If you are familiar with Picton, you may also be familiar with the PELC office, which is adjacent to the Rexall Store in the central downtown shopping centre. The office is 2300 ft.² in which 11 staff members work.
PELC’s focus is adult education and they offer a myriad of programs. They support learners in their quest to finish high school, prepare for college or apprenticeship, upgrade employment skills or live more independently, with one-on-one tutoring and hands on learning. Learners can work at their own speed with the support of an experienced instructor.
These are some of the specific programs: computer skills, both linguistic and financial literacy upgrading, improving career prospects, getting low income tax help in a clinic, PSW certification, finishing grade 12, preparing for college or apprenticing in a trade.
The presenters of the talk were three senior staff from the organization: Christine Durant, Kathy, Kennedy, and Robyn Cakebread.
And guess what? They’re also in the grocery business! Every Wednesday, the main office and another location in Consecon offer a food market called PEC FRESH. And there’s also an online ordering offering whereby customers pick up their order in Sophiasburgh after they have ordered on line. Food prices there are apparently very good compared to regular food stores. Over the past 12 months, 477 new customers were added to the 2598 households who shopped their three markets.
This spring, they will begin a new program which involves new construction training. With projections in the thousands of new homes to be built in the next few years, the organization sees this as a big opportunity to begin training future trades people. They are looking to get local contractors involved in this project.
Lastly, our presenters made it known to their audience that there are many volunteer options with PELC if we are interested:
They need drivers.
It’s tax time, and anyone knowledgeable on the subject is invited to volunteer with clients.
They are particularly short on tutors of mathematics.