SfCeNews Vol 05 No. 10 (October 2004)

Skills for Change

SfCeNews
October 27, 2004
Volume 5 Issue 10
Circulation 6,671 Subscribers
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...

Annual General Meeting and Open House
Career Information Expo
OCASI Went Bananas at Orillia Conference
Construction and Maintenance Electricians
Worksearch for Internationally-trained Engineers
Starbuck & The Toronto Sun Donate to Clients
Exciting Opportunities for Companies
2004 United Way Campaign
Information Session for Teachers
Evening and Saturday ESL Classes - Spaces Still Available
4 Top Reasons to Attend Our Speaker's Series
Supporting a Client's Initiative
TechSkills Calendar

Annual General Meeting and Open House

Skills for Change
cordially invites you to join us for an

Open House
and
Annual General Meeting

Opening Doors to Employment:
Innovation, Embracing Risk and Strategic Partnerships

at
Skills for Change
791 St. Clair Avenue W.
(West of Christie Street)

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Open House 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Refreshments: 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
AGM Business: 6:30 p.m.
Program: 7:00 p.m.
R.S.V.P. by November 1, 2004 to 416-658-3101 Ext. 495
or sfc@skillsforchange.org

SfC Career Information Expo November 1

Please join the staff of Skills for Change on Monday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for our 2004 Career Information Expo.

Directed at internationally trained professionals and tradespeople, this event will feature career information provided by regulatory bodies, service agencies, employers and educational organizations.

The objective of this event to create a venue where individuals seeking employment in Canada can discover the fastest and most efficient methods of finding their meaningful place in the Canadian Labour Market and how to get there as described by people who already work in and with the industry itself.

The industrial sectors addressed at this event will be engineering, accounting, finance, the electromechanical trades, healthcare, IT/telecommunications, teaching and retail services.

Mentoring Program Presented at OCASI Conference

Farida Zuberi, Coordinator of the Mentoring Program, presented a workshop on mentoring at the OCASI conference held at Geneva Park in Orillia on October 20, 2004.

The session profiled the Mentoring for Employment Program model, both in its face-to-face and online contexts, identifying key elements contributing to the success of such programs, specifically the cross-cultural communication aspect. The workshop also focused on ways to adapt this model to different environments, discussing challenges and possible solutions.

OCASI Went Bananas at Orillia Conference

More than two hundred settlement workers from all over Ontario went the full nine rounds of Laugh or Go Bananas Workshop at the 2004 Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) Conference.

Whether bursting balloons, practising their laughing exercises, sharing a banana or dancing the salsa with Dr. Giggles (aka Nelson Briceno), everyone joined in the fun.

This workshop, designed for job seekers and workers in the employment field, looks at how we can lessen our stress and handle our problems or conflicts through laughter and our “internal smile.”

Click here for here for more information

Construction and Maintenance Electricians

Are you an Internationally-trained Electrician seeking to obtain your certification, upgrade your knowledge and find a job in your trade? Then join our Bridge to Success for Trades Program.

Next 12-week course starts November 29.

Worksearch for Internationally-trained Engineers

This course in intended for Internationally-trained Engineers who are either unemployed or are working in non-engineering occupations and would like to find work as engineers or engineering technicians or technologists.

Next 6 week course starts November 2.

Starbucks & The Toronto Sun Donate to Clients

Starbucks moved into the Hillcrest neighborhood in August and approached Skills for Change to see if there was interest in the agency receiving their day-old pastries, muffins and cakes.

Since early September, SfC has been the recipient of a large, daily donation of breakfast and dessert delights which is distributed to classes and programs on a rotating basis. Students give high marks to the quality of food from Starbucks. Special thanks to the staff and manager, Katherine Woodcock, of the local Starbucks location at Christie and St. Clair.

Special thanks also to Neil Fowler, Publisher and CEO of The Toronto Sun, for their donation of 15 papers daily which are earmarked for LINC and ESL students.

The newspaper is used as a tool for students to develop the English comprehension skills and to learn more about Canadian news and culture.

Exciting Opportunity for Companies

Sponsor the 2005 New Pioneers Awards
and gain profile in Toronto’s celebration of diversity

The New Pioneers Awards (NPA) are presented to immigrants and refugees for outstanding achievements in six categories. The 2005 New Pioneers Awards will be held on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at the Westin Harbour Castle.

Treat your clients or friends to an inspiring evening.

For sponsorship and ticket inquiries call 416-658-3101 ext. 231.

2004 United Way Workplace Campaign

The United Way of Greater Toronto supports more than 250 agencies across the city. Skills for Change has been a United Way member agency since 1993. We have run successful employee campaigns each fall, through special events, employee payroll deductions and United Way annual events.

We proudly raise our banner at the Leaps and Bounds Walkathon. Each year a small group of us climb the stairs of the CN Tower - quickest person made the top in 18 minutes!

Skills for Change clients do their part by participating in casual days, bake sales and multicultural lunches. Helping Hands Day is a terrific way to educate people about how United Way dollars are so important and the impact the funding has on an agency such as ours. The volunteers perform practice interviews with the clients and them give much appreciated feedback on interview skills and their resumes.

Indoor Flea Market - We Need Your Donations

Do you have something to donate to our indoor Flea Market Friday, November 5. All proceeds go to the United Way of Greater Toronto.

Drop off your donation at 791 St. Clair Avenue West, or call 416 658-3101 ext. 0 for more information. Donations of books, children’s clothing, and kitchenware, are especially welcomed!

Win a Computer Draw!

Win a complete DELL Optiplex GX300 Workstation donated to Skills for Change by Micro Second Computers.

Features include Pentium 3, 550 Mhz, 256MB DDR Memory, 20GB Hard Drive, CD/DVD/CD-RW, DELL 17" CRT Monitor, Microsoft Windows XP home.

Tickets are $1 each and are available at our reception desk at 791 St. Clair Avenue West. Contest closes Thursday, November 4, 2004. Draw takes place Friday, November 5 @ 12 noon.

All proceeds go to the United Way of Greater Toronto.

Information Sessions for Teachers

Are you a teacher trained outside Canada? Find out how you can qualify to teach in Ontario.

Join our free Information Session for Teachers Trained Outside of Canada on November 9. Click here for more information

Evening and Saturday ESL Classes - Spaces Still Available

The following evening courses start November 15, 2004:

ESL/Advanced Communication in the Workplace for Working People
ESL/Computerized Accounting
ESL/Communicating Clearly
ESL/Microsoft Office
TOEFL
ESL/Work Search for Internationally -Trained Engineers (Starts – November 2, 2004)
ESL/Keyboarding
ESL/Introductory Bookkeeping
ESL/Intensive English

The following Saturday courses start December 11, 2004:

ESL/Intermediate Bookkeeping
ESL/Introductory Bookkeeping
ESL/Medical Terminology
ESL/Microsoft Word and Excel
ESL/Keyboarding, Word Processing

How to apply:
Please call 416 658-7090, Monday to Friday between 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., or Monday to Thursday, between 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. -12 noon.

4 Top Reasons to Attend Our Speaker's Series

Our guest speakers series offers you an opportunity to meet peers, experts in your field and potential employers as well as establish new and professional networks, contacts and supports.

#1 Network with your peers and our Guest Speaker (you will receive new job leads, informational interviews and exposure to experts in your field)

#2 You'll learn something new (receive information that gives you that leading edge over other job seekers)

#3 Get job search support (our speakers will motivate and guide you in your job search and often offer help even after the workshop is long over)

#4 Professional Development (if you are working in an employment assistance related occupation or field, get some great tips to pass onto your clients)

Always bring your resume and business cards to any event you attend - you never know when opportunity will knock!!!

GUEST SPEAKERS
Seats are limited. Please register in person or by phone 416-516-4689

Exploring Careers in the Hospitality Industry
Neil Moore, Constellation College of Hospitality
November 3, 2004 at 1:00 p.m.

Technical Communication Skills for Internationally Educated Engineers
Ali Hadidi
November 4, 2004 at 11:00 a.m.

Job Tips for Accountants Resumes & Cover Letters
Anton Karan, CGA, Ministry of Finance
November 10, 2004 at 2:00 p.m.

Q & A on Canadian Legal Immigration
Ruby Decena
November 15, 2004 at 1:00 p.m.

Learn how the right foods can help you keep stress under control
Patricia Reller, Dietician/Nutritionist
November 24, 2004 at 1:00 p.m.

All workshops are FREE and take place at:

DUFFERIN MALL EMPLOYMENT RESOURCE CENTRE
900 Dufferin Street, Suite 101 Toronto, ON M6H 4A9

More Info? www.derc.ca
Contact Us:
t: (416) 516-4689 e: erc@skillsforchange.org

Supporting a Client's Initiative

Recently the Dufferin Mall Employment Resource Centre (DERC) successfully facilitated a new activity for a group of our clients: self-directed networking for individuals with a similar occupational background.

The impetus for the sessions was a request by one of our regular job seekers, who was interested in informally meeting and exchanging information with potential colleagues, i.e. other clients with related work experience, education, etc.

We asked this person to prepare a suitable announcement and to choose two dates for the networking sessions; we thought that evening meetings would probably be most convenient for people who are busy during the day.

Our web site administrator, Michele, posted the client’s announcement prominently on the DERC web site and sent out an email “blast” to our entire subscriber list. We also put up small posters around the centre and made announcements over the public address system here.

The results were favourable: six people attended the first networking session and four were present on the second evening. The man who initiated the networking was pleased, although he admitted that perhaps not all of the attendees had the kind of background he was expecting (we encouraged anyone who was interested to enter the workshop room, introduce themselves and stay for the session if they wished.). The participants themselves directed the group discussions.

Overall, the experience was productive for the job seekers involved and an interesting experiment for the DERC. Our staff has discussed the ideal of holding similar self-directed sector-specific networking sessions in the future.

TechSkills Calendar

TechSkills 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.

Course Name	Hrs	Start	Day(s)	Time	Fee
A+ Certification	45	Nov 15	M-Th	9:30a-12:30p	$749
A+ Certification	45	Nov 20	Sat	10a-4p	$749
A+ Certification	45	Nov 22	M-F	9:30a-12:30p	$749
ACCPAC for Windows 5.0	70	Nov 6	Sat	9a - 2p	$360
ACCPAC for Windows 5.0	70	Jan 25/05	Tue/Thu	6p-9:30p	$360
Quality Assurance & Control	50	Oct 30; Jan 29/05	Sat	9a-2pm	$350
Excel 2002 Level 1	12	Nov 23	Tue/Thu	6:30p-9:30p	$80
Excel 2002 Level 2	12	Nov 9	Tue/Thu	6:30p-9:30p	$80
Word 2002 Essentials	12	Nov 20	Sat	10a-3p	$40
Access 2002 Level 1	12	Nov 15	Mon/Wed	6:30p-9:30p	$80
Access 2002 Level 2	12	Jan 24/05	Mon/Wed	6:30p-9:30p	$80
PowerPoint & Publisher Essentials	5	Oct 30; Nov 27	Sat	10a-3p	$40
FrontPage Web Site Essentials	5	Nov 13; Dec 4	Sat	10a-3p	$40

To register, call 416 658-3101 ext. 302 or 218, or,
register on-line with your Visa or MasterCard

Download application form in pdf format

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.

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Skills for Change

791 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6C 1B8

A United Way member agency

Skills for Change is a
registered non-profit organization

Charitable registration #121471858RR0001

Telephone 416 658-3101 · Fax 416 658-6292

Email sfc@skillsforchange.org · Web www.skillsforchange.org

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