Humans of Skills for Change: Ruth Mengistu
Tell us your story
My first day at Skills for Change (SfC) was on January 5, 1998 to fill the role of Facilitator/ Counsellor (F/C) in the Sector Terminology Information and Counselling (STIC) program. I found this to be an exciting opportunity since this was the first delivery of such a program. It was sector-specific based and targeted to Internationally-trained professionals (Accountants, Engineers, Health Care, IT). This became the building block for program design at SfC for the foreseeable future.
I quickly learned how to become an effective F/C and delivered all four sectors. Within a short period of time, I was promoted to the role of Coordinator for the STIC program. This helped me to acquire new managerial skill sets and also provided me with the ability to do more program development and implementation.
At this point SfC was thriving with over 10 program departments with an additional 35-40 school board classes being offered at our 791 location. I then, became the Manager of Programs and Services. It’s noteworthy to mention that I was the only Manager of Programs and Services at this time overseeing these programs along with Coordinators and the Executive Director, who was a great support to my work.
After this role, I was promoted to the role of Director, Programs and Services. This role gave me the opportunity to shape the agency and its services to a certain degree. We continue to strive and work hard to meet our strategic objectives which includes program expansion and revenue diversification. These 2 pillars are of great importance to my contribution to the work of the agency. I look forward to continue supporting SfC.
What do you enjoy most about working at Skills for Change?
I like working with our people. They have proven their dedication and commitment to SfC time and time again. Our staff is our most treasured asset.
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