On July 29th, 2011 an action centre will open at our Oshawa location, above our first floor office, to help recently out-of-work IQT workers get back on the job market.
On July 15th, 2011 twelve-hundred IQT employees in Trois-Rivières and Laval, Que. and Oshawa, Ont. found themselves jobless when they were told to pack their belongings and leave their offices immediately. Four hundred of these workers were located at the IQT call centre in Oshawa, Ont. and now have to search for other employment. Some of these workers had worked for IQT solutions for years and need support redeveloping their approach to finding and securing a job.
A job action centre is being established on the second floor at our Oshawa location. It should be complete and fully functional by Friday, July 29th. Previous IQT employees attending the action centre's programs will get the opportunity to develop résumé writing and job searching skills. They will also be shown how to apply for employment insurance and where to seek retraining opportunities.
The purpose of this action centre is to provide recently out-of-work IQT workers with career counselling. In addition to the counselling, attendees receive help finding a new job or applying for retraining programs. Workshops and one-on-one counselling will give previous IQT employees a chance to develop and refine their résumés and interview skills. These workshops include résumé building programs, mock interview sessions and much more.
The action centre also provides a place for peer support by allowing previous IQT workers to congregate at a centralized location. These workers can talk, share leads, support each other and ultimately develop a strong community.
Over the duration of the last four years, more than 1,900 Oshawa residents have been helped through six action centres.
On July 21th, 2011 John Milloy, the Minister of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), came to the Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre (DRUHC) in Oshawa to make an announcement. In his company were most members of the Oshawa city council and MPPs Joe Dickson, Jerry Ouellette and John O'Toole. Minister Milloy announced, to the relief of many previous IQT Solutions employees, that in response to the IQT layoffs an Action Centre would be set up on the second floor of the DRUHC office in Oshawa.
"When we heard (of the job losses), we were on the ground with all the relevant parties, putting something together. We'll establish an action centre here. It will be up and running by next Friday, July 29"
Less than a week after the mass layoffs a solution has been formulated and put in action. To the credit of John Milloy, MTCU and all other parties involved the future is looking brighter for the victims of the IQT shutdowns. The Action Centre is currently under construction and should be ready to receive and help IQT employees by July 29th.
If you have any inquiries concerning the Action Centre please contact us.
This page will be updated continuously with more information concerning the new action centre and with videos from July, 21st when John Milloy officially announced the project.
"It's great for me and especially those who worked there and have nothing now. It's one place to go get the help we need."
A former IQT employee who worked eight years for the company
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