WORK STATION PROFILE
ELECTRONICS ASSEMBLY

 

 

NO. 6: 1987

 

 

 

Location: Nexus Engineering
Burnaby, British Columbia
[employee positions: 2 full-time
Ilourly wage: $6.50

‘Type of work: circuit board
component preparation.

 

 

 

live years ago, Nexus Engineering
Corporation consisted of 300 square
mcters of empty space and some
very good ideas for the manufacture
of commercial high frequency com-
munications equipment. ‘Today,
with an annual growth rate of over
100%, the company employs 140
people in 3,800 square meter
premises and is still expanding.

Nexus is a leader in a competitive
high-tech field where innovation
and flexibility are the keys to
success. The Work Stations con-
cept designed for Nexus had to
embody these same qualities in
order to meet the company's needs.
So the North Shore Association for
the Mentally Handicapped co-
ordinated the resources of a number
of different training and funding
groups to create a unique Work
Stations 'package' for Nexus.

Prospective employees came from
Douglas College Electronics Assem-
bly Program for mentally handi-
capped workers. The Program
teaches general assembly skills,
which the Association adapted on
the job to fill Nexus' requirements.

During theireight-week training per-
iod within the Work Station, the
salaries of the two workers and their
trainer/supervisor were funded by
British Columbians for Mentally
Handicapped People, the provincial
organization that uses — federal
funding to co-ordinate the Work
Stations activities of local support
groups.

After the training period, the Work
Station members were hired directly
by Nexus. For the first six months

Doug Green, employee at Nexus Engineering, received training

     

through a local support agency prior to being hired.

their $6.50 per hour salaries were
subsidized on a gradually declining
basis by Employment and Immigra-
tion Canada through arrangements
made by POLARIS, an individual
job placement program for mentally
handicapped people.

Deborah Letain, Human Resources
Assistant for Nexus Engineering, is
enthusiastic about the way the North
Shore Association custom-tailored
the Nexus Work Stations initiative.
They made it flexible; they made it
possible," she states, "and without
the time-consuming — paperwork
usual with other government
programs."

"And when our technology changes
—and it's always changing — North
Shore has guaranteed they'll step in
and help us out two years, five
years down the road, with retrain-
ing," she adds.

The North Shore Association has
already alerted Douglas College to
the need for constant skill updates in
this volatile industry. "The workers
can go back for retraining at any
time,” asserts Mike Skellenger,
Work Stations trainer. "It's an open-
ended program."

 

 

THE HOST EMPLOYER

 

Nexus Engineering is a vital, high-
energy company whose _ hiring
policies seek out motivated, com-
patible people through intensive
interview sessions.

Work Staions applicants had already
been pre-screened by Douglas
College. But Bob Waycot, the
Association's Director of Vocational
Services, wanted to show the com-
pany the depth of quality the
program could offer, so four
applicants from the College were
interviewed directly by Nexus, who
selected two for immediate training.

As it turned out, one of the chosen
employees later decided he would
prefer other work, and "we were
ready. We moved very fast,” says
Waycott. "The back-up person
moved right in, highly motivated
and eager to succecd at the job."

Nexus strives to cullivate real team
spirit among its employees, through
many social activities and a non-
hierarchical atmosphere. The emp-
loyees are encouraged to socialize to

 

 

 

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