La Passerelle

What La Passerelle does

La Passerelle is a registered Canadian non-profit (legal name: La Passerelle – Centre d'entraide professionnelle et spirituelle) headquartered at 1255 Phillips Square #903 in downtown Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1990, the organization provides employment assistance and career transition services specifically targeted at experienced professionals aged 40 and over who are unemployed, underemployed, or seeking to re-enter the workforce. Its core offering is a fully subsidized job search assistance program combining interactive workshops with personalized one-on-one coaching, delivered over an average 12-week period in both English and French. Since 1998, the program has been funded under a partnership with Services Québec, making La Passerelle an authorized provider within Quebec's employment services ecosystem and generating referrals through the Employment Québec network.

The service portfolio is centered on four core offerings: the subsidized job search assistance program, subsidized individual coaching, interactive workshops, and a fee-based private coaching service for individuals who do not qualify for the subsidized program. Service delivery combines in-person engagement at the downtown Montreal office with virtual delivery via Zoom and Facetime, enabling reach beyond the local geography. The coaching staff includes ICF-, ACC-, and PPCC-certified professionals with prior senior corporate experience (financial services, airline operations, higher education HR), and the methodology has been refined over more than two decades. The organization is governed by a six-member Board of Directors led by Norman A. Jones (Acting President and Treasurer) and operated by Executive Director Leslie (Laszlo) Acs, who joined as a program alumnus in 2007 and became Executive Director in 2011.

Revenue mechanics are split across three streams: (1) the primary Services Québec government subsidy underwriting the core program; (2) fee-based private coaching for ineligible or self-paying clients (rates undisclosed); and (3) charitable donations processed through the CanadaHelps platform. The organization does not disclose audited financials and has no equity funding history; funding log entries (Bell Let's Talk 2017, ESDC 2023) reflect grant relationships rather than capital raises. Customer testimonials and earned media coverage (CTV News, Global News, Montreal Gazette) indicate consistent participant satisfaction, and the firmographic headcount sits in the 51-100 range with stated core staff of 15+.

Name

La Passerelle

Legal name

La Passerelle – Centre d'entraide professionnelle et spirituelle

Website

https://lapasserelle.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

La Passerelle is a Montreal-based non-profit founded in 1990 that provides employment assistance and career transition coaching to experienced professionals aged 40 and over, primarily through a Services Québec-subsidized program combining workshops and one-on-one coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Career Coaching Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Redundancy & Layoff Support Services (RIF Planning & Communications) (BPACAOAF)

Keywords

• Employment assistance services
• Career coaching services
• Job search support
• Career transition programs
• Mature worker employment

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Services Québec): Primary funding comes from Services Québec partnership (since 1998) to offer free job search assistance programs to eligible participants.
2. Private Coaching Services: Fee-for-service private coaching sessions offered to individuals who do not qualify for the subsidized program or seek additional personal career coaching services.
3. Donations: Charitable donations accepted through CanadaHelps platform to support the organization's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La Passerelle is a non-profit employment help centre in Montreal that delivers job search assistance and career coaching services to experienced professionals aged 40 and over who are unemployed, underemployed, or seeking to re-enter the workforce. Its core program is fully subsidized by Services Québec and combines interactive workshops with personalized one-on-one coaching sessions. The organization also offers fee-based private coaching services to individuals who do not qualify for the subsidized program or seek additional personal career coaching.

Product overview

La Passerelle offers a service portfolio centered on employment assistance and career transition support for professionals aged 40 and over in Montreal. The core offering consists of a subsidized job search assistance program (fully funded by Services Québec) that combines weekly workshops with personalized one-on-one coaching sessions. This is complemented by private coaching services for individuals who do not qualify for the subsidized program. The organization operates as a non-profit, with all services designed to help experienced professionals re-enter or advance in the workforce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Subsidized Job Search Assistance Program A fully subsidized program funded by Services Québec that combines weekly workshops and personalized one-on-one coaching sessions for experienced professionals aged 40 and over in Montreal who have lost their jobs, are unemployed, or seeking to re-enter the workforce. Average program duration is 12 weeks.
• Subsidized Career Management Coaching Career management coaching within the subsidized program offering active listening and sound advice, helping participants identify and overcome obstacles preventing them from reaching their full potential. Services provided in a confidential and friendly environment, in both English and French.
• Private Coaching Services Fee-based one-on-one coaching sessions offered to people of all ages and professions who wish to advance their career or make a career change, including those who do not qualify for the subsidized program or seek personal career coaching beyond it. Specific rates available upon contact.
• Workshops Interactive workshops covering relevant job search topics with concrete tools adapted to participants' needs, delivered by dynamic and experienced facilitators in a convivial environment that allows sharing experiences and building peer networks. Topics include LinkedIn optimization, resume and cover letter preparation, interview preparation (including simulated Zoom interviews), and networking skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• Program duration averages 12 weeks with participants regaining confidence typically by the second week
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Services QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Since 1998, La Passerelle has worked in partnership with Services Québec to offer a fully subsidized job search assistance program including workshops and personalized career coaching sessions. Services Québec's mission is to contribute to the development of employment and the labour force, fighting against unemployment, social exclusion, and poverty in Quebec.
• CEDEC (Corporation d'employabilité et de développement économique communautaire)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDEC has an initiative for mature workers, attempting to convey to employers the benefits of a diversified workforce including mature workers and younger workers. La Passerelle is mentioned as one of the employment service providers in the ecosystem alongside CEDEC.
• CanadaHelpsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDonation platform partner enabling the organization to accept charitable donations from the public to support their mission of helping mature professionals return to the workforce.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Right Management (ManpowerGroup): Career-transition and outplacement arm of ManpowerGroup, providing individualized coaching, workshops, and assessment tools to professionals re-entering the workforce. Closest large-scale analogue to La Passerelle's workshop-plus-coaching model, though commercially funded by employer clients.
• Goodwill Industries Career Services: Goodwill's career-services programs provide subsidized job-search assistance, vocational coaching, and workforce re-entry support to adults facing employment barriers. Comparable community-funded, mission-driven model to La Passerelle, though focused on broader disadvantaged-worker populations rather than a specific age cohort.
• Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH): A global outplacement and career-transition firm (part of Aon) providing coaching, workshops, and job-search support to displaced professionals. Highly comparable to La Passerelle's subsidized and private coaching offerings, though operating at much larger scale and serving corporate RIF clients rather than community-funded individuals.
• YMCA Employment Services: Community-based employment-services program operated by local YMCAs across Canada, offering subsidized job-search support, resume help, interview coaching, and workshops to unemployed adults. Highly comparable non-profit, community-funded model targeting career re-entry for adults.
• Centre Local d'Emploi (CLE) / Services Québec: Quebec government-run local employment centres providing subsidized job-search assistance, career counselling, and workshops across the province. The closest public-sector comparator to La Passerelle's Services Québec-funded program and a direct ecosystem partner in mature-worker employment services.

Broad incumbents

• Challenger, Gray & Christmas: Outplacement and career-coaching firm specializing in workforce restructuring support for displaced workers across North America. Comparable on the career-transition/outplacement axis, though focused on senior-level corporate clients rather than community-served individuals.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering executive coaching, career-transition services, and leadership development as part of a much broader consulting and executive-search practice. Overlaps with La Passerelle on coaching methodology but serves corporate/enterprise clients at premium price points.
• Randstad RiseSmart: Career-transition arm of Randstad offering tech-enabled outplacement, coaching, and redeployment services at enterprise scale. Comparable in career-transition methodology but primarily serves corporate RIF clients via subscription SaaS-plus-coaching.

Others

• Emploi-Québec (government program): The Quebec government employment program that funds La Passerelle's subsidized offerings. Functions as both an ecosystem enabler (referral source) and a competitor offering similar employment-assistance services across the province through its own service network.

Regional players

• Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi: Quebec network of youth employment centres providing subsidized job-search assistance, coaching, and career-development workshops — operating under a parallel community-services model in Quebec. Comparable delivery structure to La Passerelle but targeted at youth (typically 16-35) rather than mature professionals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/lapasserelletv
• Facebookfacebook.com/LaPasserelleMtl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-passerelle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Passerelle