The federal government is giving Burnaby's Neil Squire Society $4.2 million over three years to help people with disabilities prepare for the workforce.
"We're delighted. We are so thankful to the government of Canada for this support," said executive director Gary Birch.
The non-profit society has branches across Canada to help people with disabilities get job training. The $4.2 million is earmarked for the society's enhanced employability program.
"It's a program designed to reach out to those who are generally more marginalized than other people with disabilities to help them pursue reintegration into the workforce," Birch said.
Six-hundred and sixty people with disabilities across Canada should benefit from the program, which will be free.
Birch said the program helps people on a number of levels. The society makes sure participants are using customized "assisted technologies," so they can effectively use computers. Participants also get help with interview skills, writing resumes, job searches and job placement. The support is very individualized, Birch added.
The Neil Squire Society has been helping people with disabilities for more than 25 years. Since 1984, the society has served more than 20,000 people. The society gets most of its funding from the government and private and corporate donations.
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