Are you a Laval resident dealing with a sensory, intellectual or physical disability? Are you 40 years of age or less, and looking for work? Well, perhaps the specialized manpower center L'ETAPE is the place for you.

Providing services in both English and French, L'ETAPE has been connecting job seekers, with special needs, with employers in the public and private sectors since 1977.

Established by founder Michel de Césaré, the current General Manager, Francois Huard, said that after years of success in Montreal, L’ÉTAPE opened an office in Laval in 2009 and has been providing local residents with the same high quality employment services that Michel de Césaré envisioned more than three decades ago. “In the coming year,” Huard said, “I am anticipating that more than 175 people will utilize our employment integration program."

The general manager proudly claimed that L'ETAPE boasts a 70 to 75 percent success rate helping clients land a job. “Services are free of charge, but applicants need a medical diagnosis. They must be less than forty years of age and need to be a resident of Laval to qualify.”

We empower our clients with the tools that allow them to do it for themselves, Huard said. “When a person qualifies for the program, we provide that person with a professional assessment of their status as a job seeker and formulate a personalized action plan based on that client's aptitudes. We also feature a number of upgrade programs, including courses in résumé writing, as well as training sessions designed to help our clients brush up on their job interviewing techniques.”

Huard said that even after L'ETAPE has helped a job seeker land a job, the organization continues to smooth the way so that both the company and the employee have a lasting, productive relationship. “To ensure that the needs of both parties are satisfied, we assess the work station and note what changes need to be addressed to maximize the efficiency of employees dealing with sensory, physical and intellectual disabilities.”

So, if you are looking for work and you think that you fit the bill, pay L'ETAPE a visit at 1435 boul. St-Martin, suite 400 in Laval. To register you can contact the organization by phone at 450-667-9999, or you can do fill out the forms online at www.letape.org