Calgary Alternative Employment Services

What Calgary Alternative Employment Services does

Calgary Alternative Employment Services (CAES) is a Calgary-based, non-profit employment placement organization operating as a division of Calgary Alternative Support Services Inc. (CASS). Founded in 1998, CAES connects work-ready job-seekers with disabilities to inclusive employers across the Calgary region, providing pre-screened candidate matching, inclusive recruitment and onboarding support, and post-placement retention consulting at no cost to employers. Core services are supplemented by Disability Accessibility Audits covering HR processes and workplace environments, Psychological Health and Safety workshops aligned with the CSA Z1003 National Standard, the Business Partner Action Plan (a 7-step employer engagement framework), the Calgary Business Leadership Challenge 50-50-50 initiative, and the MentorAbility job-shadow program. Candidate referrals flow primarily through the Government of Alberta's Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program and community partners such as The Alex Community Food Centre and Community Futures Treaty 7.

CAES is publicly funded, with the Government of Canada and Government of Alberta grants visible on its site, and services to both employers and job-seekers are delivered free of charge. The employer base spans enterprise retail (Canadian Tire, Lowe's, Bass Pro Shops), hospitality (Westin Calgary, Executive Royal Hotel, Jubilations Dinner Theatre), quick-service (Tim Hortons), entertainment (Cineplex), records management (Iron Mountain), and SMBs — functioning as placement destinations and case-study proof points rather than fee-paying customers. The team is led by Mylaine Tsaprailis (CEO, CASS) with a Program Manager, Assistant Program Coordinator, Career Consultants, and Diversity & Engagement Consultants, totaling approximately 15–20 staff at a single Calgary headquarters.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, or app; service delivery is human-led via information-exchange meetings, candidate profile reviews, informational interviews, formal interviews, and customized action planning. Marketing is community-led through content (blog), organic social (Facebook, X, LinkedIn), public-awareness campaigns (DEAM, NAAW), community events and employer panels, and partner referrals. CAES's strategic position is that of a quasi-governmental, community-embedded supported-employment intermediary whose defensibility rests on 25+ years of Calgary-specific employer relationships, government co-funding ties, and a multi-stakeholder referral network rather than on technology or scale economics.

Name

Calgary Alternative Employment Services

Legal name

Calgary Alternative Support Services Inc.

Website

https://calgary-employment.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Calgary Alternative Employment Services (CAES) is a Calgary-based non-profit, founded in 1998, that connects work-ready job-seekers with disabilities to inclusive Calgary employers through pre-screening, inclusive recruitment, and post-placement support at no cost, funded by government and public sources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Employment Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Employment & Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Programs (EDAAAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Disability employment services
• Inclusive recruitment
• Supported employment
• Job placement services
• Workplace accessibility

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Employment Services: CAES is a division of Calgary Alternative Support Services Inc. (CASS), a non-profit organization. Services to employers and job-seekers with disabilities are provided at no cost, funded through government and public sources. CAES is partly funded by the Government of Canada as indicated by the Canada Wordmark on their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CAES is an outcomes-driven employment placement service that pre-screens job-seekers with disabilities and connects them with inclusive Calgary-area employers, providing inclusive recruitment and onboarding support along with post-placement consulting at no cost to the employer. Complementary offerings include disability accessibility audits and psychological health and safety workshops, supported by structured programs such as the Business Partner Action Plan and MentorAbility job-shadowing.

Product overview

CAES is an outcomes-driven employment placement service providing a unified portfolio of services focused on connecting job-seekers with disabilities to inclusive employers. The core offerings include Pre-screened Candidates, Inclusive Recruitment & Onboarding Support, and Post-placement consulting, all provided at no cost to employers. These are supplemented by Disability Accessibility Audits (covering HR processes and workplace environments), Psychological Health and Safety Workshops (fee-for-service), and structured programs like the Business Partner Action Plan (a 7-step employer engagement framework), the Calgary Business Leadership Challenge 50-50-50 initiative, and the MentorAbility job shadow program. Together, these services form an integrated supported employment ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-screened Candidates

Quantifiable outcome

• 46% of business hiring decisions fail in the first year — CAES helps improve recruitment and retention success
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Talent Pool (Calgary's Employers Resource and Information Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014The Talent Pool supports CAES in the 50-50-50 Challenge initiative. The Talent Pool's mandate is to facilitate, inform, and support collaboration between community organizations serving underrepresented talent pools and the business community. They are a key ecosystem partner for CAES's employer engagement.
• Calgary Flames OrganizationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Represented on the employer panel at a National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) breakfast event hosted by CAES in 2014. Demonstrated inclusive hiring practices and shared experiences at the event.
• Village BreweryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Participated in employer panel at CAES NDEAM event in 2014, discussing inclusive hiring practices.
• World Health FitnessminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Participated in employer panel at CAES NDEAM event in 2014, discussing inclusive hiring practices.
• Agrium Inc.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Participated in employer panel at CAES NDEAM event in 2014, discussing inclusive hiring practices.
• The Alex Community Food CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Alex Community Food Centre provides job shadow and work experience opportunities for CAES candidates in their commercial kitchen. They offer ongoing weekly opportunities, mentorship from kitchen staff and volunteers, and have extended similar opportunities to multiple CAES candidates. This partnership is vital to the career exploration process.
• Calgary Airport Authority (CAA)minorOthersCal Schuler of CAES serves on the CAA's Accessibility Advisory Council. He nominated the CAA for the Ella Anderson Accessible Transportation Award for their YYC LINK Passenger Shuttle system. The partnership involves collaborative design input and recognition of accessibility achievements.
• Community Futures Treaty 7minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAES staff participate in CFT7 Symposia focused on the employment of Indigenous people with disabilities. CAES works with Treaty 7 First Nations communities to address barriers to employment faced by Indigenous people with disabilities.
• Government of Alberta — Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPDD is a key referral source for CAES. Government of Alberta case coordinators refer individuals with developmental disabilities to CAES for employment support services.
• Calgary Public LibraryminorOthersCal Schuler of CAES has advocated for accessibility at the Calgary Public Library, including the new Central Library building, in his role as accessibility advocate. No formal partnership agreement described.
• Westin CalgaryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided a job shadow opportunity for CAES candidate Leanne for a banquet server position through the MentorAbility program. The food and beverage manager and banquet serving team participated.
• The Media Shop Collective (Edmonton)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided a work experience opportunity for CAES candidate Amy P. in social media and digital marketing through the MentorAbility program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ready, Willing and Able: Canadian initiative engaging employers to hire people with intellectual disabilities and autism. Shares CAES's employer-partnership and inclusion-event playbook (e.g., NAAW, DEAM-style awareness campaigns).
• Open Door Group: Delivers WorkBC employment services in British Columbia, including specialized supports for job-seekers with disabilities. Closely comparable service model with regional rather than national scope.
• Inclusion Alberta: Alberta-based disability advocacy and support organization that overlaps with CAES on employment-readiness, family support, and government-funded service delivery in the same province.
• Neil Squire Society: Canadian nonprofit using employment programs and assistive technology to help people with disabilities enter the workforce. Operates in Western Canada with overlapping employer-engagement and supported employment services.
• March of Dimes Canada: National Canadian nonprofit providing vocational rehabilitation and employment services for people with disabilities, including a pre-screening and placement model that directly overlaps with CAES. The most directly comparable peer at greater scale.
• Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN): Network of employment service providers in Ontario focused on employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Operates a similar pre-screening + employer-matching model with provincial government funding.

Broad incumbents

• Disability:IN: US-based global disability inclusion organization providing consulting, employer resources, and DEI benchmarking. Operates at much larger scale with a broader, advocacy-led mandate that overlaps CAES's employer-engagement work.

Regional players

• Prospects: UK-based employment and disability-services organization delivering supported employment and employer engagement. Comparable service model but operates in a different geography (UK).
• WorkBC: Province of British Columbia's employment services platform with disability-specific supports. Comparable funding model and target population but operates in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Lime Connect: Nonprofit focused on disability inclusion in employment, with corporate partner programs (e.g., The Lime Network) targeting students and professionals with disabilities. Comparable mission, more corporate-lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CAES_YYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Calgary-Alternative-Employment-Services/150722418455502
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calgary-alternative-employment-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Calgary Alternative Employment Services