Here’s a government program I can get behind

My frustrated son found his life’s work through ontrac, writes Judy Wilson.

I often don’t agree with our government’s use of money, but this time they surprised even me.

Just four years ago, when I looked at my 23-year-old son, I saw a young man broken by life. Convinced there was a great deal of money in construction, he had left high school at 16. Good money? Yes. Steady work? No.

Working two part-time jobs, he struggled to make a living. Each week, 20 hours of sloshing through dirty dishes at minimum wage supplemented the hours he worked in construction. Inevitably, every winter the construction work would slow to a drizzle and eventually dry up completely. As he waited for the return of the spring rain (and the work), he attempted to pay his mortgage and somehow manage to live his life. Short a few credits for his high school diploma, his options were incredibly narrow. His education, or lack of, kept him standing behind a sink in a family restaurant in our small town.

I often wondered: What the hell is he going to do?

Desperate to help, I asked him, “Have you ever wished you could go back to school?” The answer was a strong head nod and a heartfelt, “Yes.” Enter ontrac. Never expecting what he would find, my son paid a visit to the Arnprior Weavex Office Building. Walking through the door of that ontrac office changed his life. He entered as a young man feeling beaten down by responsibility. All he wanted to do was work.

Ontrac (funded by both the Ontario and federal governments) didn’t have an instant miracle, but its people did have a possible solution. They started by asking him what career he would choose if he could start over. He wanted to help people. Ontrac gave him direction. Filling out an evaluation of his aptitudes and past work history led to a clear path. His aptitudes matched his dream of working with developmentally delayed individuals. The facts and figures of his employment record portrayed his frustration with the work world. Those two components were enough for a start with the people at ontrac. Eventually, we learned he was a fit for the Second Career Program.

Ontrac started by helping him with the financial support to finish high school. The financial help continued through the two years of college that followed. Don’t get me wrong — they didn’t just slide a pile of $20 bills across the desk at him. He was required to complete an extensive study of the field he wanted to enter. Proving there was a need for young men in the profession he’d chosen, and interviewing potential employers to gain information and supporting documentation to that effect, filled many hours in the beginning. But his hard work paid off.

Today, when I look at my son, I see a college graduate who works full-time in his field. I see a confident young man who is doing what he was born to do. Ontrac made that happen. There are times when I see the news or read the paper and think, “That’s what they are spending our tax dollars on? Really?” But this is one government program that I can passionately say I support 100 per cent.

The good people at this organization gave my son financial support, emotional support, peace of mind and direction. They gave him a second chance at life. Some times that’s all a young person needs.