This year, as we recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we celebrate two employees at Starworks who have reached employment milestones. Congratulations to Simon Kan who has been with the organization for 15 years, and Thi Vu who just reached the 5-year mark.
Simon Kan
In October 2009, Simon was hired at Starworks Packaging and Assembly after a successful working trial. We supported Simon with learning different tasks, from packaging necklaces to working on BC Hydro tie wires. Simon previously worked in seasonal positions before landing his position as a Production Worker at Starworks. Simon has demonstrated growth since starting at Starworks, from a young shy man to an outgoing leader among his peers. With support, Simon put in many hours of training to obtain his forklift certification. Not only will you see Simon driving the forklift around the warehouse, but he also supports on the production line and shipping & receiving. “I like working with the tie wires, I got used to it. I know the drill and I don’t get tired standing for a long time. It’s like riding a bicycle, which I love”. Congratulations Simon on celebrating 15 years!
Thi Vu
After graduating from VCC Career Awareness Program, Thi experienced difficulty obtaining paid employment through WorkBC. We supported Thi with career awareness and exploration, skill development, resume writing, mock interviews, and employment workshops. In February 2019, Thi participated in a working trial and was offered a position on the spot! Staff provided on the job training until Thi was fairly independent in the role. Thi enjoys working alongside her coworkers; her favorite task is labelling. Congrats on hitting 5 years at Starworks!
Starworks
Starworks is a social enterprise that has been set up by the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA), a non-profit association that provides over 50 services and programs to children, youths and adults in Vancouver and Richmond.
Starworks Packaging and Assembly was established to provide employment to individuals with developmental disabilities who satisfy our employment criteria. Our mandate is to provide individuals with financial gain, an accessible work environment and skills suited to careers within other companies. We employ over 30 on call workers in our 5,000 square foot Vancouver warehouse with the capacity to handle all types of work that requires high volume manual labour including to contract packaging, fulfillment, kitting, and manual assembly.
For more information visit www.starworks.ca
