Employment cafe in Toronto helps job seekers take action

Moshe Sakal was looking for a career change when he happened to visit Centennial Library in Toronto and came across the Bathurst-Finch Employment Cafe.

For the past year and a half, the cafe has run out of the Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue library every Tuesday from 1 to 3:45 p.m.

The cafe is a collaborative effort of local employment service providers to reach out to job seekers. The free service is open to everyone who needs employment assistance.

Agencies involved are JVS Toronto; Toronto Employment and Social Services; Toronto Public Library; Toronto Social Services, Finance and Administration; vpi; St. Stephen's Community House; AYCE; and YMCA.

The cafe went on hiatus in December and started up again at the beginning of May, much to the relief of those seeking help.

The cafe helps one to identify their needs and then refer them to the appropriate partner agency. Many people are visiting the cafe, a lot of newcomers who are looking for work and also get a lot of youths who are looking for summer employment.

Since starting up again last month, the employment cafe averages about 10 to 12 people a week, Watson said, adding two agencies are typically on hand every session.

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