‘It’s a Gift’: Ukrainian Millworker Lands Dream Job with Help from WorkBC

In Crimea, in the Ukraine, Olga Retunska was a millworker who made fine custom cabinetry. In the Okanagan, in Canada, Olga imagined she would have to take any kind of job she could get if her English was good enough—and she would be grateful. What unfolded, though, was something much greater than she could have hoped for.

Olga landed in Vernon in September 2022. She was starting over. Among the many challenges she would navigate in those early months was learning a new language.

“I realized I didn’t have enough English,” Olga says. “I worked almost one-and-a-half years to improve my English.”

Olga was fortunate, she says, to be able to take free English language training classes at the Vernon and District Immigrant & Community Services Society (VDICSS).

“Then, I thought, OK, I am ready to find a job.”

Through the WorkBC, Olga was connected to a case manager and job readiness workshops that helped her build a resume and cover letter as well as interview skills.

“I found it very helpful. I was so appreciative of all the help and it was nice to be with the group. We all had different backgrounds.”

From there, at the main WorkBC Centre in Vernon, Olga continued to get help with job search tips and suggestions about new openings.

“I saw that it’s a real passion for them (the staff) and they were very kind. They shared their own stories too.”

Olga was feeling completely supported and, two years after arriving in her new community, much more confident.

When one of the WorkBC Centre job search team members told Olga about an informational interview with the Home Building Centre, Olga felt ready.

She said it’s for you to gather information, but bring your resume and portfolio just in case. I said to myself, ‘OK. I have a good background. I have three languages. It’s just to learn about them.’ Because I thought it was not a real interview, I was so relaxed and I asked a lot of questions.”

Well, guess who was offered a position as kitchen designer?

 “When I got this job, I thought, it’s a gift because it’s exactly what I would have wanted,” says Olga, who’d spent years planning and building fine cabinets that had to make smart use of every inch in the much smaller kitchens of the Ukraine. Now she gets to focus even more on the design and helping customers plan for a beautiful, functional kitchen. “This is exactly the area where I want to work and improve my skills. It was the strongest joy.”

 Today, almost five weeks in to her new role, she reflects on the path that helped her get here, the planning and growth along the way at VDICSS and WorkBC.

 “Without all of these steps, I would have felt lost and disappointed. There were a lot of gaps that I needed help to cover to get a job. I really appreciate all of the people and the organizations that helped me.”

Are you an employer or job-seeker? Learn more about the range of supports available at WorkBC Centre, and stop by!