Participant Testimonials

Notice: PET allocation is base on first-come, first-serve. OCASI will not reserve funds for you unless you apply.

After they complete their course or workshop, PET participants are asked to complete an evaluation form.

The testimonials are taken from question 7, which asks: "What aspects of your work will you be able to do better as a result of the training that you undertook?" We've also included the name of the course and institution, for your information.

The Women Conference - Skill Path
"I will be able to communicate better with clients and colleagues.  Also I will be able to handle conflicts and difficult clients and situations better."

Temporary Status - Module 5 of the Immigration  Practitioner Program
"On a daily basis we get clients who are contacting us with a wide variety of questions dealing with the temporary status visas, such as work/study/temporary resident permits.  The course is providing me with the information on how to answer these inquiries or how to access information on the issue."

Customer Service
"Being in an admin position, it helped me learn how to be more client oriented."

"Assess clients better, find new and efficient ways to assist clients."

"I have a new perspective on how to deal with clients."

"I'll know how to be better at customer service."

Mental Health Training - Hong Fook Mental Health Association
"I am able to assist my clients at an early stage of mental health."

"I am more aware of the mental health of newcomers, I believe I can understand them better."

"We'll pay more attention to the mental health of clients and ourselves."

Addiction - York University
"The course helped me understand not only the pharmacology of drugs, but also the current political trend dealing with drug issues.  I was able to build up more confidence as a settlement worker by increasing knowledge in drugs and related issues."

Industrial Relations - Ryerson University
"Inform clients of their rights as employees.  Understanding of organizations' function will allow me to recommend approaches of applying to certain jobs - how, what the (dis)advantages are for me to work for certain organizations over others (in terms of job security and professional growth, as well as cultural sensitivity)."

College Writing Skills - Humber College
"When writing advocacy letters and also communication with clients."

Human Resource Management - Sheridan College
"I feel empowered and knowledgeable in dealing with clients and other contact people after I did this course."

Language and Public Life - Ryerson University
"Initiating and maintaining conversation.  Finding cultural differences in communication."

Life Skills Coaches Training Phase 2 - YWCA
"Curriculum development, facilitation with creativity, and modification of learning tools and materials according to group learning needs and dynamics."

Project Management Principles - Humber College Toronto
"It helped me to improve my strategic thinking process, better communication methods and effective team building techniques."

Mental Health Assessment Skills - George Brown College
"Able to deal more professionally and effectively with mental health clients."

Communication Skills for Women - SkillPath
"Handling difficult situations with aggressive and difficult clients.  How to communicate effectively to a client who is becoming aggressive."

Communications - York University
"It would especially help me to 'tune in' to the meaning of what clients are saying, seek clarification and recognize the importance of silence in a dialogue. As well, it will assist in relation building and to assess/recognize barriers to effective communication."

Client Representation - York College of Industry and Technology
"To explain what functions I am able to do for clients as a representative."

Human Resource Management - University of Toronto
"I have better understanding of HR department now and it will help me deal with employees' performance/rights better."

Addressing Family Violence in the South Asian Community - Punjabi Community Health Centre
"This training showed the way of building rapport and a relation of trust with these clients that will enable them to open up that will be helpful to us in providing appropriate information and referral to families in distress."

Language Interpreter - Niagara College
"Because of the training, I am more familiar with many services available for our clients.  I have been doing quite a lot of sight translation for clients whose English is not good enough to understand the content of letters they received from e.g. WSIB, CIC or hospitals.  With the terminology and skills I have acquired from the course, I have been more competent to interpret and explain many details clearly to clients.  So, I am really happy that I took this course."

Case Management/Advocacy - Humber College
"I have better understanding of the different stages of community development process."

Grant and Proposal Writing - Georgian College
"I will be able to write proposals for my own settlement job description and create more employment."

Adobe Acrobat/Basic Layout - George Brown College
"I will be able to produce outreach material in different languages that could be easily electronically disseminated."

Interpreter Training Course - Centre for Education and Training
"As a school settlement worker it is always required to interpret at different occasions for students, parents and teachers.  This course gave me a lot of information about things I should keep in mind when we are interpreting."

"Almost every aspect of my work.  I am more confident interpreting and translating for my clients and my home agency.  I understand some services better since I had some additional language training."

Relapse and Recovery: Strategies to Maintain Change - TAPE
"I gained enough knowledge to understand the recovery process and encourage clients to follow up during the process.  It is also important to share resources with clients to maintain change."

Refugee Issues - York University
"I will be better able to identify resources for refugees and make more effective referrals because I have more profound knowledge of our system as well as their experiences prior to coming to Canada."

Introduction to Communications - McMaster University
"I better understand how to effectively communicate not only with my clients by with my co-workers as well as within the sector.  I also have a better understanding as to how to effectively communicate in relation to writing reports and funding proposals, as well as how to handle conflict situations."

Measurement and Evaluation - Niagara College
"I learned so much about interesting theories and practical methods of measurement and evaluation. I strengthened my skills in designing good and fair tests. This also improves my discretion when it comes to assess clients' needs and further actions to take for them... Many soft skills we learned from this course could be easily transferred to improve our daily office performance. The time, energy and everything devoted to completion of this course is definitely not a waste... As a Settlement Counsellor, I could understand and evaluate newcomers' needs better and initiate appropriate suggestions for them to take."

Working Effectively with Newcomer Youth
"Since I work at 3 high schools, I can utilize what I learned to plan activities for youth in the upcoming month."

"The workshop helped develop a clear understanding of the rules and responsibilities in working with youth."