Skills for Change | Dufferin Mall

Norma Bernal

Norma Bernal is a seasoned employment counsellor & facilitator who has been helping internationally trained immigrants and unemployed Canadians for well over 10 years. Her educational and professional background consists of Social Work; Development Economics, with specialization in Labour Markets; and Human Resources Management. She came to Canada with her young family in the midst of the 1990s North American economic recession and it took her 5+ years to find a real career. Now, she is exactly where she promised herself to be: assisting people who face the daunting challenge of finding productive work.

416-572-0490 ext. 108 | bernal@skillsforchange.org

Nafeesa Afridi

Nafeesa Afridi connects job seekers at the Dufferin Mall Employment Centre with employers. Nafessa is a versatile professional, experienced in delivering employment services to clients, facilitating employment related workshops, and working with employers to meet their hiring needs. She enjoys working with a diverse group of job seekers and assisting newcomers with workplace integration. Nafeesa’s approach supports success and retention in the workplace.

416-572-0490 x105 | afridi@skillsforchange.org | Linkedin

Paul Basgan

Paul Basgan is a skilled professional with diverse sales, marketing and management background. He brings more than six years of job development experience, both in corporate and non-profit sectors, to the Dufferin Mall Employment Centre. Having the chance to work with various portfolios of clients, he enjoys the challenge of concurrently assessing their skills and qualifications for the job market while providing them with the necessary support and guidance for success. His achievements are highly dependent on building and fostering strong relationships with multiple stakeholders, including outreaching and promoting his program to employers and partner agencies. Paul has a B. Sc. ME.

416-572-0490 x103 | basgan@skillsforchange.org | LinkedIn

Nelson Briceno

Nelson Briceno brings to Skills for Change the experiences gained on his unique professional journey. A trained actor in Venezuela, he arrived in Toronto as a new immigrant in 1989 experiencing the language barrier and culture shock familiar to most new immigrants. While working in his first Canadian job in the hotel industry Nelson studied night courses in a range of programs including Marketing, Computer Programming and International Cooking, followed-up by a degree in Advertising and Communications at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He has worked as an Advertising Art director in Paris and Italy and was the owner of Toronto's Circa Gallery art space. He brings all of this experience, and a great passion for helping people succeed, to his current position as an employment advisor at Skills for Change, to his role as motivational speaker "Dr. Giggles" and to his Ycook Network show "The Latin Chef". He is the author of two books: 

• YCook Network - Free the Cook In You!
• Laugh Or Go Bananas (Dr. Giggles Tells All)

Nelson believes in the "Present" philosophy: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow we don't know and today is a gift; that's why we call it a present."

416-572-0490 | briceno@skillsforchange.org | Linkedin

Barbara Egarhos

Employment Counsellor, Barbara Egarhos has worked with Skills for Change for over ten years, currently working with the Employment Ontario Services Department. Barbara spends most of her time counselling and building and managing productive relationships with clients, community agencies and employers. She is known for her thoughtful and thought-provoking comments and suggestions and for  presenting clients with clear and precise information and observations that greatly contribute to their success. With experience in all areas of client service, her recent focus has been on clients interested in pursuing Second Career, OSEB and employment.

Barbara’s relationship with clients and coworkers is founded on maturity, seriousness, respect for people, dedication, and positive outlook and, most importantly, integrity.

416-572-0490 x110 | egarhos@skillsforchange.org  | Linkedin

Leslie Wagner

Leslie Wagner is a resourceful and accommodating Employment Services Specialist with Employment Ontario Dufferin Mall working with clients and employers within the Health sector. She provides clients with the knowledge, tools and resources they need to actively engage in their own job search process. Her experience supports her belief, “An empowered, independent job seeker will find meaningful employment that is aligned with their education and experience.”

You might be interested in reading her post The secret life of a job developer.

416-572-0490 x113 |  wagner@skillsforchange.org | Linkedin