An Interview with Anna
Not long after Anna Verbik immigrated to Canada from Belarus, she found herself without a job in the middle of a pandemic. With the help of the Experienced Worker Centre, she secured Second Career funding, enrolled at Algonquin College and was able to kickstart a new work life in her adopted country.
What’s your career path been like since coming to Canada?
When I first moved here, I lived in Edmonton and worked as a data entry clerk for over 10 years. Coming to Ontario, I expected to find a job right away, but I didn’t realize how important it is to know French. I was lucky to find two short-term contracts with Ontario Health, but they couldn’t be extended. That was already a very distressing situation, and then the first wave of the pandemic made my job search impossible.
How did you find out about the Experienced Worker Centre?
I had been searching for a job for quite a while and was getting very discouraged. It was actually my daughter who told me about the Centre: she’d had support from them herself. I had never even considered going back to school and didn’t expect to be eligible for any funding opportunities, but the Centre offered me advice and helped me navigate the evaluation process of Employment Ontario’s Second Career program. Once I secured the funding, I enrolled in the Medical Device Reprocessing program.
Where are you working today?
Today I work at two local hospitals. My coworkers and I work behind the scenes but we play an important part in breaking chains of infection in the hospitals and our communities. I am very proud to play an active part in the hospitals’ efforts to contain diseases.
Where do you think you’d be without the Centre’s help?
The Centre was there for me when I needed help and I am very grateful for the opportunities that were provided to me. Without their support, I would not have been able to start this new chapter in my life. Sergio Cacciotti from Employment Ontario and Stella Ludlow from the EWC helped me get to where I am today.
