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Oct 15
Love4

Looking for leaders: Nominations open for TRIEC’s 7th Annual Immigrant Success Awards

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The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) is pleased to announce the call for entries for the 7th Annual Immigrant Success (IS) Awards, sponsored by RBC. Each year, TRIEC presents the IS Awards to recognize innovation and leadership in integrating skilled immigrants into the Greater Toronto Region labour market.

If you or your organization deserve to be recognized, don’t miss your chance this year. Employers and individuals are invited to apply or submit a nomination by Thursday, November 15, 2012 at www.isawards.ca.

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Sep 19
Love3

The Gold Standard in Partnerships Goes Platinum

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Last night, senior business leaders, human resources professionals and former interns of Career Edge Organization (CEO)’s paid internship programs gathered at the TIFF Bell Lightbox to celebrate the annual CEO Achievement Awards. This year, the awards centered on the partnerships with employers and community organizations that have supported and advanced the impact of CEO’s paid internship programs.

“Career Edge Organization is more relevant today than it has ever been,” said Matt Holland, Chairman of the Board for CEO. “The growing number of underemployed and unemployed youth is approaching historical highs, reminiscent of “jobless recovery” of the early 1990s when Career Edge Organization was founded, and requires the same level of response by our society.”

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Sep 13
Love3

Developing a Gen Y Coaching Culture

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From the insights we blogged in our summer series of Gen Y (millennial) research findings, we have continued to endorse coaching as a powerful way to facilitate the professional growth of Gen Y or Millennials who are new to the Canadian workforce. But are there any specific approaches to mentoring Gen Y workers? What can Canadian employers do to effectively retain and develop this non-homogenous group of ambitious, tech-savvy employees?

Our Vice President, Donna Smith, knows firsthand the positive effects that come from coaching. Donna has lead numerous workshops on developing a coaching culture in organizations, becoming a subject matter expert and thought leader in the field. We sat down with Donna to get her top tips on managing the expectations of new Gen Y employees through effective coaching and onboarding strategies.

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Aug 16
Love4

The Driven Generation – Part II

By Uncategorized

Last month we shared some of the most recent findings and  insights from our perennial Gen Y research, identifying that Gen Y workers at the early stages of their career have set their sights on quickly becoming managers while taking a collaborative and social approach to their projects. Although this strong desire for upward mobility is palpable, the results of our research also suggest that there are two distinct camps within Gen Y workers when it comes to career progression:

  • paying your dues
  • aggressively climbing the corporate ladder

Career Progression But regardless of the approach that Gen Y takes to career advancement, they realize that they can’t do it alone. Over 90% of Gen Y workers recognize on-the-job training, knowledge sharing, and networking as being important or very important in supporting the achievement of their career goals. However, we were surprised to see that fewer (77%) see having a coach or mentor as a valuable contributor to professional growth.

Coaching has been a critical element of Career Edge Organization’s internship model for the past 16 years. We know that coaching is an effective way to support recent grads as they transition from an academic environment to the Canadian workforce. Therefore, we continue to encourage employers and Gen Y workers alike to participate in mutually beneficial professional coaching relationships.

We learned from our 2010 research that although Gen Y do prefer a social working atmosphere, they look to their coaches for professional guidance and feedback rather than friendship. The way we see it, a coach’s primary role is to leverage their existing knowledge and experience related to their profession and organization’s corporate culture and pass this information on to a colleague that may be new to the Canadian workplace. When it comes to their ideal type of coach, Gen Y told us that they look for the following qualities in a professional mentor:

High impact qualities for coaches to possess

We believe that coaching is a powerful way to support the integration of Gen Y/Millenials into the workplace. With the top five coaching qualities listed above, coaches and supervisors can maximize their Gen Y workforce while providing a supportive and professional work environment that allows Gen Y to learn, thrive, and contribute.

Next month, our Vice President, Donna Smith, will be sharing her Coaching Culture hints and tips to teach new coaches how to support Gen Y as they head back to work instead of back to school.

Do you have questions about coaching Gen Y? Let us know! Leave a comment here or tweet us!

Jul 23
Love4

The Driven Generation

By Uncategorized

This past spring, Career Edge Organization’s VP, Donna Smith, presented the results of our third installment of Gen Y research at Workforce One-Stop 2012, a new event for employers and educators looking to leverage the skills and knowledge of workers joining an increasingly diverse Canadian workforce.

Building on two successful years of employer targeted Gen Y research, Donna’s workshop explored “twenty something” insights for employers, enabling them to better attract, retain, and develop young Canadian talent in their organizations.

Working with Angus Reid Strategies and Porter Novelli in 2009, our first installment of Gen Y research revealed that one size strategies do not fit all, as we identified four distinct segments of recent grads that each call for unique recruitment efforts. In 2010, our research drilled deeper to gain groundbreaking insights to find out what Gen Y look for in a “great place to work.”

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Jul 01
Love4

Canada Day: Another first for many newcomers

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Last week, Career Edge Organization (CEO) attended the 2nd Annual Career, Education & Settlement Fair presented by Canadian Immigrant and Scotiabank in association with Centennial College.

At the fair, we met many newcomers and recent immigrants seeking job hunting tips, information about accreditation and upgrading of education, and additional resources to support their settlement in Canada.

For many internationally qualified newcomers that stopped by the CEO exhibitor booth, today is the first Canada Day that they will be celebrating since immigrating to Canada.

I got a chance to speak with Biju George, an internationally trained technical sales professional from India. With over 20 years of experience, Biju and his wife moved to Canada three months ago and are now in the process of settling in the GTA and laying the groundwork for a successful career transition.

Biju explained that he is looking forward to joining in today’s festivities, saying, “Having only moved to Canada within the past couple of months, my wife and I are looking forward to celebrating our first Canada Day by going to the Pride Parade and visiting High Park for the celebrations.”

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to newcomers like Biju, and wish a Happy Canada Day to everyone who calls this country home.

Jun 15
Love4

Introducing Toronto

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Earlier this year, Rogers TV launched Introducing Toronto, a rich and informative weekly series that portrays the journey of recent immigrants who call Toronto home. The show presents the settlement and employment resources available to newcomers that can help them better integrate into Canadian society and its workforce.

In the fifth instalment of the series airing next Monday, June 18th at 8:30pm, Introducing Toronto takes a look at Career Bridge, an internship program that connects employers with internationally qualified newcomers looking to gain Canadian work experience that is consistent with their professional skills and expertise acquired outside of Canada. Next Monday’s show also focuses on Bike Host, an activity that introduces Toronto to newcomers via cycling. Lastly, Young Newcomers with an entrepreneurial streak get guidance from the Canadian Youth Business Foundation and Introducing Toronto discovers how a theatre program is helping youth to better adapt to their new city.

Click here for more information about Introducing Toronto!

May 30
Love3

Embracing the concept of an inclusive workplace – 3 tips for employers

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The most recent edition of HR Professional magazine features “The Business Case for Creating an Inclusive Workplace”, in which Anne Lamont, President & CEO of Career Edge Organization, is interviewed among other business leaders committed to addressing the employment barriers faced by many persons with disabilities.

Throughout the article, Anne offers insights and guidance related to some of the myths and stereotypes associated with creating an inclusive workplace. Most notably, Anne encourages employers to focus on employees’ abilities rather than their disabilities, saying, “If you bring someone into a supportive environment, it demystifies the discussion around a disability.”

Having witnessed many success stories from Career Edge Organization’s Ability Edge paid internship program, Anne says that in her experience, Ability Edge interns with self-declared disabilities have managed their disabilities exceptionally well and have a strong commitment to succeed with their employer of choice. To leverage and support the hiring of persons with disabilities entering the workforce, Anne offers the following three tips to employers looking to create an accessible and inclusive recruitment process:

  1. Accessible job applications: Rather than accepting pen and paper job application forms, digital alternatives can be much more accessible to people with visual impairments or whose disability may limit their ability to use a pen or pencil.
  2. Create an environment for interview success: Interviews can be intimidating, especially for candidates that are also managing a disability. Providing interview questions in advance can support candidates in communicating their abilities, qualifications, and accomplishments.
  3. Focus on abilities: Be realistic in understanding if accommodations are required to support an employee’s abilities. This means:
  • ensuring that job roles clearly set out responsibilities and outcomes, and
  • being open to a respectful discussion with the candidate to determine what reasonable accommodation is required to achieve results.
May 10
Love3

Bridging the gap for internationally qualified architects

By Uncategorized

JVS Toronto has leveraged the power of partnerships through its new program that aims to help internationally qualified professionals integrate into Canada’s architectural workforce.

Immigrant Professionals Leveraging Architectural Knowledge for New Opportunities (I-PLAN) is a bridging program that addresses key barriers faced by internationally trained architects, including lack of Canadian experience and the lack of sector specific job search support and advice.

As a non-profit community organization that works in strong partnership with government and business to assist people from all walks of life achieve their educational and employment potential, JVS has established a unique partnership with Ryerson University’s Chang School of Continuing Education, the Ontario Tourism Education Council, and Career Edge Organization to support the delivery of I-PLAN.

As one of the program components, I-PLAN participants complete a mentoring and internship placement supported by Career Edge Organization (CEO). Through CEO’s Career Bridge paid internship program, I-PLAN participants connect with employers that recognize and value their international education and work experience.

While the program is a great option for internationally qualified architects looking to launch their careers in Canada, employers can also benefit by tapping into this pool of highly qualified, internationally experienced talent through a flexible, low-risk hiring solution.

Career Edge Organization is proud to be a member of this partnership, and we’re looking forward to supporting I-PLAN participants as they pursue Canadian careers in architecture.

Click here for more information about JVS and the I-PLAN program.

Apr 26
Love3

Career Bridge honoured at the 6th Annual TRIEC Immigrant Success Awards

By Uncategorized

Since the launch of the Career Bridge paid internship program in 2003, over 1,700 skilled immigrants have gained valuable Canadian work experience consistent with their professional experience and education, with over 80% of interns landing full-time employment in their field post-internship.

At this evening’s Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)’s 6th Annual Immigrant Success (IS) Awards, we are absolutely delighted to have the Career Bridge program recognized as the winner of the CBC Toronto Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion. This award recognizes a unique initiative that breaks down employment barriers for skilled immigrants and has the potential to affect change beyond one organization, while also having a wider impact because of partnerships.

While we are very proud to be the recipient of this award, we certainly recognize that this could only have been achieved with the support of our many partners – host employers, community agencies and educational institutions – and senior business leader champions.  We have also attributed the success of Career Bridge to the quality of talent and the supportive onboarding that is an integral element of our successful internship model.

One employer highlighted in the TRIEC IS Award video, the City of Toronto, has hired over 80 interns since 2003 as part of its HR strategy to reflect the diversity of Toronto’s communities. Through Career Bridge and related strategies, the City of Toronto is actively embedding best practices on the hiring and integration of skilled immigrants. Career Bridge is now active in 14 divisions at the City, all of whom keep returning to the program because of the quality of the talent it brings them.

Furthermore, Career Bridge has recently partnered with the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), a project that facilitates skilled immigrants’ transition to Canada by starting the process before they arrive. Career Bridge supports and accelerates CIIP’s efforts by virtually pre-screening their clients who are job-ready and Career Bridge-eligible. Through this relationship Career Bridge is able to tap into the CIIP client base to identify talent consistent with our host employers’ needs. Career Bridge has the capacity for national reach as a result of the partnership with CIIP and its community focal point partners. A number of CIIP clients have registered with Career Bridge and have found internships shortly after arriving in Canada.

Looking forward, we hope that more employers recognize and use the Career Bridge paid internship program as an effective hiring and retention strategy for qualified, global talent. With the continued and growing support of employers, Career Bridge will remain a sustainable and optimum path to permanent employment for internationally qualified newcomers.

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