META Employment Services celebrates its 40th year of helping job seekers and employers in our community.

Since its inception in 1981, META has been proud to serve our community. Like many
organizations, META’s legacy of serving the community for 40 years began with a need
for a service that could make a difference.

In 1978, a local advisory group for the provincial Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)
requested the establishment of a satellite program operated by the vocational department
of Kingston General Hospital (KGH). KGH indicated an interest in assisting the committee
to set up their own program in Belleville and within two years, META became a registered
non-profit organization.

Since then, META has undergone many changes to ensure the community receives the
best possible employment services available. Very soon after becoming a registered
charity, META’s services began to evolve with the addition of Job Finding Clubs and
services for individuals on social assistance.

By the mid-nineties, META started to really show signs of growth and had a number
of noteworthy events throughout the decade. A Fully operational office in Whitby was
opened in 1990 and by 1997 was offering the Growth Opportunities program. The ODSP
program was launched in 1998 and META continued evolving right into the new
millennium with the introduction of Employment Ontario services in 2010, the Canada
Ontario Job Grant in 2015, the Supported Employment program in 2018, and most
recently the HYPE program in 2020.

In addition to a rich history of providing employment services, META developed a
reputation for sponsoring meaningful events and initiatives which help build a strong,
vibrant, and diverse community. 2019 marked a new milestone for META as they
launched their first annual “Mental Wellness in the Workplace Conference” with a
resounding response from community leaders, forward-thinking employers, and their
staff.

META has always had their door open to the community and after 40 years, is proud to
look to the future for every opportunity to help Make Employment Transitions Attainable
(META).

This year, META is launching an initiative, “40 Ways to Give Back After 40
Years” to help commemorate this milestone and celebrate with the community who has
supported them since 1981. If you’d like to learn more about the amazing things that
META does, or what META can do for YOUR career or business, visit METAservices.ca
today!