Success Stories

Celebrating Achievements

Each learner who goes through our program has their own story. All are looking for the opportunity to create a brighter future for themselves, to expand their horizons, develop new skills and grow into new opportunities.

Enjoy the inspiration of some of their success stories here!

Carrie's SUCCESS Story

Through Challenges to a Better Place

Carrie is an ODSP client and single Mom who came to VALA looking to enrol in the PSW course at Confederation College. The College had been running a recruitment fair and she felt that might be something she was interested in doing.  She wasn’t sure what she really wanted to do, but knew that she wanted to go to Post-Secondary School to gain a diploma in a helping profession.


She came to VALA for help in this endeavour because she was facing challenges to admissions and she was unsure how to work around the challenges she was facing. Low math skills and missing credits were a barrier to her college application. She felt that she needed an alternative to upgrade her skills and credentials.

 

VALA worked with Carrie to help improve those skills in the hopes that she would be able to pass the Mature Student Test. After contacting Confederation College, VALA discovered a much more suitable program for Carrie...

  • CONTINUE CARRIE'S STORY

    ...called the CICE program (Community Integration through Cooperative Education). This program is designed to help anyone with learning, social and intellectual challenges find ways to overcome them with small class sized that are tailored to individuals with disabilities and special needs.


    VALA worked closely with the college to get Carrie enrolled and supported her through the transition. This included many applications and documents with ODSP, meetings and applications with the college and tech support. Once Carrie was successfully enrolled she was able to begin her Post Secondary training.


    Carrie took a variety of courses that included skills for work and life, computers, writing, personal and professional growth. She was also able to participate in work placements with employers in her preferred fields to provide relevant work experience.  Carrie had a 4.0 average in the first year and graduated in June 2021. Carrie enjoyed the courses and values the learning she achieved though Covid really changed the nature of the program.


    Carrie feels that she is now in a good position to obtain a better job or to go forward and take more Post Secondary training. 

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MORE STORIES

Mike says:

"I am very glad that my employer referred me to VALA. Coming to VALA was really helpful. It helped me a lot. I feel like I can do pretty much anything now. And I like the teachers."

  • READ MIKE'S STORY

    Mike was working at Canadian Tire in the Automotive service department as a service technician. He was having some difficulty deciphering the work orders, so his  employer referred Mike to VALA for upgrading some core reading skills, to help with processing work orders. 


    Mike came in for training in class on online during the winter months while he was not working. His employer held his position open for him to return when the busy season started. It was a challenge to come to VALA. At first, he felt embarrassed and worried about coming back to school at his age but after coming to the agency, he felt comfortable and began to enjoy learning. Now, Mike is working at home on his work and enjoying all the learning platforms.


    Mike has made significant progress and feels comfortable to work in his position again and that he will be able to manage all tasks on the job.

Jared says:

"Without VALA, I would not be attending college in the Fall and I would still be in a dark place with not much future."


  • READ JARED'S STORY

    Jared entered the program in April of 2019 on a referral from his physician, because of some long term health conditions which were making it difficult for him to hold down a full time job. He was finding that staying at home all day every day was creating a lot of anxiety and depression and making him feel cut off from the world and inadequate.


    Prior to these health issues, Jared was a diamond driller who worked long hours in a physically and mentally demanding position. Jared still felt as though he had a lot to give but due to his health issues, he was in limbo. His doctor suggested that he try enrolling at VALA in order to facilitate some healing and transition back into life.


    He enrolled in several classes being offered at the time.  As his training progressed, he realized that he was enjoying learning and he wished to continue on that path. VALA referred him to Seven Generations for the Office Administration Course.  


    Jared registered for Introduction to Computers and Excel and he found that he enjoyed the courses so much that he decided to sign up for some e-channel courses and summer session courses through Seven Generations.


    Jared feels that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for him now and at age 41, he is looking forward to what’s next.


    He is hoping to finish his classes and then put energy into promoting life long learning and second chances to youth in his community. He is registered with Seven Gens for the fall program and he is very excited about the future.

TREVOR'S SUCCESS STORY

“Change isn’t easy.”

Trevor was an incarcerated individual in correctional services who registered with the correctional literacy program that VALA was providing as Outreach. He stated that he made some bad choices which put him into prison, but he still wanted to improve his education and upgrade his skills. Trevor had his grade 12 diploma and 2 years of Post-Secondary training. He also already had 2 trades - automotive and heavy equipment, but decided there was still things he could do to improve. 


Trevor connected with VALA’s outreach worker Tracey and was very empowered to be treated so well, saying that Tracey was extremely friendly and helped him to feel like a person instead of a number. He felt that she was the kind of person who wouldn’t give up on him. With her help, he was able access and work on physics and chemistry through distance education. He also working on math and reading comprehension to keep upgrading his skills until he was transferred to Windsor where he received parole.


Now Trevor is ready to begin a new job he has lined up will be in construction. His plan is to work for these employers until the fall then go back to college for welding.


Congratulations Trevor!

Emilia says:

"It’s never too late to learn."

I am truly grateful having had the opportunity to be a part of Valley Adult Learning.

Barb and Kim are welcoming, knowledgeable and take pride in helping those that need to brush up on some lost skills or perhaps learn something completely new. My time at VALA has allowed me to get back on my feet, find full time employment and certainly boost my self-confidence.

Our community is lucky to have access to such education free of charge or at a minimal cost."

  • CONTINUE EMILIA'S STORY

    Emilia was originally from Germany, although she has lived in Canada for many years.  She is a single mother who was working on a casual basis for the Library, however the casual nature of the employment was making it difficult for Emilia to make ends meet, especially as hours began to dwindle.


    She first came to our program by enrolling in our 10 week Intro to Admin course. Designed to give hands on, real world training to individuals who are looking for employment in the Administrative field, it included a dress for success, dressing on a budget, policies and procedures, authentic workplace training, and computer instruction.


    Over time, she has also participated in many other courses at VALA including budgeting, data management, accounting basics, spreadsheets, presentations, and word processing.


    She then participated in an internship with VALA and worked in a secretarial position to gain relevant skills and experience.


    The skills and experience gained through VALA helped Emilia to obtain full-time employment in a suitable job for an excellent employer.

KOROUSH'S STORY

A New Beginning In Canada

Koroush is a newcomer to Canada and the Fort Frances area. He arrived with his family in January and enrolled with VALA on an Independence Goal Path. He began training in English Communications. Recently he was able to take the Canadian Language Benchmark test through the Kenora Multicultural Society and the VALA office.

He has now been enrolled in the LINC homestudy program to improve his English language skills. In a short time, Koroush was able to progress enough to change to an Employment Goal Path and secure full time work. He continues to work on the LINC homestudy program in the evenings.

  • CONTINUE KOROUSH'S STORY

    Koroush and his family are refugees from Iraq.  When he arrived in town he spoke minimal English and had few contacts.  Through his time at VALA he was able to meet many new people which helped him to gain employment and to become involved in the community.


    He joined the local soccer club, made many friends and became a popular community member.  He continues to study English while working and he has worked very hard to obtain his Canadian driver’s licence which he has now achieved.  


    He and his family have been able to integrate very well into the community.  Rami has a very positive outlook and is keen to learn.  

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