Atlantic Human Services’ program in Saint John that helps immigrants find work in the area is getting a funding boost to the tune of about $500,000 over two years.
Rahma Kouraich is the program manager for Employment Counselling for Immigrants to Canada which is based on Prince Edward Street and she says they’re currently serving over 200 clients and within those there are about 100 who are from Syria.
“Greater Saint John has different challenges compared to other cities for newcomers, however, one of the advantages because it’s the biggest city in the whole of the province, a lot of people want to settle here and what to stay here so the purpose is to retain them here,” says Kouraich.
Abdellatif Baoud is the vice-president of Diversified Employment Solutions with AHS and he says this money will be used to help a huge amount of newcomers overcome barriers in terms of finding work.
“So we started this program on November 1, 2016 with two employment counsellors and now we’re going to have a third employment counsellor and this is a good capacity to serve our clients as well,” says Baoud.
Provincial minister of post-secondary education, training and labour Donald Arseneault made the announcement at the Social Enterprise Hub next door to AHS in Saint John who stressed that the government wants to invest in immigration.
The three-year Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project is now underway in the province.
