SfCeNews

Volume III.  Issue 010. October 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...

 

2002 Annual General Meeting
United Way Campaign
Success@SkillsforChange
SfC Alumni Committee presents an
Evening of Survival and Extraordinary Success
A+ Certification course
Workshops at DERC
Programs and Services Updates

2002 Annual General Meeting

SfC's Annual General Meeting was held October 30, 2002.  More photos here.

Chair
Gerald Fitzgerald

Directors
Nafeesa Afridi, Iurie Dmitrenco, Noemi Garcia, Sandra Hewitt, Gail Johnson, Adil Lalani, David Lovelock, Subash Mehta, Barbara Nawrocki, Joy Seth, Claudia Small, Howard Trotman

United Way 2002 Campaign

The United Way 2002 Fund Raising Campaign has been enjoying the support of SfC staff, students and teachers in all its events.

So far, the events that took place included:
­ Nathan Philips’ Leaps and Bounds Walkathon with over 40 participants
­ Bake sales
­ LINC Raffle
­ United Way JukeBox in which staff requested for their favorite songs for a $1.00 per song
­ Friday Dress Down
­ 50/50 Raffles
­ Casino Rama trip
­ Big Flea Market
­ ERC Bowlathon
­ CN Tower Climb
­ Staff Pot Luck Lunch

Success@SkillsforChange

Anthony Kahama, a graduate of our Job Search Workshop (JSW) program, writes:

"As a research scientist, I was impressed that in three short days the Job Search Workshop could cover a vast range of topics including analysis of the job market, resume writing, and cold calling. Afterwards I was determined to use the skills learnt to get a job, albeit with a degree of skepticism especially towards cold calling.

I gathered information about different companies, gathered courage, wrote my self-introductory statement, and got down to cold calling. To my surprise, after a few calls, one of the companies asked me to send my resume and within three days called me for an interview. The COLD CALLING did work!!! I was able to convince my interviewers of my employability that resulted in a job offer as a research scientist. I take this opportunity to thank the instructors for their diligence and concern."

JSW is designed to assist Newcomers in finding employment in Canada. In 2001-2002, 185 clients graduated from the program. Approximately 70% of the participants find employment within 6 months of program completion. The program targets professionals from all background. Newcomers learn job search strategies, skills identification, resume and cover letter writing, labour market trends, accessing the hidden job market, interview skills, networking, cold calling and developing an action plan. This follows with individual counselling and job search support.

For more information about JSW...
n call 416 658-3101 x870
n visit www.skillsforchange.org/jsw, or,
n write jsw@skillsforchange.org

SfC Alumni Committee presents an Evening of Survival and Extraordinary Success

The Alumni Committee is hosting a networking evening for old and new SfC clients. The highlight of this evening will be a talk by 2001 New Pioneers Entrepreneurship Award recipient, Harinder Takhar, who will tell his personal story of how he overcame barriers and built a multimillion dollar business spread over Canada and the US. Harinder is now set to enter politics.

Harinder will be joined by his wife, Balwinder, who as the Corporate Director of Chalmers Suspensions International Inc is responsible for the hiring of staff. She will speak on what employers look for when hiring. There will be a question/answer period at the end of the evening.

Attendance to the evening is free and open to all. The networking will be held on Thursday, November 7, 2002 at 7 p.m. at Skills for Change, 791 St. Clair Avenue West. R.S.V.P. 416 658-3101 ext. 256.
 

A+ Certification course

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.

Tech@Skills has introduced a new course called A+ Certification. It will prepare students for the A+ certification examinations. The course is designed for those who are interested in assembling, installing, configuring, upgrading, repairing, troubleshooting and maintaining stand-alone computers and network.

Classes will start October 29, 31 and November 17, 2002.

Spaces still available in our popular 50 - 60 hour courses in AccPac 4.2, Quality Control and Assurance Training, and Accounting.

Sign-up for one of our mini, Tuesday/Thursday night 12 hour courses in Access 2000, Excel 2000, Word 2000, or Web Site Design (using Microsoft Word and Publisher).

To apply, call 416-658-3101 ext 218 or 0.

For our complete course schedule, click here.

Workshops at DERC

The Dufferin Employment Resource Centre is offering these workshops in November:

n Business and Calling Cards as a Marketing Tool
Get an edge on your competition! Create your own business card and get connected with confidence! This workshop will cover first steps to designing a business and calling card, putting your ideas together and presenting your marketing piece. November 27, 2002 at 1 p.m.

n Newcomers Communicating With Employers
Looking for work? Have you been in Canada less than 2 years?  This five-day workshop series for newcomers will cover presenting yourself confidently, contacting employers by telephone, answering those killer questions and video-taping your practice interviews.

Upon completion you will receive a certificate. Please register in person at the Dufferin Mall Employment Resource Centre before November 18. Bring a copy of your résumé. If you wish to participate in this series, you must commit to attending all five workshops. November 18 - 22, 2002

n Succeeding at the Job Fair
Attend our workshops without having to leave the comfort of your home! To make our workshops accessible to a larger group of job seekers, the DERC will be featuring workshops online at derc.ca. These online workshops are accessible to anyone who logs on to www.derc.ca on the day of the workshop.

This month, find out what a job fair is, where to find information on upcoming job fairs, and how to prepare for one. November 12, 2002 at 3 p.m.
 

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

Comments

If you have a comment or suggestion,
we would like to hear from you. More>

 

Subscribe/Unsubscribe

More>

 

Search

Newsletter Archive