Employment Services Grey Bruce Huron Perth And Collège Boréal Have Launched A Program That Provides Employment Support For Newcomers

 by Bob Montgomery

There are a lot of employers in Huron County looking for help and there are a lot of newcomers to Huron County looking for work.

Aka Sébastien Kouakou is a consultant working with Huron County's Immigration Partnership, Employment Services Grey Bruce Huron Perth and Collège Boréal to see if he can help put the right employee together with the right employer. He works with job seekers by helping them with job preparation, getting them ready for a job interview, writing cover letters and anything else that would be related to job seeking. He then sits down with the employers to assess their job requirements and tries to fill the gap and match the best person for the job. 

The gap is there and there are some challenges in filling it. Many of the newcomers that are looking for work have the right skills and experience for the job but language can be a barrier. If the employer will take a chance and give that newcomer a job, that provides an excellent opportunity for the newcomer to improve their language skills while they're able to work and support their family. The employer has to think about that newcomer as a human first before they become a resource for the employer and when that happens they usually become a very valued employee.

Kouakou says he is a newcomer himself but he does have the advantage of speaking nine languages. He has found Huron County to be a remarkable community of people who are exceptionally warm and welcoming and that encourages newcomers, like himself, to do whatever they can to help build the community. He schedules in person appointments at the Goderich Library on Montreal Street every Friday from May to September 2024 or by virtual appointments.

Photo courtesy of Huron County Immigration Partnership