individuals need to work effectively and function efficiently. The skills deemed as essential are the following: