Meet Lily Froman – a graduate of our Employment Readiness program!
In 2015, before Lily was a student with OSTTC, she was working for $12 an hour and only paid for hours worked. As a single mom, she knew that she needed to change her work environment to let go of her feelings of being stressed and burnt out. This is when she applied for OSTTC’s Employment Readiness Program!
Feeling anxious about leaving her employment to pursue her education, Lily quickly found support in OSTTC and GREAT; leaving her fears to dwindle with each certification she gained! The 16-week Employment Readiness program focuses on Employment and Career-Planning, it provides students with 12-weeks of in-class learning to focus on developing skills and proper work ethics. With this, students are able to gain certifications to add on their resume including First Aid, WHMIS, Safe Food Handling and more! In reflection, Lily says
“I obtained many certificates that became super helpful to employment, I completed workshops one where I made my first pair of moccasins, and every day brought new perspectives and growth both personally and professionally.”
When asked what her favourite part of her program was, Lily says “I loved the career cruising module as it showed my strengths and weaknesses and the different jobs where I would thrive. Admin work was one of my strengths and dealing with people as a front line worker was a weakness.” Throughout her time spent in the program, Lily was provided with the tools and knowledge of working within a professional office environment, developing stronger work ethic, knowledge to recognize unsafe work duties, recognize workplace violence, to know her rights as a worker and how to create resumes and cover letters.
After the 12-weeks of in-class, students are then placed on a 4-week job placement that will allow students to utilize the lessons learned and have hands-on experience in the workforce. Lily completed her placement at the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre and overall loved the experience with the court worker! But, Lily’s employment journey started at GREAT in May 2016 where she was hired as a Casual Receptionist.
Fast forward seven years later, Lily currently thrives in her position as GREAT’s Employment and Training Coach for OSTTC! Lily mentions that
“my position differs from the rest of my ETC colleagues because I am partnered with OSTTC meaning I work with clients who register for OSTTC programming, I provide funding assistance, which has been so rewarding for me.”
Lily’s typical day at work starts by checking her calendar to review any upcoming events or clients. She then logs into their data management system to review her caseload and will proceed to any meetings she has set with clients for the day.
Looking back at what she learned about herself in the Employment Readiness Program, Lily notes that finding out dealing with people as a front line worker as a weakness is now
“comical as I work with clients on a daily basis! This just shows you can push through any anxiety or fear as long as you are determined, and find ways to make it work.”
For Lily, she hopes to continue helping as many clients as possible. She loves that her current position allows for her to help clients reach their employment goals through necessary training courses so they can obtain certification for entry level. One of her most gratifying moments are when clients will email their letter of employment, as it shows she’s helped one more person reach their goals too.
Lily’s advice to those who are interested in applying to one of OSTTC’s programs is that
“no matter what may be holding you back I would say go for it and take that step in registering with OSTTC! If you can turn your thoughts into actions, those actions will produce results. I met with a GREAT worker to seek funding for the OSTTC Employment Readiness program in 2015; today I am one of the GREAT workers!”
OSTTC is so proud of Lily and all that she persevered through to get to where she is today! She continues to provide a great support system for every student that walks through our doors! To learn more about OSTTC, please visit www.osttc.com.
