SfCeNews

Volume III.  Issue 07. July 31, 2002

Skills for Change (SfC) is a non-profit agency based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Our mandate is to provide learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees so that they can participate in the workplace and wider community.

In this edition...

 

New Pioneers Awards - Call for Nominations
New Courses for September
SfC is Hiring
George Brown College Careers in Information Technology
Contingent Employment Survey
New Canadian Friends
Joint Venture with Iranian Community
Programs and Services Updates

New Courses for September

Tech@Skills specializes in hands-on, instructor-led training in the latest software applications. We offer instructors with years of real-world expertise in a fun informal setting, teaching everything from basic web site development to more advanced accounting and database design.

Our courses are structured to encourage beginners and professionals to start at the level that matches their skills and to lead them progressively to more advanced topics. Our classes are limited in size, so you have more hands-on interaction with the instructor. 

September courses include:

AccPac 4.2
This course will introduce the current ACCPAC system used in the Canadian Accounting system.

Quality Control and Assurance Training
This course will develop your skills in quality assurance and control, and will prepare you to write the certification exam with the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Simply Accounting
In this course participants will learn General Ledger, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable; Perform monthly and year-end processing.

Accounting I
Learn basic concepts and methodology of accounting; learn accounting equation, prepare balance sheets and income statements and end-of-the-period process.

Accounting II
Learn the problems related to sources and uses of investment capital, financial reporting, cost accumulation, cost control and financial planning.

Excel 2000
Learn a variety of key fundamental commands and activities such as: creating worksheets and mathematical equations, saving and retrieving files, and editing worksheets.

ACCESS 2000
Learn to create, edit, save and view databases.

The Alliance on Contingent Employment

The Alliance on Contingent Employment is a group of professors and students from York University and McMaster University, and people from seven Toronto-based community organizations such as Toronto Organizing for Fair Employment (TOFFE), who are working together to learn more about the unique situation of contingent workers. The alliance believes that workers have the right to good jobs at fair wages.

The Alliance is undertaking a research project to find out about the impact of contingent work on workers’ health. Skills for Change is one of many organizations that is helping to distribute surveys to workers. Below is information prepared by Erika Khandor, the Survey Coordinator, about the research study and her contact information if you are interested in getting more details.

 

ARE YOU A TEMPORARY, TEMP AGENCY, CONTRACT, PART-TIME, SELF-EMPLOYED OR CASUAL WORKER?

 

More and more workers are confronted with permanent full time jobs being replaced by “contingent work” - contract jobs with no benefits, temporary agency jobs, part time, casual or short term jobs. While low wages and insecurity of income are key features of this new labour market, health and safety problems and job related illness are also on the rise.

That's why the Alliance on Contingent Employment is conducting a research project to find out more about how contingent and precarious work is affecting workers’ health. We are surveying contingent workers over the next 4 months. We hope that by learning more about contingent workers' realities, we will be able to press for improvements to working conditions and strategies to address the health needs of contingent workers. But we need your help to do this research.

How You Can Help:
If you are a “contingent” worker who is interested in participating in the project, or if you know people who are, fill out a survey, and include your voice in our research. The first step is to contact the Survey Coordinator:

Erika Khandor, Survey Coordinator
Telephone: 416-736-2100 x 33170
Email: ekhandor@mail.atkinson.yorku.ca

I can mail you a survey, or we can complete it on the telephone.

WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!

Joint venture with Iranian community

On Thursday, July 18, Employment Assistance Services (EAS) hosted an information meeting with three employers from the Iranian Community. The purpose of the meeting was to share information on ways to reach employers and to raise their awareness of non-profit government funded agencies like Skills for Change and JVS of Greater Toronto, who have the capability of helping employers find and hire staff.

The meeting was very informative and full with possibilities of our working together to meet the employment needs of our prospective clients and the needs of employers in the Iranian community.

The contribution of the following attendees will go along way in this joint venture. Massood Mansoorzadeh (‘Sharvand’ Iranian Weekly newspaper), Shahram Saremi ('Zarvaragh' Iranian Yellow Pages), Ramtin Sotoadeh (LSI Engineering Consultants), Shokofeh Dilmaghmani (Employment Counselor from Family Services Association), Jane Cullingworth (Programs & Services Manager of Skills for Change), Terri Hylton (EAS Coordinator) and Alborz Arshak, (EAS Job Developer) who was very instrumental in organizing this meeting. [photo]

My Story
A regular series of stories, written by SfC clients and graduates, that describe the immigrant experience.

New Canadian Friends
by Randall David

After arriving in Canada on July 18, 1999 one of the first things I was told by my sister who had been in Canada for the last three years was not to attempt to communicate with any employer before attending the Job Search Workshop for New Immigrants hosted by Skills for Change.

Being a graduate herself she spoke of a Julie Wilson who was just excellent in giving assistance for developing an Action Plan for job search strategies. As luck would have it there was a workshop starting on July 20, 1998 (which is the day I found out) so I joined the group on July 21, 1998. 

This was where I met my first set of new friends in Canada. The atmosphere in the workshop was friendly and, being all newcomers to Canada, we encouraged each other to pursue our common goals. Julie was perfect. I was totally surprised to find a complete stranger in a first world country who was so patient, encouraging and was able to identify with us so well. 

Through out the workshop we were exposed to different job search strategies, networking techniques, our rights as landed immigrants, resumé and application writing, interview skills and job research methodologies. The sessions consisted of class participation, videos, overhead slides presentation, guest speakers and hands-on interaction with the computer. We were also taken to the Employment Resource Centre at the Dufferin Mall where we got an overview of the Internet and Networks, exposure to the different facilities and a chance to enroll to use the facilities. 

A great feature of the Workshop was that our assignments were actual real life situations. For example, one assignment was to make five cold calls to companies of interest and this actually started to produce results. We were now communicating with prospective Canadian employers. After making my cold calls I had three possible interviews. I then communicated this too Julie and we worked together on my resumé and practiced interview questions. 

I prepared specially for a job as a Senior Programmer/Analyst at the Canadian National Railways Properties here in Toronto where I have been employed since August 1998. A number of questions that were rehearsed surfaced in the interview and I had the perfect answers. My resumé was attractive, attire was appropriate and my disposition was desirable. These of course were all discussed in the Job Search Workshop which I would recommend to any new Immigrant to Canada.

Acronym Soup

Confused? Don't be. Here's a list of our agency acronyms, what they mean and (where applicable) a link to the program web page.
 

CES - Clerical Employment Services

EAS - Employment Assistance Services

EPRS - Employment for Retail Services

ERC - Employment Resource Centre

FOAP - Finance & Office Assistant Program

IAT - Intake, Assessment and Training

JSC - Job Search Centre

JSW - Job Search Workshop

LINC - Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada

NPA - New Pioneers Awards

STIC - Sector Terminology Information & Counselling

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