promoting the value of reservists

A-CR-007-000/ag-003 Alliance PROMOTING THE VALUE OF RESERVISTS
Commissionaires is Hiring Reservists
Courtesy COMMISSIONAIRES
Marcia Coehlo, 29, spent two tours in
Afghanistan and another in Bosnia during
her 10-year career as a Reservist
with 32 Military Police Platoon. She
joined Commissionaires last year.
She says her experience with prisoners
of war in Afghanistan paid dividends
when she found herself guarding at the
Keele Detention Centre, working with
people serving time for a range of offences
“from all walks of life.”
“I joined Commissionaires because I
heard they make members leaving the
CF feel so welcome,” says Coehlo. “It
can be a struggle to make that transition
from the military to the civilian workforce
and Commissionaires makes you a
priority.”
Coelho is one of hundreds of reservists
who joined Commissionaires last
year – either as a full-time career, a stepping
stone to employment in the private
sector or as a part-time job while furthering
academic aspirations.
www.cflc.forces.gc.ca
“With combat operations in Afghanistan
now complete and DND/CF’s move
towards the predominately part-time nature
of Reserve service, we’re starting to
see more and more Reservists show an
interest in us,” says Doug Briscoe, Commissionaires’
Executive Director. In
fact, Briscoe and his team have launched
a recruiting initiative aimed at attracting
that large number of Reservists who may
be looking for work.
“Commissionaires has a long tradition
of employing Reservists,” says
Briscoe. “We are the largest private employer
of veterans. We’re founded on a
culture of core military values and our
employment opportunities are tailored to
transitioning veterans. We’re a strong
fit.”
Briscoe adds that while the CF may
be going through reductions, Commissionaires
is growing. It has evolved into
a self-supporting business with annual
revenues of $500M and a workforce of
close to 20,000 members located across
the country. It has also increased its
range of offerings to meet enhanced security
imperatives due to systemic
shocks of the 9/11-inspired terrorism and
emerging technologies.
“Our footprint is essentially the same
as that of the Reserves,” he says, adding
that its offices are located in every major
centre across the country and that it has
a presence in 1,200 communities coast to
coast.”
Briscoe explains that there are still
hurdles to overcome. “Many people still
have the view that we are a company
that hires mainly older, retired people,
largely to guard government buildings.”
“The fact is, our membership is
younger, more educated and dynamic
than ever before and we have jobs in a
range of security related fields in addition
to guarding – from digital fingerprinting
to by-law enforcement to training
and threat risk assessment. There is a
host of opportunities.”
For more, visit
www.commissionaires.ca.
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