The Ukrainian Canadian Congress and a local church are helping Ukrainian newcomers prepare for work in Manitoba by offering a low-barrier food handler course in Ukrainian.
About 115 Ukrainian entrants took the day-long course, held in the basement of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. This is the third time the course has been offered in the past year, and according to Ukrainian Canadian Congress board member Michelle Kovalchuk, the demand for the course is high.
“Within about two hours, it was half full,” she said. “By the time I woke up the next morning, we had 130 people signed up.”
Kovalchuk said the course materials were translated from English to Ukrainian by a Ukrainian newcomer who had come to Winnipeg several months earlier. It is provided free of charge, as many students came to Canada with little money and low levels of English.
“We know there are a lot of people who need this training to be employed, and often people are coming into entry-level jobs,” Kovalchuk said. “Paying for the training for them is a huge barrier.”
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The courses are taught by a registered dietitian with a Ukrainian translator, and the provincial exam is also in Ukrainian. Mid-day meal is also served free of cost.
Some students, like Lena Frank, have never worked in food service before. Frank worked at a bank in Kyiv before coming to Winnipeg six months ago.
“I want to know the laws in Manitoba, about food, food handling, cooking,” she said. “How to Work with Food.”
Others, like Yuri Yatskiv and Ohleh Durda, have years of experience. He worked together as a sushi chef in Ukraine and Poland. Within a week of living in Winnipeg, he got a job at a local sushi joint, which led him to take a food handling course.
“We just showed what we were capable of, and we were hired immediately,” Yatskiv told Global News through a translator.
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Not everyone working in restaurants is required to complete food handler training, but establishments must have at least one certified handler on shift or on their roster, depending on the number of employees, according to the province’s website. The province also requires the operator of the establishment to successfully complete training.
Mark Myrovich is the CEO of Myrovich Staffing Agency, which focuses on recruiting Ukrainian newcomers. He says it can be a challenge in Manitoba to connect skilled workers to their industries, and that certifications such as food handler’s courses can help people get their foot in the door.
“I’ve heard a lot of people who have said, ‘We’ve sent our resumes to 200 different places, and nobody’s taken us,'” Mirovich said. “They’re frustrated by it.”
Those who pass the exam will be able to add “Certified Food Handler” to their resume. And some may take their food service career further and go into business for themselves.
“We want to expand our knowledge here, improve our skills,” Yatskiv said, “and potentially open our own sushi restaurant in the future.”
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