Annual youth conference highlights job-seeking and job-keeping strategies

The annual Youth Employment Conference not only gives young employment seekers direct access to companies who are hiring, but it also provides a forum for discussion about how to keep that job once you get it.

Conference attendees range in age from 16 to 30 years and are receiving mental health services from VCH. The annual event has proved popular because it’s a place where clients and their families can hear from employers as well as from peers who are now successfully employed.

“These first-hand success and employers’ stories teach resiliency,” said Stephany Berinstein, Occupational Therapist, Youth and Young Adult Program, Gastown Vocational Services (GVS). “Clients hear that others have been confronted by bumps and challenges along the way, but they have persevered and overcome them. These are important learnings as finding and keeping employment can be a daunting task.”

Now into its fourth year, the Youth Employment & Education Conference began as a project of the GVS Youth and Young Adult team to connect job seekers with information and tools to support them in their summer job search. The annual event provides a wealth of up-to-date resources, related to both employment and education training programs suitable for youth within the Lower Mainland.

Attendance has been growing in the four years since the conference began; from 18 the first year to 37 participants at this year’s May 22 event. The fact that the conference now takes place on a weekday afternoon/evening has resulted in more participation than when it was previously held on a Saturday.

“Hosting this annual conference really is a team effort,” said Mariella Bozzer, Co-Ordinator, GVS. “The in-house expertise we have available to us – OTs, job developers and peer support workers — allows us to pull this together annually for the benefit of clients.”

And, according to feedback from this year’s recently wrapped edition, everyone appreciated the effort.

“Of most use to our clients was hearing employers’ viewpoints, learning about what constitutes good service, and learning that some employers will hire based on enthusiasm and not necessarily past job experience,” said Berinstein. “These are just some of the positive client comments we have heard repeatedly over the past week that will help us make next year’s conference even better.”