Job search club

The organization began in 1985 under the External Manpower Services Program (Semo Pontiac). This program was offered to a clientele between 18 and 30 and through the years, was extended up to the age of 55. From 1985 to 1989, the Semo was sponsored by the Pontiac Business Association. In December 1988, the Semo team formed a non-profit organization under the name of "Le Club de recherche d’emploi du Pontiac / CREP / Pontiac Job Search Club". Its board of directors meets monthly and is composed of six members. The general manager follows up on main projects and other board members assist with projects that either matches their interests or abilities.

In June 1989, the CREP was officially recognized by the Ministry of Manpower, Social Security and Vocational Training (MMSR-FP) as being a community organization specializing in the development of employability and job search training. It was acknowledge that the CREP had a good understanding of the problems facing the unemployed and knew which services were required to help them. It was also recognized that they had good management and administration skills to lead subsidized programs. The services offered by the CREP aims at improving the living conditions of individuals with regards to their personal, social and financial self-sufficiency. This is done by helping them deal with particular problems in order to increase or develop their employability profile.

In 1991, CREP became even more active by participating and encouraging students to stay in school with the help of the "École avant Tout" program, which was subsidized by the Ministry of Employment and Immigration in collaboration with the Pontiac School Board and the Sieur-de-Coulonge High School. We developed complementary services to those offered by the school in order to offer new ways to encourage students to stay in school. In addition, we trained our interveners to be aware and flexible in a school atmosphere. Four years later, the Ministries and the CREP stopped intervening in this program, but ESSC continues to offer similar programs with much success.

In 1994, CREP continued to be innovative with two new employment development projects. With the collaboration of the Local Employment Center, we were able to elaborate and succeed with two projects that answered to more specific needs of social assistance recipients that sought employment and certain Pontiac community organizations. "Find Work and leave social assistance".

The CREP also had several job search preparation contracts with the Western Québec School Board, CSOH, MSR, and Donaldson and Associates.

In 1998, the CREP had a beautiful year. After being located in Fort-Coulonge for 12 years, we moved to Campbell’s Bay in the old McCann’s Home Hardware building. A larger office (3200 square feet) and a central location enabled us to offer more specialized services to various types of clients.

In the fall of 1998, CREP became the administrator of the Pontiac Youth Employment Marketplace (PYEM) through funds injected by the Ministry of Employment and Solidarity. In October 1998, PYEM had its official opening and received support from other community resources, public and private organizations. This Marketplace aims at being a unique service point for all services and programs related to job search, guidance to return to school and pre entrepreneurial skill development. Young adults may now benefit from many free and bilingual services. PYEM offers various services: needs assessment, individualized and personalized follow ups, job market evaluation, job preparation, job search assistance, school and professional orientation, job placement services, access to a documentation center, computer laboratory, entrepreneurship and more.

The clients aged between 35 and 55 can benefit from the same services which is now called "Assistance Pontiac Employment Service" (SAE). This program is subsidized by the Local Employment Center in Campbell’s Bay.

In addition, CREP has other programs to help people integrate the job market:

• Work training placements
• Wage subsidies with Emploi-Québec
• Canada Youth Strategy (1998-2000)
• The Canada Youth Strategy Program helped 30 clients between the ages of 18-29 years who where not in school, nor working. They where able to gain experience in community work that involved cleaning up after the ice storm, cleaning forest paths, building a canoe, organizing and animating an open house…. These activities where made possible with a partnership with "La Fondation Tim Horton".

Furthermore, in the summer of 1998, we created our own integration enterprise: Woodland Advantage. This company is created in the form of "social economy". It helps youths integrate the job market or return to school for professional training. Woodland Advantage enables participants to acquire basic transferable skills such as: sense of responsibility, consistence, punctuality…