Dear Editor,

I’m a mature unemployed worker having a difficult time finding a job in Nanaimo. After some research I have learned that Nanaimo, being one of the larger cities on Vancouver Island, did not receive any funding through the Target Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) funded by the federal government and administered by the Provinces. (www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/employment/employment_measures/older_workers), www.workbc.ca/Statistics/Demographics/Pages/Specialized-Population-Groups.aspx.

I’m deeply concerned that such funding has not been allocated for Nanaimo as we older workers have specific barriers that have been already acknowledged by the federal government with the institution of the TIOW program.

I’m well educated but do not have current formal training/certification in the two areas in which I have more experience (teaching and computers). In October last year I approached Nanaimo’s  Supporting Employment Transitions (SET), which is funded by the Province, and after a lengthy process (six months) of labour market research, tailoring a resume, and many job applications, my job counsellor agreed with me that I needed some formal educational training to become employable again and she asked me to submit an application which she approved for funding through Amber Education.

Unfortunately, at the same time SET went through many changes in funding and personnel and a new counsellor was assigned to me who did not agree with my previous counsellors’s decision and my application for funding was rejected.

I contacted my MLA about this issue and he has been trying to help me since. My MLA is also investigating and/or trying to understand why a larger city such as Nanaimo has no funding or training specifically allocated for older workers like me through the TIOW program.

My MLA has asked me to contact SET again, which I have done, but I was already told at SET that the Province has changed some of the ordinary funding guidelines so it will be very difficult under the present guidelines to get the training I need to return to the work force.