Learn Earn Lead

Sustainable employment is critical to independence and self-suffiency for individuals, families and the community. The YWCA Employment and Learning Centre supports individuals in this process.

We are committed to helping our clients gain increased independence and ability in pursuit of their goals. Whether the need is a single appointment to prepare a resume or longer-term counseling to gain life and work skill, we are committed to supporting individuals on their life's journey.

We offer unique services in an effort to strengthen our community one person at a time.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Internet Safety

From the Employment and Learning Computer Lab:

Here are some quick Internet safety tips.

1.       Do not open e-mail attachments from senders you do not know.
2.       Be careful of any e-mail messages asking for money, even if they claim to be someone you know.
3.       Even if the email looks like it comes from a legitimate business, if they ask for any information it is probably bogus. If a business wants information from you, they will ask you to contact them.
4.       Do not click on any links inside of email messages. If a link to a Website appears in an email message, retype the link in the address bar.
5.       Make sure to sign out of your email or social media accounts when using a public computer. You don’t know who is going to sit there after you.
6.       Do have an anti-virus program on your computer. However, if you get a message pop up saying your computer has been infected and you need to click on a site to get software to get rid of it, clicking on that unsolicited link will actually be downloading the virus. Instead, close the pop-up window immediately.
7.       Turn on the pop-up blocker on your Internet browser.
8.       Keep your computer in a common area where you can see what sites your children are opening. Many game sites are rife with malware.


Keeping your computer safe is often up to you.




Tuesday, May 20, 2014

June - Job Finding Club

JOB FINDING CLUB
Information Session 
Wednesday May 28, 2014 
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm


Job Finding Club
Monday June 2 to Friday June 20, 2014
8:30 am to 11:30 am (Mon - Fri)

Contact your Employment Counselor or
YWCA E&L Reception @
306- 653-2468 (ext.131)
for more information.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Shortcuts

From the Employment and Learning Computer Lab:

Short-cut keys on the keyboard when using software such as Word, Excel, or even emails can be a quicker way to get what you want.  Most shortcut keys are a combination of the “CTRL” key and a letter or number key, and often are pretty obvious, though occasionally not where you would think. Here are some shortcut keys you can use at any time.

[CTRL] + P = Print
[CTRL] + Z = Undo
[CTRL] + Y = Redo
[CTRL] + C = Copy
[CTRL] + V = Paste
[CTRL] + B = Bold
[CTRL] + S = Save
F7 = Spellcheck


These are just a few of the many shortcut keys you can use to quicken up the job. It may take a few times to remember to use them, but as you get used to it, you will be surprised on how much time and effort you will save.


Friday, May 16, 2014

May Day Long Weekend

We are closed for the May Long Weekend - Victoria Day
(Mon. May 19, 2014).



We will reopen Tues. May 20, 2014 @ 8:30 am.
Have a great weekend!!

Quote of the Week Ghandi: Customer Focus


Monday, May 12, 2014

Search Engine - Hints

From the Employment and Learning Computer Lab:

Here is a hint when using a search engine, such as Google, Bing, or Safari. When you are searching for information, you do not need to type out all the words. For example, if you are looking to improve your language skills, rather than typing “Where do I find a class for English as a Second Language in Saskatoon,”  you can shorten it to just the key words, such as “class English Second Language Saskatoon.”

Say you want to find a job. Why type is “Where do I find employment in Saskatoon”?  All you really need is “employment Saskatoon.” Looking for a place to live? Try “housing Saskatoon”

This can be used for anything for which you are looking. What to know what’s playing at the theatre and what time the film will start? “Showtimes Broadway Theatre” is all you need put in.  


Learning how to search by key words can be used when looking for a job in a specific field, road conditions, bus routes, or any information you need to look up.


Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Meet & Greet



Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods is a leading Canadian consumer packaged food company with operations across Canada and internationally. They make high quality, great tasting, nutritious and innovative food products. Maple Leaf Foods has variety of positions in Quality Assurance and Production work as well as Warehousing. 

Wednesday May 14th at 1:30-3pm

YWCA Saskatoon
510 -25th Street East
Saskatoon, SK  S7K 4A7
Meeting Room: #204

Applicants are encouraged to bring hard-copies of their cover letters/resumes and/or “Job-Seeker’s Calling Cards” to present to speakers. 

NOTE: Canada Safeway is not able to attend.  Apply in person to your local store.

Monday, May 05, 2014

Learning to Type????

From the Employment and Learning Computer Lab:

Learning to type is a time consuming and work-heavy experience, but it is worthwhile considering the benefits of looking for employment, from writing cover letters to thank you notes after an interview. One way to practice is to type out something you enjoy, such as song lyrics or poems, or even personal letters and emails. Another is to use a free service online called Typing Web. Here is all you need to do to get that practice:

After you are on the Internet, go to www.typingweb.com.  After you click on “Begin Typing,” a window will pop up for either signing in or registering. The first time you register on the right side of this window, by putting in a user name. Many times you can use your first and last name with no space, or add a number at the end of it, if that name is already being used. Pick an easy password, such as 1234, because this is not a site that will be hacked. You do not need to fill out the space for your email address, as this is optional. After you have filled this out, from then on you will only need to put in your user name and password on the left side of the box when it pops up.

On the keyboard, there is a bump on the letters “F” and “J”, showing you where your two pointing fingers rest when typing.  Using this as a base, you will pick your level (start with the beginning) and start typing. The screen will show you where your fingers should press, and which finger to use. Try to watch the letters, though, rather than just follow the fingers.

When you are done, click the Save and Continue button to get to the next level. If you are finished for the session, at this point you can close the software. The next time you open it up, it will ask you if you want to start at the beginning, or pick up where you left off.


Pay no attention to the speed, but rather to the accuracy. You will type slower than you normally would, so the speed is not important. What is valuable is building up what is known as muscle memory, so your fingers will eventually know where to go without having to concentrate on just that. This site is the equivalent of doing scales on a musical instrument. Be patient as that will come at its own pace. The more you practice, the faster you will build up this muscle memory.