Increasing student employment opportunities

Columbia Basin Trust's School Works Program is making a difference for B.C. students

1 of 3L to R: Dig Garden Centre co-owner Mark Loran and School Works student employee Andrew Falle. — Photo courtesy Columbia Basin Trust

2 of 3L to R: Sebina Iseli-Otto, librarian and Marina Cunningham, School Works Program student employee at the Nakusp Public Library. — Photo courtesy Columbia Basin Trust

3 of 3Ryan Gerein, School Works employee and Rob Porter, owner of Just Liquid Sports. — Photo courtesy Columbia Basin Trust

‹ ›

…

Participants of the School Works and Summer Works Programs conducted by Columbia Basin Trust, have registered their comments on the impact these programs have had on them.

Participant quotes:

"I had a chance to improve my people skills. My job was very one-on-one with clients of the library and included being asked lots of questions. I'm going to study interior design after graduating grade 12, so having good people skills will be very important. I also increased my knowledge about books, gave reading recommendations, and practiced my writing skills through writing documentation on how to use eReaders."

- Marina Cunningham, Student Works employee, Nakusp Public Library

"Having Marina here was awesome. The people who Marina helped were so grateful. This is something we couldn't have done without her, as other staff doesn't always have the time."

- Sabina Iseli-Otto, librarian, Nakusp Public Library

"Having a student work with us has allowed us to focus on building our business by hiring additional plant specialists. Our student, Andrew, is a self-starter who takes initiative. He is learning from the plant specialists here and we think getting great job experience."

- Lori Loran, co-owner, Dig Garden Centre in South Slocan

"I loved my part-time job. Through this job I confirmed how much I love water sports. My favourite part about the job was the Wednesday paddle night. It's cool to see customers enjoying their boats. I learned lots of new job skills, including QuickBooks accounting software, and how to talk to customers. I used to be really shy and now it's not a big deal for me to talk to people in the store and I am much more outgoing."

- Ryan Gerein, School Works employee, Just Liquid Sports in Cranbrook

"Having Ryan here gave me time to plan for business growth and generally more time for business strategy. It gave me the opportunity to begin planning for Cranbrook's whitewater park as well as plan for (the) paddling club, both things that will grow my customer base. I was also able to focus on my business expansion—an 800-square-foot space next door. I would not have been able to plan for this growth if I was not able to hire someone. This program makes a small business owner's life easier."

- Rob Porter, owner, Just Liquid Sports in Cranbrook

The fall application intake for the School Works Program will begin on a first-come first-served basis on August 14. Check www.cbt.org/schoolworks for more information. CBT supports efforts to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin. To learn more about CBT programs and initiatives, visit www.cbt.org or call 1-800-505-8998.