Pathways celebrates 40 years of helping people find jobs, skills and confidence

Brandi Bulanda credits counsellors at the Pathways Employment Health Centre with not just helping her figure out customer service skills and Excel spreadsheets, but also with helping get her life back on track. 

"I've made some pretty huge life changes in the last few years," said Bulanda, 34, now a legal administrative assistant in the centre's advocacy department. 

The Londoner is one of about 2,300 people helped by Pathways each year. The largest employment agency in the region, it offers skills training, employment counselling and connections to more than 400 employers in southwestern Ontario. 

This week, Pathways is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an open house on Thursday, where it will showcase some of the training programs it offers, including in the manufacturing, construction and administrative fields. 

"One of the fascinating things that happens is you watch people grow in skills but also in the confidence to actually use those skills," said Paul Hubert, who has been the head of Pathways for 25 years. 

"You watch them come in and learn to use power tools, chop saws and skills saws and that sort of thing, but you also see them grow in confidence knowing that they know how to do something and how to effectively tell their story to an employer so they can get a job."

In 2021, Pathways Skills Development merged with the London Employment Help Centre. The organization helps people looking for work, newcomers, and people who collect Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program or employment insurance. "Many of our folks are people under age 30 who are looking for their first opportunity in the workforce," Hubert said. 

Bulanda's job journey wasn't straightforward. After graduating from high school, she struggled to settle down and maintain a job. She tried some skills training but wasn't ready. 

"When I first tried to connect with Pathways, I just was not ready. Life had me going in a different direction and I wasn't ready to make the changes I needed in my life," she said. 

"But Pathways was there for me, offering support and guidance and encouragement. When I went back in 2019 after some personal growth, I got help through what was then the London Employment Help Centre. My employment advisor helped me navigate my career options." 

Bulanda took an administrative clerical training program, learning Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word, as well as typing and customer service skills. "I did a two-week co-op at Big Brothers and Big Sisters of London that was pretty awesome," she said. 

Surrounded by job seekers from all walks of life, the Pathways crew helped and encouraged each other, Bulanda said.

"I won't lie. I was not the most patient person, and I wasn't very good with my words. Completing that program helped me go from street talk to professional talk. Being surrounded by so many different people helped me have an open mind and be aware of everyone's journey. We're all there to better ourselves and get some help so we can have a life." 

After getting a job as an administrative assistant welcoming people to Pathways' Horton Street location, Bulanda recently got a promotion and now has her own office, fielding questions from people who call in or stop by the Dufferin Street office. 

Now, she sees people who resemble the unsure young woman she used to be come into the agency and leave more fulfilled. 

"It's a place where people find direction, community, and purpose. Over the years, I've seen countless clients come through our doors unsure of what to do next, only to leave with certifications, job offers, and a renewed sense of

hope," she said. 

'Tomorrow is an opportunity'

The skills that people need have changed in the last decades, Hubert said, but the core of the work that Pathways does has not. 

"We weren't talking about AI a few years ago or about everyone needing to be computer literate. The complexity of what employers need has changed," he said. 

"The cost of living has gone up substantially and support has not increased at all, so the challenge of taking that first step forward has increased," Hubert said. "We talk a lot more now about mental health challenges and the impact they have on every level in society." 

Approaching people looking to upgrade their skills and get a job with optimism and open-mindedness is important, Hubert said. 

"We like to say, yesterday never defines your tomorrow," he said. "Tomorrow is always an opportunity to be different and to have a different outcome than you did yesterday. Let's not let yesterday define your future."