Building Opportunities with Business

As part of our Supported Employment Program (SEP), our monthly event SHINE was held on October 27th. In partnership with Potluck Café, this initiative aims to provide program participants with a supportive, positive and friendly venue to share workplace and life experiences all while a tasty and free supper is enjoyed!

Amy, from The Potluck Café, opened the event with a fun icebreaker. This was followed by the delicious shepherds pie dinner.

Afterwards, it was time to talk about the day's topic: "Live well, budget well!".  Lani of BOB, with the help of Jesse, facilitated the discussion. Excellent and practical advice was shared, along with wisdom gained from personal experience, and everyone learned something useful.

At the end of the event, each attendee received a small gift and following are some of their feedback:

- "It's refreshing to see nice people and share our ideas and dreams"

-  "Thank you and I will see you in a month"

- "Thank you for your help and kindness"

- "Thank you for inviting me"

- "I enjoy coming to these events. Thanks for inviting me"

- "We should do it more often"

- "Learn't a lot"

Shine happens every month. The next event will be on November 17th, at 4 pm, at Potluck Café (30 Hastings Street)

Prior to a special screening of "The Stone of Destiny" at , the recently completed BOB informational video was shown in front of a live audience. The video highlights the work being done by Building Opportunities with Business and our partners in Vancouver's inner city.

The video was created by and the final version will be made available on our website shortly.

We would like to thank , Cinema 319, and Projections for exposing Vancouver International Film Festival attendees to the work being done by Building Opportunities with Business.

As part of our commitment to quality, accountability, and transparency, Building Opportunities with Business has retained a consultant to conduct an indepth stakeholder survey on our behalf. It is hoped that through this process BOB will be able to become a more customer focussed, responsive, and effective organization.

Look for an invitation to participate to arrive shortly.

On September 16th, participants, organizers, trainers, supporters, industry participants, and government officials gathered at the RONA Fab Shop to celebrate the many successful gradates of the CORE Training Program.

The CORE Training Program is open to residents of the inner-city and participants receive hands on training in the construction industry and a number of industry certifications. Armed with these skills and qualifications graduates are able to take advantage of opportunities available in the construction industry. One specific opportunity is to work on the Vancouver Olympic Village.

Millennium Developments is committed to providing opportunities for 100 inner city residents on the largest residential construction project in North America. CORE Training Program graduates are able to succeed in a variety of roles throughout the construction industry. It is hoped the CORE Training Program will lead to long term employment in construction and the trades.

The CORE Training Program is administered by Building Opportunities with Business on behalf of the City of Vancouver and Millennium Developments. The Vancouver Regional Construction Association trainers instruct participants in everything from basic hand tool usage to the installation of the cutting edge insulation materials used in the Olympic Village. The training takes place at the RONA Fab Shop which all involved hope will continue to operate long after Olympic construction is complete providing the skilled workforce necessary to the success of modern construction projects.

Alejandro Iampietro was hired to be the new Supported Employment Program Coordinator Assistant.  He works with the HR Services team assisting residents seeking employment and employers seeking qualified staff.   Originally from Argentina, he has called Vancouver home for two years.  He holds a bachelors degree in journalism.  He is close to completing a Career Development Practitioner Certificate, has been an instructor at Strathcona Community Centre and recently started volunteering with the Red Cross First Contact program for refugee claimants.  He brings a lot of experience to the team.  Alejandro is committed to providing the best service possible to clients of BOB's employment programs.

In the Fall of 2008 an agreement between the BOB and Service Canada was signed extending BOB's Supported Employment Program (SEP) another two years. This agreement allows Liz, Lani, Jesse, and the rest of BOB staff to continue to provide support to employment agencies and the jobseekers that they serve to be successful in the workplace.  BOB staff look forward to working with Service Canada to provide this much needed service in the DTES.