Teamworks program helps connect people to supply chain industry

By Troy Bannerman - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 22, 2023.

Teamworks Career Centre this month will be starting a 15-week training program designed to give unemployed and underemployed individuals applicable skills in the supply chain industry. Teamworks is on the third floor of the Post Office downtown. The program starts Feb. 27.

“We run government funded programs that help unemployed and underemployed Albertans get back to work as quickly as they can. That includes training programs and employment services programs, anything from helping people with their resumes to helping train them for supply chain jobs, or office and accounting jobs,” said Teamworks manager Barb Wollstonecraft about the program.

“We offer a 15-week Careers in Supply Chain program. And that program is intended to help people find jobs in the supply chain field, anywhere from entry level up to management jobs. So during those 15 weeks we give them a great base of knowledge in computer literacy, digital literacy – Microsoft products, Word, Excel, Outlook. We have a hands-on instructor here who gives them really in-depth, in person, hands-on training.”

Wollstonecraft said Teamworks spends six weeks program participants, training them on transportation and logistics done in conjunction with CITT, the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation.

“In order to get their CITT designation they need five courses and through his program they get two of them for free. It’s a great program. They get a micro credential in Transportation and Logistics through CITT as they finish this program.

Those are the in-demand jobs right now that employers are looking for,” she said.

“The supply chain, as we know through COVID and everything, has just exploded. So employers are seeking people with these skills. Warehousers, plus logistics people, purchasers, it can be transportation coordinators, it can be managers, production managers. We’ve been running this program for going on our fourth year. And in that program we’ve got people anywhere from entry-level warehouse people to all the way up to managers at different plants in Southern Alberta. And everywhere in-between – logistics and purchasing, and sometimes its sales.

“And the interesting thing is it’s for everybody and anybody to help them move forward in their career. So even administrative jobs in the supply chain. The knowledge that you gain in this program is invaluable because you understand the supply chain from start to finish. And once you understand your place in the supply chain, in the movement of goods, and the manufacturing of goods you understand how every single piece in that supply chain matters to get product to the end user. Our next program starts shortly here, in the next couple of weeks, and then it will be in the fall again.”

Another program Teamworks runs is on office administration and accounting.

“Our Office and Accounting Essentials program has been around for probably 18 years; we’ve been running this program and continuing to revise it and improve it all along. It’s helped hundreds and hundreds of people get employed. So this 15-week program, again we give them a great base in digital literacy. Then we give them Accounting Theory. So a university level course in Accounting. So they understand accounting manually and from a theory perspective. And then we follow that up with QuickBooks online. And that program starts at the end of March,” added Wollstonecraft.

In both programs, whether it’s supply chain or office, Teamworks also sprinkles in self-improvement and employability skills to help people become the employees that employers are seeking.

“We also offer employment services to individuals where we can customize a plan for them individually to help them get back to work as quickly as possible. So that might be resumes, and in all these programs they get resume help, cover letters, interview practice. They get an individual job coach that works with them to help them be successful. In our employment programs, Project Hire, and Project Hire: Discover we focus on helping the individuals achieve their goals and their needs in shorter-term intervention with them, but we stay in contact with everybody for about a six month period where we are actively right by their side helping them find employment and maintain employment.”

Teamworks takes its training programs a step further, it doesn’t just train people to do a job, Teamworks help program attendees contact employers who are looking for their newly acquired skills.

Wollstonecraft noted, “We have a new employer program that we recently started where we work with employers to help them with their recruitment and retention needs. We can help employers anywhere from helping them develop a job posting or a job profile to helping them with workshops, free workshops to help them with recruitment and retention of their labour force. We can help them with policies, forms, and help them by running job fairs. We are going to be running three job fairs this year. We’re actively helping connect employers to the job seekers in our community to make great matches. So, we’ve got it all going.”

These programs are funded through the Federal Government’s Employment Insurance and are free to register and attend. For more information go to https://www.teamworktraining.ca/ or call 403-382-3770.

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