"Connecting Employers and People with Disabilities"
Champions Career Centre Limited
650, 839 - 5th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3C8
Phone: (403) 265-5374
Fax: (403) 265-5675
TTY: (403) 265-5309
"Connecting Employers and People with Disabilities"
Champions Career Centre Limited
650, 839 - 5th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3C8
Phone: (403) 265-5374
Fax: (403) 265-5675
TTY: (403) 265-5309
Champions and its partners are solely focused on helping individuals with disabilities prepare to find employment, further their education, and fulfil their career goals. We provide comprehensive, integrated, coordinated services.
Services are provided to participants with a range of documented disabilities, both visible and non-visible. Our service provides resources and services to best serve a wide range of disabling conditions and clients at various stages in their career development. Services include individualized assessment, collaborative employment Action Plan, on-site resource centre, career planning, acquisition of employability and employment skills through individual and workshop formats, supported job search, employment placement, education/training placement, and community support services.
Champions continues to develop a service model which facilitates the essential partnership with affiliated agencies employing staff having a diversity of skills and experiential backgrounds. A qualitative custom delivery of employment skills training and placement options are delivered to clients in both individual and group formats. Specific needs are addressed on an individual basis. The client is fully apprised of the option of selecting the service provider to be engaged on his behalf. This 'buy-in' will better ensure active participation in the job search and placement process. Constant adjustments to the content and process of contracted services are evolving as experiences with contracted services are evaluated.
We believe that as the economy grows and skilled employees become harder to find, persons with disabilities offer a relatively untapped reservoir of talent. Major inroads have been made in the placement of clients. Champions continues to solicit extensive corporate donations to support program achievements and enhancements but more importantly, seeks greatly improved employment initiatives for clients. After placement, follow-up support is maintained through monthly contact throughout the 180-day period with additional job coaching, personal support, adaptive technology or Disability Related Employment Supports ("DRES") (alt-9) supports as required. The Case Management model is applied to all steps of the service delivery to ensure timely and individualized response to client need and employer need.
The Champions' model emphasizes skills, ability, potential, and self-worth. Attitudes regarding menial and limited employment opportunities as the 'lot' of the disabled citizens are rejected. Client selection of employment and enhancement opportunities remains the Champions' service priority, based upon the principle of freely-elected but informed choice of options. Champions supports this principle by facilitating access to Interpreter services, adaptive technology and worksite modifications. The DRES program (alt-9) supports successful competition in the job market, including for those limited to part-time or flexible schedules.
Criteria which assess the primary components of the Ready, Willing and Able 'question' as developed by Champions includes the following:
Ready - Has the individual addressed those external, environmental issues which affect the ability to attend work 'tomorrow' should the opportunity arise?
Willing - Does the individual in fact want to be employed? Has consideration been given to all the implications of making a commitment to an employer?
Able - Is the individual capable of work?
Clients who are not considered at this time to be ready, willing, and able are referred to appropriate community service agencies and encouraged to begin service with Champions at a suitable time in the future.
