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Sydney Helland

Jul 21
Love4
team play

Teams that play together, stay together

By Workplace Culture

Studies have shown that greater employee engagement has a significant, positive influence on work quality and revenue, and company-sponsored team play or sports teams are a great way to make that happen.

The Toronto 2015 Pan Am games are in full swing and have captured the fervor of sports fans across the country, as they root for their favourite teams and athletes. In the corporate world, company leaders try to inspire the same level of fandom and engagement in the office, rather than the stadium.

Here are great benefits of how a team playing together can impact the company culture:

1. Teamwork:

Promoting team spirit in the office and on the field increases morale and camaraderie among employees, and unites them towards a common goal: winning. Whether looking to win a game or sign a new client, having a supportive team to share successes with makes the achievement all the more meaningful.

Additionally, teaming up to participate in a fun activity creates an excellent opportunity for networking and casual collaboration, which translates well to a business setting.

2. Coaching:

Behind every good team is a good coach. Coaches have a wealth of knowledge and a strong ability to effectively transfer it to their players. They also have a knack for assigning roles based on players’ strengths and abilities, and how those fit into a larger gameplay strategy.

Allowing employees to coach a team also develops their management skills, while building the confidence of each player when their talents are recognized.

3. Goals and Rewards:

Winning is usually the ultimate goal of most sports, but we’re not all Harlem Globetrotters. Setting realistic, achievable goals – for the team and individuals – and rewarding performance is vital to maintaining a high level of motivation. Whether it’s a gleaming golden trophy or a simple high five, recognition of a job well done is valued by employees, regardless of whether they scored the goal, made the assist, or delivered a solid defensive play.

4. Wellness:

Promoting physical activity through a company sports team fits nicely into corporate wellness programs. Better yet, healthy employees are typically more productive and have lower levels of absenteeism, resulting in higher performance on the job.

5. Retention:

Turnover rates drop dramatically when employees are engaged and feel proud of the company they work for. Giving employees the opportunity to fight for the home team will grow your internal fan base, and keep your star players from being drafted elsewhere.

Summer is a great time to encourage your employees to team up and get active. Whether the team play softball or ultimate Frisbee or cheers on their co-workers from the sidelines, team sports will help foster greater levels of engagement and grow team spirit within your company.

Need more champions on your team? Hire a Career Edge intern.

Jun 23
Love4

Shifting how we think about internships

By Uncategorized

Internships have changed the way businesses attract and recruit talent, fundamentally replacing the entry-level jobs of yesteryear. This changing landscape inspired our most recent workshop, InternSHIFT, an informative and interactive discussion held earlier this month at the 2015 CACEE National Conference in Ottawa. Through this Town Hall Meeting style session, Naguib Gouda, President of Career Edge, led conference delegates through the changing internship landscape, while exploring how paid internships contribute to our economy and social infrastructure.

For those who were unable to attend the conference, we have assembled the key highlights from InternSHIFT below, starting with a quick pop quiz.

Read More

May 26
Love3

Get the Most Out of Your Summer Interns

By Employer

As the temperature outside rises, employers are warming up to the summer internship season; but four months doesn’t always leave much time to make a real dent in many of those seasonal projects.

There are plenty of articles that provide interns with tips to succeed during their internship, but there are also a few things that employers can do to create an environment that inspires optimal performance from their enthusiastic, highly motivated intern during their internship term.

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Apr 22
Love5

Federal Government Promises Greater Protection for Interns

By Press release

Yesterday, the Government of Canada presented the 2015 Federal Budget, which – among many of our country’s chief priorities – includes a promise of strengthening the Canada Labour Code by extending protection of, “all employees and interns under federal jurisdiction.”

This news represents a big win for those who have joined forces with Career Edge to advocate for fairness and equity for interns in Canada, particularly the Canadian Intern Association, which has advocated tirelessly for interns’ rights since it was founded in May 2012. This inclusion of intern protections in the budget is also being celebrated by all those who have supported the Intern Protection Act (Bill C-636), which is scheduled for voting tonight.

This time last year, Career Edge and the Canadian Intern Association were among many subject matter experts asked to present briefs to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) as part of their Youth Employment Study, and subsequent report. The purpose of these briefs that were presented in a series of Committee hearings was to advise FINA on solutions that would promote higher levels of youth employment.

As a staunch advocate for greater employment and paid internship opportunities for new graduates – including those with disabilities – as well as newcomers to Canada, we are truly thrilled to see that our recommendations were reflected in the budget.

Working with government at all levels and other key stakeholders, we have taken a significant and positive step forward to cultivate socio-economic sustainability for all Canadians by ensuring our youth and new immigrants find meaningful work experience, so they can become taxpayers – not tax burdens.

Mar 17
Love5

Your Update on Bill C-636 and Bill 64

By General

Last month, NDP members of both federal and provincial parliaments introduced bills that – if passed – will extend workplace standards and safety provisions to interns under the Canada Labour Code (CLC) and Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). The introduction of these bills is a big step forward in terms of ensuring fairness and equity for interns, while making the conditions related to unpaid internships more comprehensive for employers.

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Feb 17
Love4

Why Paid Internships Matter: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

By Employer

The recent global recession threw the economy a curveball, which forced companies to reduce their personnel significantly. Now, with the Baby Boomers beginning to exit the workforce en masse, a labour crisis is fast approaching, and Canadian businesses must compete with emerging global markets to attract, recruit, and retain the talent needed for socio-economic sustainability well into the future.

In the TED Talk, “The workforce crisis of 2030 — and how to start solving it now,” Rainer Strack, of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), highlights this projected labour shortage in Canada, and in the world’s 15 largest economies, over the next 15 years.

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Jan 05
Love4

Join us at the Cannexus15 National Career Development Conference

By Events and news

Career Edge is proud to be a Supporting Organization at the Cannexus15 National Career Development Conference, to be held at the Ottawa Convention Centre, from January 26 – 28, 2015.

As a Supporting Organization, our President, Naguib Gouda, will host a networking breakfast session where attendees will discuss paid versus unpaid internships.

At this Cannexus Connections session discussion questions will include:

  •       When are unpaid internships acceptable?
  •       What’s the difference between unpaid internships and volunteer work?
  •       Why do paid internships matter?

Cannexus15 Conference delegates will also be informed and inspired by three exceptional keynote speakers:

  • Jaime Watt, Executive Chairman, Navigator Ltd & Public Affairs Commentator
  •       Dr Nancy Arthur, Professor & Associate Dean Research, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary
  •       The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada

In addition to the above, the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) will culminate their 10th anniversary celebrations at Cannexus15 with Spark!, a series of TEDx-style talks on diverse topics that will provide the “spark” for you to think differently about your work.

Ready to register? Click here to register as a Regular Member of Supporting Organization and select Career Edge from the list of Supporting Organizations for a 5% discount on registration. If you would like to learn more about the event visit www.cannexus.ca.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Dec 12
Love4

Career Buzz: “Get an edge on your career with Career Edge.”

By Press release

Career Edge was featured on Career Buzz, a radio show broadcast on CIUT 89.5 FM, on December 10. The show was hosted by Mark Franklin, President and Practice Leader at CareerCycles, a Toronto-based career management social enterprise. During the show, Mark interviewed Naguib Gouda, President of Career Edge and a staunch advocate for paid internships. Naguib was joined by Sydney Helland, Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Career Edge, who launched her career through a Career Edge paid internship. During the show, both Naguib and Sydney shared their career stories and chatted about the socio-economic impact of paid internships and the benefits of Career Edge’s internship model.

If you are an employer looking to learn more about paid internships, or a job seeker aspiring to launch your career, play or download the radio episode by clicking here to hear how Career Edge’s paid internship programs can help.

Career Buzz radio show of Dec. 10, first broadcast on CIUT 89.5 FM in Toronto. Produced and hosted by Mark Franklin, president and practice leader of CareerCycles (www.careercycles.com)

About Career Buzz: Career Buzz aims to inspire, educate and entertain listeners in the area of career satisfaction, how careers really happen, and what listeners might do to find more career happiness. If you believe that career happiness and having stories like yours heard is valuable, please consider supporting CIUT and Career Buzz during the twice annual membership campaign, which you can find out about by signing up for the Watch for Clues Newsletter on www.careercycles.com.

Aug 11
Love6
skilled newcomers

Helping Skilled Newcomers Join Canada’s Workforce

By Press release

Career Edge and the NACC have joined forces to connect internationally qualified professionals (IQPs) with leading organizations to help re-launch careers in Canada.

The partnership’s pilot program, NACC Edge, is an alternative career pathway that aims to help IQPs find relevant work in their area of expertise by using their Canadian-obtained training and skills. After completing a training program at an NACC member career college, program graduates can re-launch their careers in Canada through Career Edge’s paid internships in related occupations.

The paid internship program focuses on opportunities in various sectors, such as information technology (IT), administration, and health care. Many IQPs join the program in order to enter regulated professions within these fields.  The NACC Edge program enables IQPs to continue working in their field while re-training to meet the needs of the job market.

The NACC and Career Edge share a common goal of helping create opportunities for IQPs, giving them a greater chance at finding professional success in Canada, whether through education and training programs or through career-related work experience.

“The NACC’s members are very excited to see this partnership come into effect,” said Serge Buy, NACC’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is one concrete step we can take toward reducing the challenges faced by IQPs when they seek to obtain work experiences in their fields.”

Canada’s labour force has experienced a growing number of underutilized workers who resort to accepting “survival jobs” to stay afloat when they are faced with a job market that seldom recognizes their international experience and accreditation. The NACC Edge program seeks to address this pressing issue by ensuring IQPs are integrated into Canada’s workforce, so that they are working to their full potential, while strengthening Canada’s globally competitive economy.

“We are very proud to partner with the NACC,” says Naguib Gouda, President of Career Edge. “Through this partnership, we’re giving more options to newcomers who are struggling to acquire Canadian work experience that aligns with their career goals,” he says.

NACC Edge is available across the country and is delivered by NACC’s Regional Coordinators in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto, and will be supported by staff at the NACC national office in Ottawa and Career Edge’s headquarters in Toronto.

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