Community Employment Services Oxford

What Community Employment Services Oxford does

Community Employment Services Oxford (CES) is a Canadian not-for-profit corporation founded in 1994 that delivers free federal, provincial, and municipal employment and training programs across Oxford County, Ontario. Operating as an Employment Ontario service provider, the organization is funded primarily by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario, and offers services at no charge to job seekers, employers, newcomers, and students. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and led by CEO Jeff Surridge, with a team described as approximately 23 employees (with one source citing ~30+ staff) including employment consultants, employer engagement specialists, settlement counsellors, and administrative personnel.

CES delivers its services through seven physical locations spanning Oxford County — a main office in Woodstock and satellite or part-time sites in Ingersoll, Norwich, Plattsville, Princeton, Tavistock, and Thamesford (the last four co-located in public libraries) — supplemented by phone, email, and a website-based appointment system. Its product surface is organized around four client segments: Job Seeker Programs & Services (career counselling, resume development, training), Employer Programs & Services (recruitment assistance, candidate screening, ESTI incentives, Workforce Solutions), Newcomer Services (settlement support, credential recognition, language-training referrals), and Training Sessions and Workshops (WHMIS, Safe Food Handling, interview skills, health and safety). Additional offerings include Better Jobs Ontario (career training with financial support for tuition, books, transportation, living expenses, and dependent care), Be Your Own Boss (an entrepreneurship pathway connecting clients to Community Futures Oxford for financing and the Small Business Centre Oxford for advice), and WorkInOxford.ca, the region's primary online job and volunteer listings platform. No proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities are identified; the underlying stack is a standard website with appointment scheduling, email communication, and online contact forms.

In 2025, CES reported supporting 2,230 individuals, achieving 842 employment placements, recording 393 education and skills advancements, engaging 373 employers, and supporting 1,500+ students. The business model is fully grant-funded with no fees charged to either job seekers or employers. Strategic relationships span municipal governments (Oxford County, City of Woodstock, Town of Ingersoll), educational institutions (Fanshawe College, Western University, University of Guelph, Thames Valley District School Board, Collège Boréal), and provincial networks (Employment Ontario, First Work, London Regional Employment Services, Oxford Rural Economic Development, Community Futures Oxford, Small Business Centre Oxford). Revenue, ownership stakes, and detailed financial figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Community Employment Services Oxford

Legal name

Community Employment Services

Website

https://cesoxford.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Employment Services Oxford is a Canadian not-for-profit founded in 1994 that delivers free, government-funded employment, training, and settlement services to job seekers, employers, newcomers, and students across Oxford County, Ontario, via seven locations and the WorkInOxford.ca job board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employment and Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGALAB

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYEDAAAFAM

Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

SECONDARYEDAAAOAK

Workforce Support Services & Case Management (Coaching, Wraparound)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

SECONDARYBPAGAEAJ

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Employment services
• Workforce development
• Job seeker support
• Newcomer settlement services
• Career counselling

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodstock

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Community Employment Services is a not-for-profit corporation that has been delivering federal, provincial and municipal employment and training programs since 1994. The organization is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario through Employment Ontario. Services are provided at no charge to clients (job seekers and employers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Community Employment Services Oxford is a not-for-profit corporation that has been delivering federal, provincial, and municipal employment and training programs since 1994. The organization provides free employment services to job seekers, employers, newcomers to Canada, and students/youth across Oxford County, Ontario, including career counselling, resume and interview support, training and certification, employer recruitment assistance, settlement services, and entrepreneurship support.

Product overview

Community Employment Services Oxford is a not-for-profit employment services organization that has been delivering federal, provincial, and municipal employment and training programs since 1994. The organization operates a multi-service platform organized around three core client segments: Job Seekers, Employers, and Newcomers. Key product offerings include Job Seeker Programs & Services (career development, job search support, training/upskilling), Employer Programs & Services (recruitment, hiring assistance, ESTI incentives, Workforce Solutions), Newcomer Services (settlement support, employment services for immigrants), Training Sessions and Workshops (WHMIS, health & safety, food handling certifications), Better Jobs Ontario (career training with financial support), Be Your Own Boss (entrepreneurship support via Community Futures Oxford and Small Business Centre Oxford), and WorkInOxford.ca (the region's primary job and volunteer listings platform).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Job Seeker Programs & Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,230 individuals supported, 842 employed, 393 education/skills advancements in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• First WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial workforce development organization and funding partner. First Work provides funding and strategic support for Employment Ontario services in Ontario.
• London Regional Employment ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional employment services network covering southwestern Ontario. Partnership for coordinated service delivery across the region.
• City of WoodstocksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal municipal government partner supporting workforce development initiatives in the City of Woodstock.
• Town of IngersollsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal municipal government partner supporting economic and workforce development in Ingersoll.
• Oxford Rural Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural economic development organization supporting business growth and workforce development in Oxford County.
• Fanshawe College Woodstock CampussupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partnership for student placements, training programs, and career pathway development.
• Oxford CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government providing support and collaboration for community employment services across Oxford County.
• Thames Valley District School BoardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school board partnership for student employment services and career development programs.
• Western UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for student placements, career services, and educational advancement opportunities.
• University of GuelphsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for student career development and educational pathway programs.
• Employment OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial employment services network. CES operates as an Employment Ontario service provider delivering government-funded employment programs.
• Community Futures OxfordsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Community Futures office providing small business support and financing for entrepreneurs in Oxford County.
• Small Business Centre OxfordsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall business development center providing expert advice, training programs, and practical tools for entrepreneurs.
• Collège BoréalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench language college providing French language training and settlement services referral for newcomers requiring French services.
• Carrefour Communautaire Francophone de LondonsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrancophone community organization providing French settlement services referral for newcomers in the London area.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• COSTI Immigrant Services: Ontario non-profit delivering settlement, language training, and employment services for newcomers across the GTA. Directly comparable to CES's Newcomer Services line, including credential recognition, language support, and employment placement, and funded by similar federal/provincial settlement streams.
• JVS Toronto: A long-established Ontario non-profit employment services organization serving job seekers, newcomers, and employers in the Toronto region. JVS is funded through Employment Ontario and offers an almost identical mix of career counselling, employer connections, and training programs, making it the closest functional peer to CES within the same provincial network.
• VPI Working Solutions: Ontario employment services provider operating as an Employment Ontario delivery agent across multiple regions. VPI offers the same job-seeker counselling, employer engagement, and training coordination mix as CES and is one of the larger competitive providers in the provincial network.
• WoodGreen Community Services: Toronto-based multi-service non-profit that includes an Employment Services stream delivering career counselling, newcomer settlement, and employer engagement under Employment Ontario. Comparable to CES in mission, funding model, and service breadth, though serving a much larger urban catchment.
• YWCA Hamilton — Employment Services: Hamilton-based YWCA delivering Employment Ontario-funded employment services including career counselling, employer connections, and newcomer supports. Comparable regional Ontario non-profit with a similar service mix and funder profile to CES.

Others

• Community Futures Oxford: Local Community Futures Development Corporation supporting small-business financing and entrepreneurship in Oxford County. Already a CES partner for the 'Be Your Own Boss' program; adjacent rather than competitive, providing small-business support services in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Job Bank (Government of Canada): Federal government job-matching platform that is increasingly promoted as the default free job-board for Canadian job seekers and employers. Functions as a free alternative to WorkInOxford.ca and partially substitutes for some of the job-matching value CES delivers.
• YMCA of Greater Toronto — Employment Services: The YMCA's Greater Toronto branch operates Employment Ontario-funded employment and newcomer services as part of a much larger community-services portfolio. While broader in scope, the employment services arm is structurally similar to CES and frequently competes for the same Employment Ontario contracts.
• Indeed Canada: Dominant online job-search platform in Canada that competes with WorkInOxford.ca and the broader matching function CES performs. Not a non-profit peer but the principal commercial substitute for the job-board and matching services that sit at the heart of CES's employer services.

Regional players

• Niagara Region Employment Services (Niagara College Community Employment Services): Another Ontario-region Employment Ontario delivery partner embedded with a local college, providing job-seeker and employer services. Comparable to CES in operating model and target audience, but serving the Niagara region rather than Oxford County.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-employment-services-oxford

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 Community Employment Services Oxford