The Workforce Inclusion Initiative (WII-STEP) is an industry-led, no-fee service that effectively links tourism and hospitality employers to a skilled, job-ready workforce of people with disabilities. The program is managed by go2 in collaboration with the BC Construction Association’s Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP).
Ani Hosepyan, Rosewood Hotel Georgia's director of human resources, first learned of the program in spring 2011 at a monthly meeting of the Vancouver Hotel HR Directors’ Group, where she heard Jamie Millar-Dixon, WII-STEP’s tourism employment specialist, speak about the initiative and its value to the tourism industry. "As the Rosewood Hotel Georgia was preparing to re-open," Hosepyan recalls, "we were full force into recruiting applicants who had the right attitude. We knew we would train our new hires for luxury service, so experience was not the important factor in what we were looking for in our applicants. Diversifying our search was important to me, as we want to be an inclusive employer. I knew Jamie when she was a human resources manager at one of the hotels in Vancouver, and knew that she would know exactly what it took to work in the hotel industry and would be able to match us with the right applicants."
Indeed she did. Erin Oei, a 35-year-old Vancouverite with a diploma in community social service and a background in clerical work, had just been turned down for a position in the reservations department at a local hotel. She only realized how much she wanted to work in hospitality when she felt her keen disappointment at not getting the job. A contact at the BC Centre for Ability forwarded Oei's résumé to Millar-Dixon, who met with Oei at go2's office. "I walk with a pronounced limp and wear braces on my legs," says Oei, who has spina bifida but requires no extra workplace accommodations. "There are other ways I am different from people, but they aren’t visible." After meeting with Oei, Millar-Dixon referred her to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
The process couldn't have been simpler, says Hosepyan. "Jamie provided me with a few résumés and highlights of each individual's strengths. From there it was up to us. We followed our usual recruiting process and interviewed our short-listed applicants. When I met Erin, I knew right away that we had someone very special who had the exact attitude we were looking for at our hotel. She is cheerful, bright, customer service-focused and driven. Once we had completed our interviewing, we offered her the position and were thrilled that she joined us." Oei became one of the hotel's switchboard operators, successfully passing her probationary period in September. "We gave WII-STEP a chance and found that this is a great new resource to find new internal guests [the Rosewood Hotel Georgia's term for its staff], and I would recommend it to other employers," says Hosepyan. "It was a very easy and seamless process to work with."
Meanwhile, Oei couldn't be more grateful. "There is still a stigma surrounding people with disabilities, their ability to be productive and hold down full-time jobs," she says. "I feel we are extremely capable. With medical advances, a lot more people with disabilities will be coming into the workforce soon, and people need to become aware of that. I feel WII-STEP is a wonderful bridge for people with disabilities, helping people find opportunities they might not otherwise find. I wouldn't have got this job unless I was a qualified candidate, but I was unaware of the position and didn’t have my foot in the door in hospitality. It was a wonderful great first step, and I'm so appreciative."
If you need help finding staff, learn more on how to tap into this diverse talent pool for current or future opportunities by contacting Jamie Millar-Dixon at 604-293-6594 or jamie@bccassn.com. WII-STEP is now open to tourism and hospitality employers across BC.
