A History of VCCS
1988
- Agency was started April 1, 1988. Incorporation finalized August 16, 1988.
- Official name was Victoria County Youth Employment Services Inc. Our core funding was $40,000 from the Ministry of Skills Development to provide employment counselling to youth 15- 24. We had 1.5 staff – an Executive Director and part time Secretary.
- Our offices were located at 77 Durham Street in Fleming College’s Career House from April 1988 to March 1993.
- In the summer of 1988 we received federal funding to run a summer “Work Orientation Workshop” for students at Fenelon Falls Secondary School at risk of dropping out of school. It consisted of workshops and job placements. The program ran for 5 years every summer and eventually expanded to two projects a summer one in Lindsay for girls only as well as a project for boys and girls in the north.
1989
- We received federal funding to run a 26-week introduction to building trades to area women. The project was funded for 5 years. Each year 12-15 women were given instruction on a variety of trades and built a house within the workshop. In our final year a building was built at Ken Rei Park and donated to them.
1991
- The agency applied to change its name to Victoria County Career Services Inc. to reflect the expanded agency clientele who were now adults and youth.
1992
- The agency delivered stay in school workshops to all grade 7 & 8 classes in the county from 1992 to 1994.
1993
- In April 1993 the agency moved to 6 King Street near the Locks. We started renting the main floor and by the fall had included rental for the basement. We eventually expanded to into a neighbouring medical office and into another vacant office to the west.
- We set up our first Resource Room and had one computer.
- Job Finding Clubs and Job Search Strategies Workshops started in September 1993.
1994
- Counselling to social assistance recipients began.
- The agency became a member agency of the United Way.
1997
- The Job Connect started 1997 and ran until 2010.
- We started assisting clients to apply for HRDC Training funds. This program eventually evolved into Second Career.
1999
- A joint student centre with HRDC, and Fleming College began and ran for 5 years.
- Started Volunteer Program for Youth in 1999 and expanded to include adults in 2000.
2000
- Joined Fourinfo and started collecting information on community health and social service organizations and a volunteer database.
- The agency moved to its current location October 1, 2000 in Whitney Town Centre after 10 months of planning.
2008
- YSTEP program launched and continues presently.
- New logo and new operating name, VCCS Employment Services, launched at 20th AGM June 2008.
2010
- The agency competed and was chosen as the sole Employment Ontario Service Provider to deliver the Employment Services (ES) program.
- The Targeted Initiative for Older Worker Program ran from 2010 – 2017.
2015
- Youth Job Connection and Youth Job Connection Summer began in 2015.
2018
- Celebrating 30 years of service in the community and looking forward to many more successes in the years to come!
