At age 62, Mary-Dale Alton found herself on federal Employment Insurance after working for decades in a well-paying job in hospitality and tourism. She had also spent a frustrating stint working part time or having to take seasonal work.

But after a major career change, Mary-Dale is back on track, and is earning a very good living selling vehicles for Open Road Mazda in Port Moody. She’s proving that you can thrive in a new job, even later in your career. “I have done very, very well. Last month I was top salesman until the end of the month,” Mary-Dale said.

In the six months she has been with the company, she has sold about 65 vehicles, selling 15 cars in just 20 days in September. Mary-Dale thinks it’s her attitude that has led to her success. “I love meeting people and making people happy. My motto is, ‘If I can put a smile on your face, it will put a smile on mine.’”

Brad Hansen, senior sales manager for Open Road Mazda, agrees. Auto sales have come a long way now that most people do their research online before even approaching a dealership.

”Her clients love her. She gets more surveys back than a person who might sell a few more cars. All of her surveys are incredibly positive,” Brad says.

Mary-Dale was recommended by her local WorkBC Employment Services Centre in Maple Ridge, where she lives, to take a provincially-funded Project-Based Labour Market Training course. She was one of 45 people who took the program that included skills training in sales techniques and customer service, along with two weeks of on-the-job work experience at local car dealerships.

At WorkBC, “they said, with my background in sales and hospitality, you would be absolutely perfect for this” work experience project, Mary-Dale said.

She enjoyed the course work and thrived when she ended up job shadowing at Open Road Mazda in March. “I was dressed in my suit and was following a salesperson around. The dealership’s general manager thought I was a teacher from the course and he said, ‘I want to hire you.’” So he did.

Like Mary-Dale, Brad is a fan of the Community and Employer Partnership program from which his colleague graduated.

“I would definitely look to hire someone from the program again. It’s easier to train somebody right the first time coming into the industry. It helps us a lot when they are starting with a decent baseline of knowledge,” Brad says.

The Community and Employer Partnerships program is featured as a component of the B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint. The blueprint helps align training and education with in-demand jobs and provides more support to people who are struggling to gain a foothold in the job market or who face unique challenges.

Quick Facts:

• In 2015-16, the ministry has committed to investing $331 million in employment and labour market programs under the Employment Program of BC.
• The Employment Program of BC is funded by the Province of British Columbia as well as the Government of Canada through the Labour Market Development Agreement.
• Funding supports 84 WorkBC Employment Services Centres throughout the province and the four components of the Community and Employer Partnerships fund:
  • Job Creation Partnerships
  • Labour Market Partnerships
  • Project-Based Labour Market Training
  • Research and Innovation

Learn More:

To see Mary-Dale at work: https://flic.kr/p/zGHcsd

For more information on Community and Employer Partnerships: www.workbc.ca/CEP

To find a local WorkBC Employment Services Centre: www.workbccentres.ca

To learn more about the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation: www.gov.bc.ca/sdsi