By Chris Tataryn Journal/Brandon

Do you have yard work that needs doing, but no time to handle it yourself? Maybe you have an upcoming move and don’t want to lug all your furniture across town alone. You might even just have some house cleaning that you don’t have time to deal with yourself. No matter what odd-jobs you may have, the Transitional Employment Program can give you a hand for a very reasonable price, all while helping strengthen our community. The Transitional Employment Program is a project of the Westman Coalition for Employment Opportunities, offering people recovering from severe and persistent mental illness a way to be re-introduced into the labour market. “We have a crew of 12 people right now in TEP, doing all kinds of odd-jobs and contract work,” said Tracy Williams, Executive Director of the Westman Coalition for Employment Opportunities. “It’s a great service we provide; sometimes people just need a little bit of guidance to get back into the workforce, and we are very reasonably priced, much cheaper than some of the other options. It’s really a win/win situation for everyone involved.” TEP is a participant-driven program, allowing registered participants to determine their own progress; this leaves accepting a job completely up to the participant. If the regular employee falls ill, or needs time away from work, provisions can be made, and all participants in TEP are covered by Workers Compensation. “Workers keep more than 90 per cent of the funds procured from every job,” said Williams. “There are just small overhead costs that need to be paid, for things like moving vans and equipment for jobs, but almost all of the money goes directly to the workers.” TEP works with both casual employment placements, such as yard work, snow shovelling, or moving, as well as permanent contract employment, such as cleaning contracts or restaurant employment. “The goal of the Transitional Employment Program is to help people who may have difficulties to get back into the labour force,” said Williams. “We offer guidance and help, including help writing resumes, job searching, and interview skills.” For more information about the Transitional Employment Program, or to hire some help for any odd-jobs you may have, call 727-5734.