Times Colonist December 16, 2011
Local firm lands employment centre deals
Victoria-based GT Hiring Solutions has won five contracts to assist job seekers in B.C. as of April.
"These are five very substantial contracts, so it is a big win for us," Frank Bourree, CEO of GT Hiring Solutions said Wednesday. GT contracts are in Victoria, Saanich, Nanaimo, Burnaby and Chilliwack.
The Employment Program of B.C. was unveiled this week. It is a $342million job hunting program, paid for by federal and provincial governments, featuring one-stop service centres in 73 geographic areas. It is designed to consolidate a wide range of employment services, focusing on assisting mainly income and employment assistance clients find work, including those with disabilities and women fleeing abusive situations.
GT Hiring Solutions is an 18-year-old a human resources services company. It is spending $1 million to renovate seven offices to provide services, Bourree said.
In the capital region, GT will open offices at 1483 Douglas St., at the Selkirk Waterfront project by the Gorge, and on Borden Street in Saanich.
GT Hiring Solutions has 107 staff now and by the time its new offices open, it will have between 110 and 120. The company had held employment assistance contracts in B.C.'s Interior but was not awarded contracts under the new program. The 40 staff in that area will be offered the chance to move to a new location.
GT will sub-contract 38 per cent of work to partners, Bourree said. In Victoria, it has been working with more than 20 organizations. Sub-contracts will be held by agencies such as the John Howard Society, Beacon Community Services, Victoria Disability Resource Centre Society, PEERS Victoria Resource Society, Victoria Youth Empowerment Society, and the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria.
