On the 8th of March, 2011 the Employer of Excellence Award for Medium Employer was awarded to the Yorkton Co-op in recognition of their excellence in supported employment.
For the past five years, the Yorkton Co-op has collaborated with Partners in Employment to provide an inclusive working environment for individuals with various barriers to employment. They exemplify the true meaning of Supported Employment. The Co-op has provided many employment and work-related skills enhancement opportunities to individuals with disabilities or other employment barriers. The management provides training and leadership opportunities to their staff in order to promote independence, confidence and self-esteem. The staff is friendly and caring, creating an incredibly supportive environment for individuals with varying abilities; we call these "natural supports". Natural supports include such things as utilizing employee mentors to train individuals, matching job skills with individual abilities and the scheduling of shifts and hours to match individual needs.
Partners in Employment views the Yorkton Co-op as a business leader within the community; creating social awareness and ending social stigmas surrounding employing people with disabilities. People with varying abilities CAN work, and we would like to thank the Yorkton Co-op for providing employment opportunities for this marginalized group. The Co-op staff model a true "work place team", supporting one another and providing the best service possible to their customers. This team fosters growth and development within the Co-op's employees, and adds to the success of supported employment clients.
The Co-op's winning attitude, combined with patience and support have provided our clients the opportunity to succeed and become contributing members of this community.
