Final Report Summary: Prospect Human Services

Overview:

Prospect Human Services Society is an organization based in Calgary that used the funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to enhance its Forces@Work program. Forces@Work ensures effective transition into the post-service workforce for Veterans and their family members.

Project Goals:

The goal of this project was to help 200 Veterans and families develop an Employment Action Plan. Of these, 80% of Veterans would secure employment and 90% of those would retain that employment.

Project Activities:

To achieve these goals, Prospect Human Services:

• Strategized solutions to generate new referrals and continued working closely with existing network of referral partners including the Military Family Resource Centres (MFRC) across Alberta, Veterans Affairs Canada, CAF Transition Centres, Base Personnel Selection Officers (BPSO) and Royal Canadian Legion Services Offices;
• Worked with employers to increase their capacity attract, recruit and retain Veterans and family members as employees;
• Responded to referrals made to the program within one business day;
• Guided the process for transitioning to civilian employment, which helped Veterans develop an Employment Action Plan, that set out specific goals along with actions and strategies to be undertaken by all parties, to support a successful integration into civilian employment;
• Supported the job search process with services such as targeted resume development and interview practice;
• Provided Job Placement Services to both participants and employers to ensure a strong match;
• Delivered two Effective Strategy Forums to provide employers with information, resources and tools to support effective engagement of Veteran and family members in their workforce;
• Hosted five Company Connectors events to connect employers to Veterans and family members and show the types of careers offered; and,
• Sought solutions on how to keep enrolled participants motivated in their job search despite the declining labour market conditions, worsening Alberta Unemployment Rate and impacts of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Project Results:

While the COVID-19 Pandemic had a considerable impact on Alberta’s job market and interfered with the original project goals, many employers still wanted to engage with Veterans and some project milestones were met despite these unforeseen challenges. Table 1 provides an overview of the project’s targets and results.