SUCCESS STORIES
Building a Future: Jose Rosales’ Story
After going in to the community agency, newCHAPTER2, Jose Rosales was referred to BOB’s CORE program. CORE (which stands for Construction Orientation to Retain Employment) is a program administered by BOB on behalf of the City of Vancouver and Millennium Development Corporation. Trainers from the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) instruct students in pre-employment skills (e.g. basic math and communication) and give them hands on training with construction tools.
Prior to the CORE program, Rosales had many years of experience in the construction sector but only as a labourer. “Before coming in to BOB I was always asking around to see where I could get training. I was tired of being just a labourer, but a lot of the programs I came across charged a lot of money, but with BOB the class was free, and I think this really helps a lot of people in the area. It’s a great opportunity.”
“I had some problems with drinking before, like a lot of people in this area, and projects like [CORE] really help people get out of those things, helps them to feel better about themselves and to think more positively,” Rosales continues. “Before I started the CORE program I was really down, but after getting in I became more reliable and disciplined... Now I’m eager for whatever comes and I have more confidence.”
“I’d really like to start a company one day and do renovations,” he says, “I want to learn everything about carpentry from the blueprinting to building things...I’ve wasted a few years already, and I don’t want to waste anymore.”