Baristas

The Baristas Youth Skills Link Program is an innovative and exciting partnership between Pacific Community Resources and Starbucks Coffee Canada. This program serves Surrey. Each session is designed to assist 10 youth per cycle between the ages of 15 to 30, who have challenges with obtaining and keeping employment, and who wish to begin a career in the retail food and beverage industry. The Baristas Program has been recognized as winner of the BC Career Development Award of Excellence 2004.  Furthermore, the Baristas Program was recognized as an example of best practice in youth employment programming by the BC Chamber of Commerce Critical Skills Taskforce, and at the Roundtable on Best Practices in Career Development sponsored by the BC Career Information Partnership and the BC Chamber of Commerce.

PROGRAM FEATURES

Baristas' Mission

"To provide youth with barriers to employment with employability skills and a dynamic work experience in Starbucks outlets, assisting with the attainment of exciting careers in the growing retail food service sector"

Objectives

• There are three service components that provide youth with workshops and work experiences where they can acquire basic employment skills:
  
  
  • Six-week life skills and workplace-specific instruction
    
  • Nine-week work experience at a Starbucks location
    
  • One-week career and job search skills instruction 
• Through involvement with Starbucks and the Starbucks internship, provide youth with a powerful opportunity for extensive life skill enhancement, advanced employability skills, and career development
• Provide youth with life skills and the enhancement of self-esteem designed to improve their long-term employment prospects
• Provide workshops designed to introduce youth to workplace health and safety practices as well as an introduction to retail service standards
• To assist youth not only in the development of employability skills but also towards becoming an empowered and contributing citizen

Highlights

• Paid minimum wage through out the entire program.
• Clothing allowance
• Completion Bonus
• Intensive, highly effective life and employability skills
• High quality retail/hospitality work experience
• First Aid, Food Safe, World Host and Baristas Certifications

 Next Start Date: December 5th, 2011  

We are currently accepting applications for our next start date. Application deadline to be announced.  

Please send your resume and cover letter: Attention to Baristas Program to: baristas@pcrs.ca or fax to: 604-951-4882.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Youth between 15 and 30 years of age at the time of intake/selection who are:

• Out of school or in Alternative school
• A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person who has been granted conventional refugee status in Canada
• Legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations
• Not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits (Clients who are EI eligible, currently in receipt of EI or in Reachback, may be referred to a YES project if other eligibility criteria are met. If a client is currently in receipt of EI and is accepted into a YES project, the client’s EI claim must be terminated before commencing participation in the project. Priority will be given to non EI eligible clients) and 
• In need of assistance in order to overcome employment barriers