"I wonder if finding a job will ever get easier?"

The discussion is everywhere. You can't avoid talk of the recent economic downturn and its effect on the local job market. More and more people are vying for fewer and fewer jobs, a situation that has created an air of uncertainty.

In response to this uncertainty a new program has arisen: R.I.S.E. (Resources and Information for Seeking Employment) is a new initiative designed to help job ready or nearly job ready English as a Second Language speakers look for work.

This part time or drop-in centre, which is run by MALKAM Cross-Cultural Training and funded by Human Resources Development Canada, opened at the beginning of September and is growing.

"Like any new program it takes time to develop," said Kathleen Thomas, the Employment Program Coordinator at MALKAM. "We are getting more drop-ins via word of mouth, but people need to get more acquainted with what we do."

MALKAM and Ms. Thomas aren't new to helping ESL speaker get jobs, there have been Employment Opportunities programs running on-site for many years. E.O is another Human Resources Development initiative, but is a more structured 6-week program with stringent eligibility requirements.

The R.I.S.E. program provides a flexible environment for people to develop job search skills and gives resources to help during that search.

The resource centre has computers, printer, fax, Internet resources, as well as paper resources and videos.

The centre is open three days a week for drop-ins or scheduled appointments with experienced staff. On the other two days, there are a number of different half-day workshops scheduled. The workshop topics vary from resume building and job fair strategies to interview preparation and cover letters.

"There is such a wide variety of people (both in work experience and length of time in Canada) that will come in and use our services, that the varied workshop offerings give everybody a chance to use our expertise and have a better chance to get a job," explained Ms. Thomas.

"Some individuals will come by and just need one session on a very specific topic, others will have a program of workshops suggested to them, it depends on what the individual wants and needs."

"What's going on right now is a much more 'normal' job market," said Kathleen Thomas. "Last year was incredibly unusual, high tech firms were begging for people, it was wonderful, but not normal."

With that in mind, Ms. Thomas is aware that her brand new R.I.S.E. program will be getting a lot of new visitors:

"The most important thing for those who drop in is to understand what is going on in the economy and what unrealistic expectations exist. People will need to be more persistent and very well prepared."

As for the R.I.S.E program, it is still a work in progress, but it is helping MALKAM get one step closer to its ultimate goal.