PARTICIPACTION

Kathleen Harris, a
student in the
Accounting Assistant
program at Capilano
College, is looking
forward to an entirely
new career when she
graduates.

She Discovered a “New Me”
Through Accounting Assistant

Program

or 18 years, Kathleen Harris

worked in the telecommunications
industry in a stressful customer service
job in Ontario. The 44-year-old single
mother of two decided to return home to
Vancouver and was offered a six-month
contract position in her field.

She started looking for employment a
couple of months before the contract
was due to expire and quickly
discovered that her qualifications were
not competitive enough. “I was outdated
in my office skills, even though I was in
the workforce,” she said. “I was trained
to do a specific job and those skills
weren’t transferable to other work.”

Kathleen will soon be graduating

from the Accounting Assistant program
which she enrolled in last September.
“The timing and opportunity were
right,” she said, “so I went for it.”

She applied to Human Resources
Development Canada for funding and
was accepted for sponsorship through
Unemployment Insurance.

“I feel very fortunate to have taken
this program,” Kathleen adds. “I
consider this year a gift. The instructors
are superb and the skills and knowledge
are invaluable. I have never worked so
hard, but I have discovered a new me
and found out things about myself I
never knew or was too busy to
acknowledge.” O

They Really
Dig Their
Work!

Whistler Mayor Ted
Nebbeling, Pemberton
Mayor John Steward, and
Mayor Corinne Lonsdale
of Squamish join together
to plant a Japanese
dogwood tree at the
opening ceremonies of the
new Squamish campus.
The tree was donated by
Garibaldi Nurseryland and,
although rare, is perfect for
the Howe Sound climate.