Main Elements in the Employment Counselling Course 

This course focuses on the knowledge and skills required in the delivery of employment services to job seeker clients and to employer clients both at the local and international levels.  It includes employment assessment counselling, as well as the relational, communication and conflict resolution skills that an employment officer requires to deliver employment assisted interventions with individual clients.  These interventions include the following major employment service components:

• Service Needs Determination and referral to the ESJC services and/or external employment related services

• Employment counselling techniques, including: job matching; referrals and placement services to worker clients; as well as, guidance and assistance to employer clients to assist them in finding suitable workers

• Employability assistance, including individual assessments and assistance with the development of a personal return-to-work action plan for the acquisition of skills training, job search techniques and/or entrepreneurial options

• Referral to the ESJC’s labour market programs and services and /or community resources for training and social supports

• Referral to Skills Training//Work Experience/Entrepreneurial  Services offered in the community

• Referral to Training or Educational Upgrading Programs

• Direct Assistance with Career and Job Search Techniques and/or Referrals to Job Search Workshops

• Assistance with Job Requirements both locally and abroad

• Referrals to job vacancies in the Employment Centre registry

• Assistance with labour market information for career planning and job search purposes

Course Overview and Rationale    

1 Major Components and Counsellor’s Role
 
The workshop is divided into two main components: (1) Employment Service processes:  Intake, and Service Needs Determination, Job Matching and Job Placement; and (2) Employment Counselling Services: Assisting clients in meeting employer requirements on job performance and job duties and assisting job seekers in their efforts to find suitable jobs either at home or abroad. The responsibilities of a job placement/ job matching counsellor include screening and evaluating potential employees based on information provided by various employers within the community or from abroad. The job placement / job matching counsellor often works as a liaison between employers and the job seekers in the community and in recruitment agencies abroad, striving to match the various individuals with companies that are looking for suitable employees. Their work may include referring to available training programs and/or mediating training and development offerings by local training institutions; helping potential employees develop a résumé, and preparing them for interviews by teaching interview skills and other job search or job maintenance techniques. .

The role of the employment counsellor in this latter activity implies having a good working relationship with other agencies in the community that serve the needs of unemployed people.  As such, the job placement counsellor may work with institutions offering re-training programs, community center or social services agencies to help find work for people that are having difficulty in locating employment.

2 Knowledge and Skill Requirements for the Job Matching and Employment Counselling components

An employment counselor needs excellent interpersonal skills and a positive attitude about helping people. Many counsellors have experience in social services, training, marketing, business management or in human resources. Teaching experience as well as training skills are considered an asset for this position.  Common work activities include: 1) meeting with employers in the community to determine their needs with regards to employees; 2) meeting with job seekers to attempt to match current employment options with the various individuals and their skills; 3) referring job seekers to employers both domestically and foreign; 4) setting up interviews, or arranging to assist with curriculum vitae or other documentation as required; 5) interacting with various social services and other agencies within the community and/or recruitment agencies abroad to coordinate services for employment seekers; 6) at times, entering into contracts with businesses and other agencies to provide workers with training experiences; 7) completing all data entry and reporting numbers; and, 8) indicating success or difficulties with employment opportunities and options. 

For these reasons, the course focuses on both the skills and knowledge in the areas of: labour market information, occupational classification systems and job definitions, the hiring process used by local and foreign employers as well as effective job search strategies. The first half of the course then centers on the fundamentals of Service Needs determination, job matching and job placement methods, i.e. matching personal attributes and skills with occupational characteristics and demands; and the second half, on individual employment counseling as well as facilitating workshops with worker clients on job search techniques both individually and in groups and the concept of the transferability of their current skills to occupational requirements.  It also stresses the most effective ways or reaching out to employers to demonstrate the job seeker’s suitability for the job.

For outline of the Training Modules and Proposed Agenda, please see the attachments.