This is an attempt to give a quick snapshot of the EPBC or WorkBC programs for those interested.

1. WorkBC Employment Services Center
Based on WorkBC.ca Website
Girish Chandra Ananthanarayana
www.CDPResources.com
9th Feb 2014

2. Agenda
• Brief overview of the WorkBC / EPBC programs
• Who should visit a WorkBC Services Center
• Services Offered
• Centers around BC

3. EPBC - History
• As of April 2, 2012, the Employment Program of British Columbia (EPBC) is the
ministry’s one-stop employment program
• EPBC replaced Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) employment
programs and services, and provincial employment programs for BC
Employment Assistance (BCEA) recipients
•
•
•
•
British Columbia Employment Program (BCEP)
Community Assistance Program (CAP)
Bridging Employment Programs (BEP) and
Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities (EPPD)
• The EPBC integrates services from these former programs into a
single, comprehensive employment program.

4. History
• WorkBC is the provincial strategy for addressing B.C.’s labour and skills shortages
while preparing for continued long term economic growth and success
• To address labour and skills shortages WorkBC employs 5 main strategies:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Keep the workforce we have in B.C.
Develop the skills of our existing workers
Increase the labour market success for
Aboriginal people
Attract and recruit new workers
Address regional skills shortages

5. EPBC Services
• http://www.sdsi.gov.bc.ca/programs/epbc/index.htm
• Services and supports are delivered by community based employment
service providers at WorkBC Employment Services Centres through 73
contracts administered in communities across B.C.
• A network of 85 WorkBC Employment Services Centres are in place to
ensure that everyone in B.C., regardless of who they are or where
they live, get the supports they need to help them find and maintain
employment.

6. WorkBC Employment Services Center (ESC)
• Located throughout the province, ESCs offer individualized, inperson help to British Columbians looking for work
• Support British Columbians in getting a job as quickly as possible — and keeping it
• ESCs are Accessible, inclusive, and staffed with supportive,
knowledgeable people who understand employment needs

7. Who should visit a WorkBC Center
• The Employment Program of British Columbia (EPBC) is available to all
unemployed British Columbians who are seeking employment and are legally
eligible to work in British Columbia
• The program offers a range of services that support job seekers to find and
maintain employment and to improve employment readiness.
• People in all regions and of all ages and backgrounds have access to the
same high-quality supports and services

8. What do you get at EPBC?
• Self Serve self-serve resource area of WorkBC
Employment Services
• EPBC services for the eligible

9. Services in Employment Services Centers
At each WorkBC Employment Services Centre, you’ll find:
• Job search resources
• computer workstations, internet access, public telephones, fax machines, photocopy services, informational materials
• Personal employment planning
• help with resume writing and developing a job-search strategy
• Skills and training
• workshops to help with building skills by identifying which workshops and training that will be most useful
• Work experience placements
• Specialized resources
• services for those who live in remote areas, for those with disabilities, for those who face language or cultural barriers, for
those who require specialized help for other reasons

10. Who should visit a WorkBC Center
• Self-serve resource areas at EPBC are open to any B.C. job seeker or employer
• No eligibility criteria or formal screening required to use the resource area
• However, to access any other EPBC Services, you must:
• Meet basic eligibility criteria for the program – be unemployed and legally eligible to
work in B.C., OR
• Qualify as an allowable exception to program eligibility requirements
• for most services, be assessed as needing the service to successfully attach to the
labour market or community
• Some services have additional eligibility criteria

11. WorkBC Services - Requirement
1. Meet the program definition of ―unemployed,‖
• ―Unemployed‖ means you are not a full-time student, and you:
• are not working
• are working an average of fewer than twenty (20) hours per week, AND
•
•
•
•
•
are actively seeking full-time employment
are unable to work full-time because of a disability and are seeking to work more hours
are in receipt of a notice of imminent layoff
must leave your current occupation due to a medical reason
are at significant risk of losing your employment because of a disability
2. Provide a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to demonstrate that you are
legally eligible to work in B.C.
3. For more information on eligibility visit WorkBC site:
http://www.workbc.ca/WorkBC-Centres/Who-should-visit-us.aspx

12. Services
• EPBC services are delivered through WorkBC Centres (ESC)
• Services fall into two categories: General services and
Supplemental services
• Clients may also be eligible for financial supports
• Assist eligible clients in financial need with the costs of basic expenses
required for Program participation, job search or starting jobs.
• In some cases, employed individuals at significant risk of losing employment
due to a disability, may be eligible for financial supports to enable
employment retention

13. Services
The two service categories are:
1. General services:
• Delivered at the storefront
• self-serve services, apprentice services, case management, and case
managed services
2. Supplemental services:
• may be delivered at storefront ESC, through other qualified service providers
at other locations or training institutes, depending on type of service
• Training services, Self-Employment services, and specialized assessment
services

14. Services
General services
Supplemental services
Self-Serve Services
Apprentice Services
Case Management
Case Managed Services
Self-Employment Orientation and
Assessment Services
Training Services
Self-Employment Services
Specialized Assessment Services
Financial Supports

15. Services – Self Serve Service
• Self-serve services is for ALL BC job seekers. It provides
• job search tools, information, equipment, services and supports that can be
accessed independently or with minimal support
• Every WorkBC ESC storefront location in British Columbia will
provide the following self-serve services:
• A staffed self-serve resource area
• Self-serve job search and job search workshops for unemployed clients
• Job search and job start financial supports for eligible clients

16. Services – Apprentice Services
• Apprentice - registered in an Industry Training Authority (ITA) approved training program
• Apprentices who meet Employment Insurance (EI) client eligibility requirements are eligible for
financial supports while in the apprenticeship classroom
• Most apprentices have an employer sponsor
• Clients without a sponsor and those who have lost their employer sponsorship due to lay-off, may be considered for case
management services - to assess their need and eligibility for services and to help them establish an employer relationship
• Apprentices can be case managed or non-case managed and are served through the Apprentice
On-Line Portal (AOP)
• Approximately 80% of apprentices applying for financial supports have not required case
management services
• For more information, please visit our Apprenticeship page

17. Services – Case Management – 1/2
• Case management (CM) - collaborative process between a case manager and a
client to support client in achieving highest level of labour market participation
possible
• CM - provided to EPBC clients who are assessed to require more intensive services
and support than self-serve services
• Potential CM clients may be identified
• at reception during their initial visit to the WorkBC ESC, or
• while accessing the self-serve resource area, and are offered formal needs assessments to
determine their employment needs and
• BC Employment and Assistance (BCEA) clients with employment
obligations, formally referred to the program by the ministry’s regional services
division are also provided with a formal needs assessment for CM

18. Services – Case Management – 2/2
• The case management process involves:
Assessing a client’s employment readiness and employment-related needs
Assisting the client to identify a realistic and achievable employment objective(s)
Developing mutually agreed action plan to support the client to achieve employment objectives
Providing employment counselling, services, and financial supports (via financial needs
assessment) to assist the client to achieve labour market attachment
• Assessment that considers the needs of individuals with specialized employment
• Supporting and monitoring client in completing the action plan, until the client has successfully
achieved and maintained a labour market or community attachment outcome
• Job coaching and job maintenance/retention services during the followup period
•
•
•
•

19. Services - Case Managed
• Case managed services are services provided to or for case managed
clients. These include Employment Support Services and SelfEmployment Orientation and Assessment
• Employment Support Services
• Group-based workshops and/or individual employment counselling sessions around
preparing for, finding, obtaining and maintaining employment
• Group workshops and individual sessions generally focused on job search and
employment, or to improve employment readiness or certificate training courses
required for entry level jobs in an occupation or industry

20. Services – Self Employment (SE) Orientation
and Assessment Services
• For clients unable to obtain sustainable employment and potentially
suitable for SE services through a formal needs assessment.
• Designed to provide information on SE Services, create awareness about
entrepreneurship, and confirm client suitability and self-employment readiness as
well as business concept eligibility for Program support.
• SE orientation and assessment services must be completed before a
client is approved to participate in the program’s SE services.
• For clients with disabilities, participation requirements can be more
flexible to accommodate disability-related needs

21. Service – Training Services - 1/3
• Assist eligible case-managed clients to access a range of different
types of training to help them prepare for the labour market
• Three types of training in the EPBC
• Essential skills training
• Short-Term Orientation and Certificate training, and
• Skills training.
• For clients with disabilities, participation requirements can be
more flexible to accommodate disability-related needs

22. Service – Training Services - 2/3
• Essential skills training
• Variety of topics intended to improve basic employment readiness.
• Taught as stand-alone courses or combined with other forms of skills training
(e.g., literacy and/or numeracy could be combined with other skills training topics)
• Training may vary from a few days to sometimes several weeks or
months, depending on the topic and whether or not topics are combined.
• Short-Term Orientation and Certificate training (STOC)
• Support clients to meet minimum entry requirements for a job or an industry.
• Not more than a few days and often part of a group-based job search workshop.

23. Service – Training Services - 3/3
• Skills training
• Enable clients to develop skills for labour market; viz. occupational skills training,
academic prerequisites for skills training/employment, and language skills training.
• Language courses normally do not exceed a few months
• Academic upgrading as a prerequisite for occupational skills training can be as brief
as a month or two or take up to a few years to complete.
• Occupational skills training normally does not exceed one year in length, but can
sometimes be longer.

24. Services – Self Employment Services – 1/2
• To help eligible case-managed clients, who have successfully
completed Self-Employment orientation and assessment services
and had their business concept accepted, to create jobs for
themselves by starting a business.
• Clients in SE services are expected to become self-sufficient and
independent through self-employment upon completion
• For clients with disabilities, participation requirements can be
more flexible to accommodate disability-related needs

25. Services – Self Employment Services – 2/2
• Three distinct components of Self-Employment services
• Business plan development
• Entrepreneurial workshops
• Business launch and implementation
• Coaching and mentoring by service providers with specialized
expertise in self-employment business knowledge is provided
throughout Self-Employment services.

26. Services - Specialized Assessment Services
• Employment-related assessments conducted by qualified assessors
•
• To effectively assist case-managed clients who have significant and
complex employment-related assessment needs to achieve the
highest level of labour market participation possible
• A range of different types of specialized assessments available
• to determine a client’s employment-related abilities, strengths, and employment
service needs when they are not evident through the multi-dimensional needs
assessment, client interviews, employment counseling, other assessment resources
or through existing information that may be available from the client.

27. Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW)
Business Entrepreneurship Skills Training (BEST)
Aboriginal Training and Employment Program (ATEP)
EPBC – Service Targets
• Job Options BC
Everyone
• Labour Market Sector Solutions
Else
• Employment Skills Access Initiative
• Targeted Skills Shortage Pilot Program
Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP)
Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP)
– Job Match Services
Older
Workers
Job Options BC - Urban Older Workers
Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW)
Aboriginal
People
Women Women’s Mentorship Program
Women in Trades Training
Labor Market
Participation
and Target
Groups
Immigrants
Immigrants in Trades Training
Skills Connect for Immigrants
BladeRunners
Youth
Youth Skills BC - Workplace Program
Youth Skills BC – Entrepreneurship – Youth Mean Business Program
People
with
Disabilities
/ Multiple
Barriers

28. EPBC – Programs
Services are delivered through programs for the target audience
• Aboriginals
• Aboriginal Business Entrepreneurship Skills Training (BEST)
• Aboriginal Training and Employment Program (ATEP)
• Trades Training for Aboriginal People
• Immigrants
• Immigrants in Trades Training
• Skills Connect for Immigrants
• Older Workers
• Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW)
• Job Options BC - Urban Older Workers
• Women
• Women in Trades Training
• Women’s Mentorship Program
• Youth
• Youth Skills BC - Workplace Program
• Youth Skills BC – Entrepreneurship – Youth Mean Business Program
• BladeRunners – youth at risk / multibarrier Job Options BC
• General
• Employment Skills Access Initiative
• Labour Market Sector Solutions
• Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP)
• Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP) – Job Match Services
• Targeted Skills Shortage Pilot Program
• Multi-Barrier Clients / Persons with Disabilities
•
BladeRunners

29. Want More Details?
Google WorkBC Employment Programs