Natalie Perreault, Sea to Sky WorkBC

With hiring at the top of most local business needs, our Member feature this month is aptly chosen, Natalie Perreault, Program Manager for the Sea to Sky Work BC Employment Services Centre.

Natalie is originally from Ontario and like most Ontarians, the mountains were calling her name! She moved to Whistler, before falling in love with Pemberton in 2016.  Natalie enjoys the outdoors and all the activities Pemberton has to offer. It is a social and active community which she personally aligns with.

Natalie explained the biggest challenge in her role at Work BC.
“As the region spans the sea to sky (Squamish to Pemberton and all surrounding communities) is a large area to cover. There are many people who struggle to access basic needs, one of which is employment. The biggest challenge is how to offer support and access to services that will meet the person where they are in a meaningful way. Most people want to find a good job with a good employer but often are faced with barriers that make that connection difficult to achieve. I am often thinking about how we can do better and how can improve our ability to meet the employment needs of our diverse community when our region is so vast. In addition to our region, another challenge is our transient population, when networking with community agencies and other employers, there is often a change in our contact list, it’s a hard one to maintain but something we do acknowledge we will live with. Therefore, marketing our services is a constant practice for us.”

When asked about the greatest reward, Natalie shared, “This is easy! I have the best team….ever! They have a deep passion for what they do, and they go the extra mile whenever they can. I cannot do what I do without them. They work incredibly hard to support our clients, and feel really lucky to work alongside each of them. I also love seeing people succeed! I am a sucker for a success story, I enjoy celebrating our client’s milestones and accomplishments, whether big or small – this is often a “big deal” for many of the clients we support.”

Natalie wants people to know that Work BC offers FREE employment support and services to unemployed/under-employed job seekers and employers. “Our job-seeking clients consist of an inclusive population of people with a variety of employment barriers and needs. We are government-funded (Federal and Provincial), and our goal is to help job seekers access employment resources and support to achieve sustainable employment. We don’t just help with resumes; we support all aspects of career exploration to securing and sustaining employment. From helping clients connect to employers, accessing current and up-to-date labour market information, purchasing work-related clothing/equipment to start a job, funding to enhance skills through post-secondary education, accessing entrepreneurship training, hiring incentives such as wage subsidies, customizing employment for persons with disabilities – and the list goes on. Our services also extend to supporting employers accessing resources to help them hire and retain staff, including promoting awareness of Provincial government funding for training their existing workforce. We also work alongside several community agencies where we share similar clientele to create wrap-around supports for our mutual clients.”

You can contact Natalie & her team at Work BC here.