CEAS
Proudly Serving the Comox Valley for Over 25 Years!
Creative Employment Access Society (CEAS) is an incorporated non-profit society providing employment transition programs and services in the Comox valley. We are a progressive agency with a staff of 28 who provide services to thousands of local residents each year. We currently operate the following projects: Work BC Employment Services Centre and the Comox Valley Community Services Directory.
History
In 1982 the Comox District Teachers’ Self-Help Centre was founded to meet the needs of unemployed teachers. Sponsored by the British Columbia Teachers Federation, it provided peer counseling and professional development workshops for out of work teachers. Various job creation projects were subsequently initiated including a French mini-school and a tutoring service. In 1985, a Job Entry project for youth received funding from the Canada Employment Centre (CEC), and in 1986 the first Comox Valley Work Experience program was funded by CEC.
In 1989 Creative Employment Access Society (CEAS) was incorporated to better serve the unemployed and underemployed community. We have successfully delivered employment related programs and services in the Comox Valley for 30 years. Throughout the years our society has provided programming to meet the needs of our community and we have adapted to deal with specific labour market issues present at the time. Some examples of the breadth and depth of our experience are: retraining for displaced commercial fishers; retraining for displaced forestry workers; training and work experience for agriculture workers; self-employment training and support for youth; employment skills training for youth, women, aboriginal persons, immigrants, and older workers; employment preparation for long term unemployed persons; essential skills training for youth; labour market research and analysis; community animation to support newcomers and diversity training.
The Creative Employment Access Society is centrally located in downtown Courtenay at 103-555 Fourth Street. Our modern facility is fully equipped with the latest technology to support our client’s learning.
Our friendly, positive Case Managers are highly trained and have years of experience providing employment services. Case Managers meet with clients in a private and confidential setting to help them develop their back to work plans and to support them carrying out their plans. Also, Case Managers facilitate our many group workshops which have been developed to help our clients learn new valuable job search skills.
Our Self-Service Centre is available to anyone in the community who is actively seeking work. It contains:
- 10 computer workstations for self-directed, employment related work,
- a printer, photocopier, fax machine,
- free long distance for employment related calls
- an array of adaptive technologies which are available for users who may require specialized assistance
- a library with more than 600 resources focused on employment and personal growth
Community and Employer Partnership Plan 2014-15
Work Life BC Award of Merit
Creative Employment Access Society is the proud recipient of an Award of Merit from WorkLife BC. The award recognizes our commitment to work/life balance