If you’ve been in the aisles of the Burns Lake Overwaitea store, chances are you’ve seen Philip Patrick unloading boxes and stocking shelves.
What you haven’t seen is the award Patrick has won for working so hard at his job; an award that has never been presented to any other employee in the history of the Burns Lake store.
The 22 year old was recently presented with Overwaitea’s Personal Achievers Award recognizing service, innovation, leadership, helpfulness and teamwork on the job.
“Philip is an inspiration, one of the most exciting hires in my life, to be honest”, says Overwaitea manager, Dan Hansen. “He gets it done, he’s loyal and he’s always here when he’s supposed to be. He’s very worthy of the award.”
Patrick was hired at the store on a trial basis with the assistance of the College of New Caledonia’s adult education employment support program and did so well he was kept on at the store when his trial period was over. The management team was so impressed with Patrick’s dedication and hard work they nominated him for the award.
The road to his employment began in February 2009 when Patrick, to increase his employment opportunities, enrolled in English upgrading at the college, his ultimate goal was to become a novelist.
“When I enrolled in CNC’s Adult Education Centre I heard about the Employment Support Program and thought it might help me.” So, in September 2009 Patrick began working at CNC's coffee cart, an employment training opportunity for students where they can learn customer service, cash register basics, and other employment skills. By November 2009 Phil showed he had gained the necessary skills to progress to paid employment in the community. Overwaitea, from the beginning, was an eager and supportive partner.
Patrick jumped at the chance to work. “I got my first job in Burns Lake. I was happy to get it.”
Adult education centre staff are proud of Patrick’s achievement.
According to instructor, Waneta Nealis “He’s worked hard from the very beginning and now he’s continuing to work hard, juggling his school work with employment.”
Patrick says, “This job is not just a job to me; it has been something that has turned my life around. I was on social assistance for four years, ever since I graduated from high school. I couldn’t get a job. I feel pretty honoured to get this award.”