YORKTON – SaskAbilities premiered its free, modern and interactive employment training resource for individuals experiencing disability or barriers to employment at the Painted Hand Casino March 18.
Job Skills For Success is a free resource which consists of 20 job-seeker videos and five employer focused videos, and will be available on SaskAbilities' website beginning April 1.
"We know with our work how valuable training videos can be," told Jackie Washenfelder, Program Manager at SaskAbilities in Yorkton, to attendees, "we wanted them to be innovative and entertaining."
Washenfelder said that in 2022 SaskAbilities sought funding from the Government of Canada, Canada's Skill For Success Grant, to create updated training videos for individuals experiencing disability or barriers to employment, noting that all four branches of SaskAbilities (Yorkton, Swift Current, Saskatoon and Regina) wrote the grant together.
"In 2023 we were granted funding to move forward with this project," said Washenfelder, adding, "it definitely took team work and a lot of ingenuity to make it happen."
"As part of the proposal we wanted to ensure that this was going to be a free resource for anyone ... that there would be no limitations in cost and accessibility wouldn't be a barrier," Washenfelder told SaskToday.ca.
And to go along with the videos, Washenfelder said there will be training manuals to accompany those who utilize them.
"They can be used to facilitate learning for students, for employers and people who just want to hone in on their skills for success in employment," said Washenfelder.
Washenfelder said the idea for the new training videos came about when staff at SaskAbilities in Yorkton noted how dated the current set was as they lacked any signs of the modern world.
"When there is a request for proposals we usually come together as a team. We read what the proposal is looking for and then we brainstorm what we should propose. It came to fruition when we realized that the training videos for employment are very, very dated — we're talking like VHS," said Washenfelder with a laugh.
Washenfelder said they wanted to update the training and keep it light.
"We didn't want it to be a barrier. We wanted to keep it simple language so people could easily understand and easily relate," said Washenfelder.
For those looking for information on the training series, Washenfelder said to reach out to Partners In Employment.
"Any of our employment specialists would be available to answer any questions," said Washenfelder, adding, "if anybody is interested in having a presentation to come and speak to either their classroom or to their staff we'd be happy to do that."
As for the training video series, Washenfelder said the show is going on a Canada-wide tour.
"We want to put SaskAbilities on the map for all the good work that they do supporting people with disabilities in employment," said Washenfelder.
"The team that came together to create this video series — it was huge," said Bonnie Grove, Senior Supervisor with Partners In Employment in Saskatoon, in her address to attendees.
Grove said all cast and crew members were from Sask. From the writing team in Regina, to the editor in Saskatoon, with 75 employers from across the province giving the organization feedback and input into the content of the videos including five in Saskatoon who shared their experiences in interviews for the series.
"Everyone of us focused on this goal of creating employment training videos that feel like you're watching your favourite TV sitcom," said Grove.
"The entire project consists of 20 job-seeker videos that demonstrate the what-not-to-do and the what-to-do of looking for work, interviewing for a job, onboarding and maintaining employment," detailed Grove.
"We had to make it really interesting, innovative, interactive and exciting," said Grove, noting the production had five employer-focused videos where employers shared their experience of hiring individuals experiencing disability and barriers to employment.
Grove said the training videos premiered in Saskatoon March 13 at the Scotiabank Theatre where the organization filled two theatres for the initial showings.
The next showing of the training video will be March 21 in Swift Current at the Living Sky Casino, followed by a showing March 25 at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina before going online April 1 on SaskAbilties.ca
