Looking to make a better life for herself and her son, Ubi left Nigeria to start anew in Winnipeg.
Before the move, Ubi was a teacher and had additional administrative work experience—so she had the skills to take on a job and do well at it. And Ubi was open to all sorts of work, including a new field. “When you come here, you have a desire to change career paths and do something different,” she says.
However, an unexpected hurdle for Ubi was finding and securing a stable job to allow her and her family to thrive in their new home.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Ubi sent out hundreds of resumés, but she was continually met with silence. And that silence was disheartening.
“It was very stressful,” Ubi says as she reflects back on that time.
Manitoba welcomes approximately 4,500 international immigrants each year, and they bring with them a wealth of education and work experience. About half possess a bachelor’s degree or higher, and over 60% are highly skilled.
Unfortunately, in Manitoba, 70% of job vacancies are low paying and low skill, making it challenging to find appropriate work, and it can take three to six months even to find any job.
For Ubi, it was impossible to know if she was even in the running for the hundreds of positions she applied for. A few places sent her feedback, but it wasn’t much and not very helpful.
The shift from being an employed professional to being ignored by the working world was devastating, and it drove Ubi to anxiety.
Everything changed when she stepped through the doors of Opportunities for Employment (OFE), a donor-supported agency.
“OFE offers free employment services to job seekers in Winnipeg.”
Ubi passed the place every day while taking her son to daycare but didn’t entirely know what they did there or how it might be a fit for her situation. But as soon as she walked in and met someone who explained OFE programs like the Office and Customer Service Training program, and the Canadian Workplace Culture Classes, Ubi was on a new journey. This energized her, renewing her drive to make a better life here in Winnipeg.
Isioma explains that Opportunities for Employment services and programs “include work preparation courses and free certifications that help individuals secure and retain employment.”
One specific United Way Winnipeg donor-supported course is Canadian Workplace Culture, a four-day workshop designed to help new immigrants settle into the Canadian workplace and the new culture they find themselves in. Modules in this workshop include Canadian and Workplace Culture, Employment Standards, and Workplace Safety.
Walking through the doors of Opportunities for Employment was one of the best decisions Ubi made.
"It changed my life."
Not only did Ubi meet several new people on the staff and in the programs, but she also liked that every facilitator was very intentional in their work. “Everyone is after your best,” Ubi says.
Some important learnings from the courses included Canadian customs regarding personal space and touch (Ubi comes from a community that hugs a lot), job skills training (Ubi enjoyed the Excel classes), and strategies for applying for work in Canada.
One of those strategies? Customize your resumé to the job you’re applying for.
Ubi suspects that’s why she received no response on her job applications before attending Opportunities for Employment—it was a standard resume that wasn’t tailored to the job.
Armed with this information and held accountable by program staff, Ubi set out on another job search with renewed energy, a strategy, and resumés custom tailored to each job.
“Having to pull out similar experiences to match current roles was a bit of a challenge. If you’re applying for 20 jobs, you need 20 resumés highlighting different job duties and descriptions,” Ubi says. “What have I done in the past that matches this job?”
For all the ways Opportunities for Employment helps someone find a job, they don’t actually secure it for you. That step is up to you.
“It’s a partnership,” Ubi explains. “Not one-sided. As much as Opportunities for Employment puts in, I also put into finding a job.”
Isioma describes the consultants at Opportunities for Employment as coaches. “A coach doesn’t run the race,” she says, “the coach makes sure the athletes win the medal.”
The staff equip participants with the tools and knowledge they need to be stellar employees. “We want you to be the best,” she says, “because we want the employer to come back and say, ‘Do you have more of these excellent people?’”
As most of us know, the process of finding a job can be as laborious as a job itself. But the reward is well worth the effort. “The win for us,” Isioma says, “is when you get the job, and we say, ‘Yes!’” But she emphasizes where the congratulations go. “You did this, not us. You did this. We want you to be your best.”
For Ubi, she landed a good job and is thriving in this new role. She expresses great appreciation for Opportunities for Employment and their approach. “As much as Opportunities for Employment has given the push, I also had to give my own push to make the jobs come. I was made accountable.”
While a stable job is a goal for Opportunities for Employment—and for Ubi—Isioma sums up the intention behind the work they do a little differently:
“We help people settle into their new country and succeed at doing it.” She adds, “It’s incredibly rewarding to know that they are not only finding work but also thriving by applying the skills they’ve learned in real life.”
That’s certainly how it worked out for Ubi.
“What has impacted me most was intentional facilitators, who understand where you’re coming from, and they’re ready to guide you to your next best path.”
“Opportunities for Employment changed my life,” she says with a broad smile.
