The process of finding and keeping employment is not easy for everyone. In Canada we have large communities of people who, for one reason or another, have not attained success in the job market. Those who struggle with finding and keeping jobs often have multiple barriers that limit their success. The Government of Canada’s Social Assistance Statistical Report: 2004 (Human Resources and Social Development Canada [HRSDC], 2006b) stated, “Persons with multiple barriers to employment require intensive interventions to address their personal circumstances in order to be able to find and maintain employment” (sec. 3.5.4, ¶ 2). This major project focussed on the pathway to employment for persons who face multiple barriers, through the experience of the person charged with helping in the process. More specifically, the focus was on the role of the Employment Counsellor (EC) where their involvement is key to successful transition to employment.
Transition into employment is a process where success depends on a complex set of factors, including the characteristics of the current labour market and the skills, life conditions, and abilities of the individuals looking for work. The concept of employability captures what is at stake in the transition process. The Canadian Labour Force Development Board (1994) defined employability as “the relative capacity of an individual to achieve meaningful employment, given the interaction between personal characteristics and the labour market”
(p. viii).
Research participants in this study were the people who manage the employment counselling functions of intake, assessment, and referral in rural and northern environments in Manitoba. Some participants work on First Nations reserves where their funding flows from Indian and Northern Affairs branch of the Federal Government, and some participants work as provincial employees where salaries and programs are funded through Employment and Training Services, Manitoba Advanced Education and Training.