Second Career offers a second chance

No one looks forward to the prospect of being unemployed. Just ask Catalin Mocanu, who has been laid off more than once by a smokestack industry grappling with a turbulent economic climate.

He came to Canada in 2004 from his native Romania, armed with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering and metallurgy. It wasn’t easy breaking into the Canadian job market with his foreign diplomas, but he eventually secured a contract with Hamilton-based steelmaker Defasco. But not for long.

“The company was taken over by ArcelorMittal, which quickly instituted job reductions. Those of us on recent contracts were the first to go,” he recounts.

Mocanu was fortunate enough to join competitor Stelco, also in Hamilton, but it too was not immune to the gale forces buffeting the industry. The steelmaker was forced to lay off recent hires, and Mocanu was once again shown the door – with dim prospects for the future.

“By 2008 the automobile industry was in a deep recession and the steel companies that supply their product to the car companies were equally in trouble,” recalls Mocanu.

Undeterred, he sought the advice of counselors at his Mississauga employment office. They suggested he return to college, not for a second career, but for an “enhanced career” that would improve his employability. He chose a business program in Project Management offered by Centennial College.

Many business enterprises rely on project work delivered on time and on budget. Centennial’s program follows the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) methodology, providing fundamental hands-on training to equip specialists in any discipline with the skills needed to manage work projects effectively.

Only 12 months in duration, the program was ideal for Mocanu, who wanted to sharpen his skills set before returning to the job hunt. He qualified under the Ontario government’s Second Career initiative, which paid his living expenses while attending college classes.

Mocanu enjoyed his courses immensely and found the curriculum highly relevant. Centennial’s professors were helpful and accessible, which made for good interaction in the classroom. He even ended up tutoring some of his classmates, who came from many walks of life.

“Some of my colleagues came from the computer field, construction and engineering, while others had completely different backgrounds – and of all ages,” he says. “We all learned from each other as much as we did from the professor, because we were sharing experiences in the working world and challenging some of the lessons in the case studies.”

“The teaching is not just memorization. It is much more case-study driven, where you can apply the knowledge to real-world examples in business. And the team projects introduce you to the issues of working with different types of people. It shows you real-life problems before you go into the workplace.”

Centennial’s program offered him an internship with Sun Glow Window Covering Products of Canada, which proved to be the key to his future employment success. It was a good fit for Mocanu.

“My background in steelmaking is linked to material science, which is needed to design new products and parts,” he explains. A manufacturer of window coverings, like an automobile company, is often developing new products and components to grow the business.

“I created the research and development department at Sun Glow. I am designing components to solve customers’ needs. They come here looking for custom-designed products and we can fabricate solutions that can’t be found on the shelf.”

His experience in metallurgy, combined with his newfound knowledge in project management, gave Mocanu the ideal skills set to work for a light manufacturer such as Sun Glow. His college education provided him with a good understanding of the business imperatives – such as cost control – that allows him to contribute to his employer’s bottom line.

Mocanu has helped to reorganize the workspace to improve productivity and management has consulted with him on new equipment purchase decisions. Thanks, in part, to Mocanu’s thoughtful contributions, the company is expanding.

“I recommend Second Career and Centennial College to anyone facing unemployment – and I have already done so. I tell people not to lose any time, they have to grab this opportunity,” Mocanu says enthusiastically.

“It’s been a marvelous experience!”

For more information regarding Second Career programs at Centennial College, please contact Centennial’s Employment Training Centre at 416-289-5123.