WorkBC Helps Mature Immigrant Upskill into New Career
January 23, 2023
Maria is a 56-year-old woman who was working as a housekeeper in a workforce accommodation camp in Northern BC. After working in this industry for 10 years, 20 days on and 10 days off at 10-12 hours per day, Maria was required to go on Short Term Disability in April of 2021. She loved the job, but physically could not do it anymore.
Maria began to experience financial challenges and knew she needed to get back to work, but she also needed to care for her older mother and her son at home. Before immigrating to Canada from Brazil, Maria worked as a certified hairdresser, however, knowing long hours awaited her in this position, Maria did not desire to return to this industry.
Maria was having a hard time getting her resume noticed when she applied for positions. She had no network to help her find employment. She struggled with verbal fluency and struggled to communicate her experiences on paper. Her past experiences made it difficult to switch industries into a new and meaningful career. She came to the WorkBC Maple Ridge Centre to explore her options.
WorkBC helped Maria explore the options available to her as a mature worker with physical infirmities.
They questioned Maria on her interests and experiences and learned that Maria enjoyed working with the elderly. She had experience working at Tabor Homes as a volunteer in 2004 – 2005 helping the elderly do their physiotherapy exercises. After some consideration, Maria decided to work as a Care Aide. WorkBC was able to provide Maria with the training assistance needed to work in this industry. She obtained her RCA Certifications and a Registry number in August 2022.
Following her certification, Maria was able to find employment as a Residential Health Care Worker. She is currently working casually which allows her to continue her care for her mother and her son and she plans to work towards full time employment in the future. Maria was happy to change her career with the help of WorkBC. Congratulations Maria!
