Success Stories

Read Sifan’s full success story HERE

Sifan’s journey with Gateway Association is a testament to the transformative power of support and guidance!

Read Nick’s full success story HERE

In pursuit of a dream job as a chef, Nick reached out to Gateway Association for support! He started in May of 2022 and worked towards discovering his strengths, working on his resume and applying for jobs that would get him to the next step in his career journey!

With Gateway’s support, Nick connected with Jubilatios Dinner Theatre in Calgary and the rest is HISTORY!

Read Rosie’s full success story HERE

By delving into career exploration, Gateway helped Rosie to figure out what industries were best suited for her skill set and interests, attended career fairs with her, connected with employers and, when Rosie was ready, helped her to apply for jobs! 

“Gateway also helped me with writing my resume, practice for interviews, work on my confidence…I don’t feel like I would have had the confidence to apply for jobs without Gateway- they encouraged me and followed up with employers for me after I applied!” 

“I did get the job I wanted, at the Calgary Zoo… I surprised myself, in a good way. I made friends, did my job well, and helped wherever I could. It was very fulfilling!

I would, and already have, recommend the Gateway Association to absolutely anyone for the people who where there, alone!

Everyone I met in that building were just such wonderful and kind people with awesome and lovable personalities… My only regret is that we weren’t able to work together more!”

• GET-WORK PARTICIPANT

Sky entered the GET-Work program in June of 2022. Due to anxiety, chronic pain and raising a child, Sky had been out of the workforce for several years and was not sure about what kind of work she could do and how to address her experience gap. After a few session with a Career & Inclusion Consultant, Sky felt that she would be a great fit for the Cannabis Retail Sector because the work environment would be suitable for her need to sit or stand and not have to do too much physical work. She also enjoys the atmosphere of retail Cannabis and was eager to put her customer service skills to use in a sector that she could be passionate about. With supports from Gateway Association, Sky quickly completed her SellSafe course, obtained her Police Information Check and received her QCW certification. 

Gateway continued to support Sky through job search and was able to get connected the Erin Woods location of FOUR 20. She aced her interview and was offered a part time position in January of 2023. Sky is grateful to work in a supportive environment that accommodates her anxiety and chronic pain. Sky has received positive feedback from her manager who says “She is doing great… and has picked up the process quickly… and has been a welcomed addition to the Team and will be a High-ly trained Cannabis professional in no-time”.   

We are excited to give this intelligent ambitious human and huge shoutout! Katie has just finsihed an 8-month contract with the Royal Tyrrell Museum working as a Visitor Relations Representative!

Katie sought Gateway’s support to help her find an opportunity that combined both hereducational backgroun, a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Anthropology and minoring in French, with her passion for museums, exploring the history and learning different languages!

Katie started a seasonal contract at RTM beginning of May and is hoping to have her contract extended permanently. We are so proud of Katie for ongoing determination and cannot to wait what happens next for her. She is sure destined for greatness. 

Watch Brooke’s success story HERE

“I think Gateway is an amazing program for people struggling to enter the workforce. I received help with building a good resume, and learned how to create cover letters and follow up with potential employers. Gateway connected me to WHIMIS, First Aid and Forklift Safety training. I succeeded in finding a job where I will gain valuable experience for the future.”

• GET-WORK PARTICIPANT

Dawn’s full story HERE

Meet Dawn, the General Manager at Sobeys Nolan Hill location who has been a valuable member of the Gateway community.

She is a compassionate and committed manager who recognizes the potential in all her employees, regardless of their abilities or disabilities and her dedication to supporting individuals with varying abilities is worth celebrating!

Dawn’s efforts have led to the successful employment of Gateway participants at Sobeys!

Dawn’s full story HERE

Meet Dawn, the General Manager at Sobeys Nolan Hill location who has been a valuable member of the Gateway community.

She is a compassionate and committed manager who recognizes the potential in all her employees, regardless of their abilities or disabilities and her dedication to supporting individuals with varying abilities is worth celebrating!

Dawn’s efforts have led to the successful employment of Gateway participants at Sobeys!

We are so thrilled to recognize Sung Jo as one of our inclusive employer partners at Gateway! Sung Jo is also one of the winners for 2022 Star Women in Grocery and the store manager of Mission SAFEWAY, which generates one of the highest sales per square foot results in Alberta. (https://canadiangrocer.com/2022-star-women-grocery-winner-sung-jo-qa) 

Sung has worked with SAFEWAY since 2005 when she started a part-time summer position as a Deli Clerk at SAFEWAY. She is highly passionate about nurturing diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) team environments/cultures and loves to witness both the small and big wins of her employees! From July 2022 to Jan 2023, she has hired 4 Job Seekers being supported by Gateway for different positions, not only to help them develop their career paths, but also to further guide them in their career development. Some of the roles include deli and courtesy clerks.

Gateway Association Calgary presened her with an Inclusive Employer certificate to celebrate her success and commitment to DEI in December 2022.  

In addition to her work with her team, Sung Jo loves to take care of the community. Her store has increased its donation drives and independently supported community fundraising efforts to help abused women and children in the downtown Calgary community. Her team is currently sponsoring three community groups through their food rescue program. 

“Last year we became an inclusive workplace at Milk Jar and it is truly hard to describe how much purpose it brings to a company and to fellow employees. Suddenly coming to work doesn’t feel like work, it feels meaningful and fun. It raises a level of social consciousness within a company that will elevate you within your community.

Gateway provided the necessary support allowing us to onboard our new employee with care and ease so that our team and our new member felt set up for success. They have an open door policy whenever we need assistance to book a translator for staff meetings, acquire tools and guidance to improve employee productivity, and they have provided training in American Sign Language for our staff.

I am so happy we were introduced to Gateway Association as they have contributed to Milk Jar being more successful than we could have ever imagined.”

To learn more, visit Milk Jar Candle Co.