Individuals can now be referred to appropriate training services once they have developed learning plans. There is likely to be a wide range of learning needs, depending on each individual’s employment goals and current skill level. This step is clearly impacted by the number of referral services available to the EC.
Some individuals will need to participate in essential, employability, occupational, or any combination of skill training that directly addresses their learning needs and leads to their personal employment goals. The individual’s ability to succeed in academic training or job internships must be carefully considered so development occurs in the appropriate stages.
In this phase, people whose skills and knowledge meet occupational standards will receive recognition of their skills. Recognition may take the form of certification or academic credit, or employers may recognize skills by hiring and promoting employees.
The Toby Model (Nichol, 2004) and process illustrate the importance of the other factors and stakeholders in the employment finding process. Add to this the issues of isolation and multiple barriers, and we begin to see the difficulty finding meaningful work in rural and northern regions. With a sense of optimism, I presented the research question: “How can Employment Counsellors [ECs] in rural and northern regions best be supported to enhance their effectiveness in helping clients with multiple barriers achieve job success?” Sub-questions included: