Essential Skills Training

Durham College’s Essential Skills training is short-term targeted training to assist you in gaining the necessary skills to obtain employment for jobs in demand in Durham Region. This training is flexible, personalized, and supportive to help you prepare to meet the needs and challenges of your future employment goals. Funded by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development of Ontario (MLITSD) as part of Employment Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) program, all training is completely free of charge and designed to align with the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) while providing learning opportunities that are task-based and applicable to real-world situations.

ARE YOU LOOKING TO improve YOUR SKILLS to gain employment?

Join us for FREE training designed to help you gain the skills you need to find and keep a job in one of the three most highly advertised industries in Durham Region.

Essential Skills for Warehousing Industry Training
Essential Skills for Food & Beverage Industry Training
Essential Skills for Retail Industry Training

Discover a whole new way of learning!

Practice skills used on the job every day
Gain experience with technology such as Point-of-Sale Systems

Upon successful completion of the training, you will:

Receive a Durham College micro credential that you can share on your resume and/or LinkedIn page
Get connected with a community employment service that will help you write your resume and practice interview skills

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

To apply, participants must:

Be 18 years of age or older.
Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, or Refugees, residing in Ontario.
Have a valid Social Insurance Number.
Have the necessary English Literacy & Numeracy skills to succeed in a classroom learning environment.

CURRENT TRAINING SCHEDULE

FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY TRAINING

The Food Service Industry training focuses on building and developing the knowledge and basic skills necessary to succeed in the food & beverage industry. Considering both front and back-of-house (dining room and kitchen), this training will focus on the most commonly used reading and math skills, the ability to find and use information, and will develop your awareness of how to effectively work with others. You will also get hands-on experience using a Point-of-Sale system.

We currently do not have a scheduled date for this workshop. However, if you're interested in attending, please submit an online application to be added to our priority list for the next session. Once a date is confirmed, we will contact you with the details.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Customer Service Essentials Workshop focuses on building and developing the knowledge and basic skillsnecessary to succeed in serving the public. Applicable in Retail, Food & Beverage and other industries, the workshop will focus on the most commonly used skills and will build awareness of how to effectively work with others.

We currently do not have a scheduled date for this workshop. However, if you're interested in attending, please submit an online application to be added to our priority list for the next session. Once a date is confirmed, we will contact you with the details.

RETAIL INDUSTRY TRAINING

The Retail Industry training focuses on building and developing the knowledge and basic skills necessary to succeed in the retail industry. Our training provides you with an opportunity to build your interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with both customers and co-workers. This training will focus on increasing your literacy and numeracy skills in money math, cash handling, and customer service. You will also get hands-on experience using a Point-of-Sale system.

We currently do not have a scheduled date for this workshop. However, if you're interested in attending, please submit an online application to be added to our priority list for the next session. Once a date is confirmed, we will contact you with the details.

WAREHOUSING INDUSTRY TRAINING

Our Warehousing training focuses on the Essential Skills needed to work in the warehousing industry. This training focuses on how to complete complex industry related documents while also emphasizing the importance of teamwork and problem-solving. This training will increase your confidence and prepare you to work in the warehouse industry.

Next training available at the Pickering Welcome Centre, 1400 Bayly St., Unit 5, Pickering, Monday, March 17^th to Friday, March 28^th, 2025, 10 a.m. to 2:30p.m. daily

Essential Skills and Employment Preparation

The Essential Skills for Employment Preparation training is designed to build the skills that employers are looking for and provide knowledge for your job search. Your technical skills may get you the job, but your people skills are what helps you maintain it. In this workshop we cover both of these skill sets by giving you the opportunity to learn about and practice them. We look at topics including your workplace rights, how to get into the trades in Ontario and practice using a cash register. We also brush up on other skills useful in navigating the increasingly complex workplace.

Next Workshop: April 14^th – 25^th at The Future Ready Initiative | 83 Byng Avenue | Oshawa, ON | L1G 3N2
Next Workshop: April 14^th – 25^th at The Durham Community Health Centre | 115 Grassmere Avenue | Oshawa, ON | L1H 3X6