Employment Counsellor

POSITION TYPE: Full-time (6 months)

DEPARTMENT: Employment Centre

AFFILIATION: Unionized Position

LOCATION: Tropicana Employment Centre, Consumers Rd, North York ON

HOURS: 9am – 5pm, Mon – Fri; 35 hours per week. Occasional Evenings & Weekends as required for facilitation of programs.

SALARY: $28.49

START DATE: ASAP

About the Organization

For over 45 years, Tropicana has been a pillar of strength and support, proudly standing as one of Canada's largest Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations. Our mission is to provide access to opportunities that lead to personal success and positive life decisions for Black, African, and Caribbean individuals, as well as others facing barriers. This includes those who experience challenges in education, language, finances, and social circumstances.

We are dedicated to empowering our community through culturally responsive services in education, employment, and community development. Tropicana is committed to making a lasting impact, with programs designed to address the unique needs of the populations we serve. Our motto, "We Change Lives," reflects our unwavering commitment to driving meaningful change for those we support.

About the Position

The employment counsellor is responsible for assisting clients to achieve appropriate career and employment goals. The successful candidate will connect clients to appropriate employers and provide coaching to help them succeed in workplace.

Areas of Responsibility

• Manage an assigned yearly caseload of approximately 100 clients; conduct follow-up with employers, clients and other service providers
• Conduct assessments and help clients identify their skills, interests, values and aptitudes
• Facilitate engaging and interactive group sessions for program participants
• Develop and implement outreach strategies to recruit youth into the program
• Establish and maintain relationships with community organizations, schools and other stakeholders to drive recruitment efforts.
• Conduct presentations and information sessions to promote program and attract potential participants
• Track outreach activities and maintain accurate records of recruitment efforts
• Support program participants throughout the prep session, ensuring a positive and inclusive learning environment
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure program goals and recruitment targets are met.
• Provide reports and updates on recruitment efforts and sessions outcome.
• Provide guidance in developing personal development plans to assist clients to achieve employment goals
• Support clients requiring additional job retention coaching by offering guidance and relevant referrals
• Advocate for clients with employers, addressing concerns and facilitating conflict resolution to support workplace integration and success.
• Collect and verify clients paystubs and attestations, ensuring timely and accurate upload to the FFAI system
• Provide clients with effective career development strategies and help them to incorporate into personal development plans
• Provide job search skills training and career planning services
• Assist clients in the preparation of resumes and other employment-related correspondence
• Research and communicate current labor market information to clients
• Locating job leads appropriate to client skill level and interest
• Prepare clients and match them with appropriate work placements according to their inventory of skills and interests
• Act as a liaison between client and employer
• Complete knowledge of the Better Jobs Ontario Career application and processing
• Identify and assess client need for job coaching and monitor work placements
• Determine and implement appropriate job coaching strategies
• Achieve outcome targets for clients in employment, education and other training programs and maintain a high level of customer service
• Maintain accurate case documentation in internal systems (e.g. EOIS-CaMS), Future Fit AI and provide statistical information as requested
• Provide information and make referrals to appropriate educational and training programs
• Make presentations on behalf of the agency to employers and other service providers
• Contribute to agency's outreach effort, maintaining useful relationships with community partners

Skills and Qualifications

• Strong counselling skills.

• Ability to manage a large caseload and document files as directed.

• Thorough knowledge of effective job search techniques and current labour market trends.

• Group facilitation experience.

• Demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness in counseling services.

• Superior written and oral communication skills.

• Ability to work well in a team setting.

• Ability to work in a multicultural/multiracial environment.

• Computer literacy – Microsoft applications and Internet.

• University degree.

• Related work experience in counseling and/or education.

• Bilingualism is an asset.

Although we appreciate each application, only those candidates being considered for the position will be contacted.

Tropicana Community Services commits to promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) through its information and support, advocacy, programming, internal policies, and governance structures. Tropicana Community Services will aim to ensure that our staff reflect the experience, skills and diversity of the communities we serve and create an inclusive, barrier-free work environment, beginning with the recruitment process. If you have restrictions that need to be accommodated to fully participate in any phase of the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.