OPTIONS

Work Activity Program

Next programming starts Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Accepting referrals until Thursday, December 19, 2024

Upcoming Holiday Hours: OPTIONS will be closed from Friday, December 20, 2024 to Monday, January 6, 2025.

The OPTIONS Work Activity Program helps Nova Scotians discover their employment potential. We help people who face challenges to employment find meaningful work. We offer pre-employment and employment services that focus on personal, social and workplace skill development. We support anyone ages 18 and up who seek a path to sustainable employment.

What We Do

Our program team is dedicated to helping our participants reach their goals and that’s why a time investment of Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. is required. We offer a training allowance of $150 a month, paid bi-weekly based on attendance.

OPTIONS Work Activity Program Components:

Training Allowance included

  1. Employment and Career Exploration (four weeks)

  2. Work-based training: Skill development/enhancement (12 weeks)

  3. Work placement (10 weeks)

Employment & Career Exploration

This is the first component of the OPTIONS Work Activity Program. Your Certified Career Development Practitioner will support you each step of the way. They will also meet with you one on one to develop your personal employment action plan. We will explore participants’ skills, education and interests to help evaluate employability. We will help with crafting a resume and cover letter, and prepare for interviews.

You will also go through workshops in Personal Development, Team Building, Workplace Values, Skills To Pay The Bills, and Building Confidence. You’ll have time to discover where your interests, skills, education, values and personality align with your career path.

Please note that completing this component is required to be eligible for our work-based training and skill development.

Work OPTIONS

OPTIONS offers a work-based training and skill development in customer service, food service, office skills and environmental services. These Work OPTIONS goes from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Once participants complete their work-based training and skill development, participants are eligible to go on a 10 week work placement in the community.

Customer Service

Participants develop their skills in communication, how to sell, and customer conflict resolution. Focus areas are retail, food & beverage, tourism & hospitality, and reception. Hands-on training is provided in the Clothing Options Retail Store, AMP Café & Training Hub, and front desk. Participants are prepared for work in retail stores, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and front desk environments.

Food Service

Under the direction of a Red Seal Chef, our participants can develop knowledge and skills to work in a food service team. This could include work in commercial facilities, institutions, schools, restaurants, hotels, or long-term care homes. Participants will focus on developing skills and experience in food preparation and presentation, proper knife handling, food and kitchen safety, sanitization, and kitchen equipment use and maintenance.

Environmental Services

Participants have the opportunity to increase their knowledge and develop skills needed for commercial cleaning in schools, offices, hotels, buildings, retail and residential homes. This also includes learning about recycling and waste management, laundry protocols and procedures, plus inventory maintenance. Length of this program is up to 12 weeks.

Work Placement

We will connect our participants with our employment partners and local business. These work placements go for 10 weeks. This is your opportunity to use the skills and experiences you’ve enhanced and gained throughout the OPTIONS program and use them outside the training room.

Reach out to the OPTIONS team!

If you would like to refer someone, or yourself, you can download our referral form here. Once you’ve completed the form, please email it to intake@optionswork.ca, or fax it to 902-453-4793, or mail it to our address below.

7071 Bayers Road, Suite LL05
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3L 2C2

If you are unsure about your eligibility or want to discuss your situation and options, contact us here, or call our OPTIONS team at (902) 453-6246.