An event at Yorkton Regional High School on March 9 detailed some of the employment options available provincially to young people with disabilities and special needs.
Transition Fair 2011, a presentation of the Good Spirit School Division, Partners in Employment, and Christ the Teacher School Division, was the first event of its kind held in Yorkton in several years.
"The Transition Fair outlines the services provided by our communities and our province that help support individuals with disabilities or multiple barriers to employment," explained Mike Shannon, transition liaison worker for Partners in Employment, "and help transition them from high school into the adult workforce."
Young people aged 13-23 and their families, caregivers, and teachers were invited to the fair, which hosted 20 exhibitors from various organizations providing information on income assistance and employment options, independent living support, and resources for navigating these programs.
Spoken presentations on the various opportunities available were a centrepiece of the fair-in particular, firsthand accounts from graduates of the Supported Employment Transition Initiative, who discussed their own experiences with finding meaningful employment.
The effects of the Partners in Employment program, which builds its clients' social skills and independence before matching them up with employers, are "incredible to see," said Shannon.
"They're getting their first paycheques, and their self-esteem is increasing."
Employers have been pleased with the results, as well. Supported employment programs provide them with enthusiastic, reliable workers who require less additional support and training than is typically expected.
"Right now Saskatchewan is really a booming province, and they're facing an employee shortage," noted Shannon. "So we've got an untapped work pool right here at our disposal."
