Duane Hicks
The NCDS Transition Centre, which opened last April at 242 Scott St., closed its doors Thursday after the province did not renew funding for the one-year pilot project.
The Workforce Literacy and Essential Skills program here was one of 33 in Ontario launched last year.
Last February, NCDS was awarded a $403,000 contract by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to improve local accessibility and training, focusing on the needs of employers and individuals who wish to improve workplace and essential skills.
But just a couple of weeks ago, NCDS was notified the program funding would not be extended here nor for any of the 32 programs elsewhere.
“We had hoped that if we were successful, and we served a lot of people, that there would be another round of funding,” centre manager/co-ordinator Cathy Emes said Thursday as staff Nathan Cousineau, Cathy Tysz, Tammy Hayward, and Lisa Gibbs waited out their final hours before locking the doors for good.
The purpose of the program was to assist unemployed and laid-off workers, the under-employed, those preparing to write apprenticeship or G.E.D. exams, or others hoping to return to post-secondary training to get the skills they need.
Emes said they were successful at it.
“We said that we would work with 120 clients in 12 months. We’ve worked with 158 clients,” she noted, adding despite knowing the program would stop, they continued to see clients until March 30.
“It’s fairly disappointing,” remarked Cousineau, who was an adult educator at the NCDS Transition Centre.
“The community has spoke, just through the volume of people which have come through the door,” he noted.
“I could definitely see, in the future, this community needing more things like this for its citizens—to have a higher quality of life.”
With no program funding, four of the five staff have lost their jobs while Emes will go back to NCDS Career Works and Skills and Employment Source, where she had worked prior to the Transition Centre opening.
Emes said she will continue to offer essential skills training and G.E.D. preparation, tutoring, and testing at the NCDS main office, which is located at 304 Scott St.
She stressed NCDS believes life-long learning, training, and education go hand-in-hand with employment, and that it will continue to seek further support for the program.
“We still hope in our heart of hearts that they will see how well-received and well-utilized it was in the Rainy River District,” Emes said.
“We serviced people from Rainy River to Fort Frances and Nestor Falls to Fort Frances.
“We’re more than proud of clients that utilized our services for the G.E.D.,” Emes added, noting in two rounds of testing in the past year, a total of 24 people wrote their G.E.D. exam while another 17-18 are preparing to write in June.
The Transition Centre also provided computer training to five different businesses and government agencies to help staff upgrade their skills.
Those looking for essential skills training or G.E.D. preparation help can drop by the NCDS main office between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or call 274-2282.
