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New Pioneers Awards |
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 "Celebration of Diversity” VIDEO  15th Annual New Pioneers Awards Thursday, March 22, 2007 Metro Toronto Convention Centre NPA Ticket Order Form Download in pdf format here, or purchase tickets online here. NPA Program Advertising Brochure Download an order form here.
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SfC is Hiring |
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Engineering Your Future
(EYF) Coordinator |
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Renovations at Skills for Change |
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by Jane
Cullingworth Executive Director
This is the season of great works at the agency.
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A National
Review of Access to Professions and Trades |
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by Jane
Cullingworth Executive Director In December last year Capacity Canada released “A National Review of Access to Professions and Trades (APT) Processes for Immigrants.” Capacity Canada is a network of immigrant driven initiatives across the country, working together to build a national policy roundtable of internationally educated professionals. One of the first initiatives of Capacity Canada has undertaken is a national review of APT processes across the country in order to best determine the next steps to address challenges with the processes. The Review was done by the Centre for Research and Education in Human Services (CREHS), and was guided by a national steering committee made up of representatives across the country. More information about Capacity Canada can be found at their website. |
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Recognizing Skills for Change Staff - Shabnum Budhwani |
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by Jane
Cullingworth Executive Director  Shabnum
Budhwani, our Teach in Ontario Program Coordinator,
participated in the Maytree Foundation’s Leaders for
Change program in 2002-2003. The program, which was
launched in 1999, gives social activists and
community leaders in the Toronto area the
opportunity to build leadership skills, to identify
and reflect on critical issues facing our society
and to apply new knowledge and insights.The Maytree Foundation has profiled 15 of the leaders who have participated in the program – including Shabnum. Shabnum’s compassion and hard work are beautifully reflected in the article. We encourage you to read Shabnum’s story, as well as the stories of 14 other inspiring individuals here. Many congratulations to Shabnum! |
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Newcomer Professionals at Work |
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by Roland Rhooms
Manager, Programs and Services Skills for Change is proud to announce a new service that will assist job seekers to get back into their fields. The program model targets clients who are job ready and have a high proficiency of English language skills. The initiative will help participants to hone their employment preparation skills and to get integrated into the labour market through Mentoring, Internships, or Job Placements. The program starts in January 2007. |
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Bridge to Success - JSW Conference |
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by Srna Stambuk
“Bridges to Success,” the Job Search Workshop (JSW)
Conference was held at Ramada Hotel in Toronto on
January 10th and 11th. Srna Stambuk and Jemima
Sabapathy from Skills for Change attended. Plenary
speakers and presenters included representatives
from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC),
COSTI, OCASI, TRIEC and employers. |
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English as a Second Language Classes - Enroll Now! |
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by Faduma Muse IAT Registrar ESL classes that are starting in February are still accepting enrollment. To register call (416) 658-7090 or (416) 658-3101 ext. 0 ESL/Intensive English - February 5 Review of the four English language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) for intermediate ESL learners. Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 5 – 6 ESL/Business Writing - February 5 This course will improve your writing skills for the Canadian business environment. You will use Microsoft Word and Excel to create and modify letters, memos, emails, reports and learn format standards for business correspondence with appropriate grammar and vocabulary. Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 5 ESL/Communicating Clearly - February 6 Learn to express yourself clearly and confidently. Become familiar with the English phonetic system and learn to correct your specific English pronunciation difficulties. Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 5 – 6 ESL/English for Academic Purposes - February 12 The goal of this class is to develop the language skills and confidence needed to successfully pursue academic studies. Students will expand their vocabulary and develop accurate grammar in speaking and writing. They will also develop advanced listening and reading skills. Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 6. TOEFL Level 7+ - February 12 Practice the testing procedures and focus on listening comprehension, written expression, reading comprehension and the test of written English (TWE). Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 7+ ESL/Introductory Bookkeeping - February 13 Develop English communication skills while learning basic bookkeeping concepts, vocabulary and skills required for completing bookkeeping tasks. Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 5 – 6 ESL/Accounting and Computer Skills for Immigrant Women - February 26 This program is intended for immigrant women who speak English as a Second Language and have little accounting or office experience. If you have an education in accounting from other countries but have never worked in the field, and are changing your career to accounting from other fields, this program is for you. Develop English language and communication skills through the study of accounting principles, computer skills and work search strategies, including how to prepare a resume and cover letter, and understand job ads. Graduates of this program may be eligible to join the Clerical/Employment Services Program. Eligibility or prerequisite(s): CLB 5 – 6, keyboarding @ 25 wpm. Employment Preparation for Retail Services - February 26 Employment Preparation for Retail Services (EPRS) is designed to improve your communication skills for the retail sector and provides job search training and conflict resolution skills. The length of this program is 15 weeks including 6 weeks of guaranteed work experience placement. This program runs from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
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What's Happening at the SfC Employment Resource Centre? |
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by Michele Raposo Web Developer and Guest Speaker Coordinator Newcomers, Talk Your Way to a Job! If you are new to Canada and want to improve your communication skills, the Skills for Change Employment Resource Centre has a few spots available for the next "Newcomers, Talk Your Way to a Job!" series. Attend these interactive communicative workshops from February 12-16, 2007 and walk away with: • Savvy responses to tricky interview questions • An impressive 30 second commercial about yourself • Confidence in making cold calls that could crystallize into warm responses • Experience in using the STAR technique to relate your transferable skills If interested, please contact us today at 416-572-0790 to reserve a seat. Guess Who’s Coming to the Skills for Change Employment Resource Centre? We have two guest speakers coming to our Centre in February: Brian Bertrand - Toronto Public Library Job Hunt on the Internet - Use Career Bookmarks to Find Job Postings on the Internet Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Ray Brooks - How to Start Your Own Business Monday, February 26, 2007 at 1 p.m. pre-registration is required Please call 416-572-0790 to reserve your seat and join us for these fun and informative sessions. Back By Popular Demand Join our Self-Directed Networking Group for All Job-Seekers, every Friday (February 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd) from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Call 416-572-0790 to pre-register. Light refreshments will be provided. |
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Technical Training To Get You Hired - Enrollment Going ON! |
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by Gener
Pagkanlungan Coordinator, TechSkills Since 2002, when the first ACCPAC and Quality Assurance and Control training courses were first delivered, TechSkills has offered a growing array of both short- and long- term courses for the general public. For the months of February and March, we have lined up the following technical training. ACCPAC for Windows 5.2 Master this widely-used version – taught by accountants! Learn to apply General Ledger Levels I and II, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Payroll to real-world cases. Pre-requisites - Passing bookkeeping test and knowledge of Windows Starts March 10 and May 7 Simply Accounting 2006 Participants will learn General Ledger, Inventory, Accounts Payable and Receivable for small- and medium-sized business. Participants will also increase their knowledge in using the accounts, inventory, payroll and customer and vendor modules, including how to perform monthly- and year-end processing. Pre-requisites: Passing bookkeeping test and knowledge of Windows. Starts Feb. 19 QuickBooks Participants will learn to create a new QuickBooks company, add/edit information to company lists, open/use registers for balance sheet accounts, reconcile chequing account, track credit card information, invoice customers, create sales orders, generate customer statements, work with asset and liability accounts, track fixed assets, do accounts payable, create/customize reports and graphs, set up inventory, track and pay sales tax, understand payroll features, create estimates and do progress invoicing. Starts Feb 20 Microsoft Office Courses Access 2002 (XP) Level I This course covers table creation, relationships, extracting information using queries, designing forms and creating reports. Starts Feb 26 Access 2002 (XP) Level II This course covers advanced queries including action queries, advanced forms and reports including sub forms and sub reports, import/export, and macros. Starts Feb 5 Excel 2002 (XP) Level I Start with the basics, including elements of Excel screen, simple formulas (Sales-Expenses=Profit), operators: + - = / * ^, cut, copy, paste using toolbar, menu bar, mouse and keyboard, working with workbooks, worksheets, tabs, moving/copying worksheets, formatting labels and values, AutoFormat; basic functions (SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, NOW, IF), printing, calculating percentages, relative/absolute cell references, and basic charts. Pre-requisite: Windows experience. Starts Feb 27 Excel 2002 (XP) Level II This is a continuation of Microsoft Excel 2002 (XP) Level 1. The IF function is reviewed and expanded on. Linking cells, worksheets, workbooks and Excel to Word is practiced. Database management is covered in detail, including sorting, data form, subtotal command, filtering and pivot tables. Other functions covered in Level 2 are: VLOOKUP, COUNT, ROUND, CHOOSE, CONCATENATE, WEEKDAY, DATEVALUE, YEAR, MONTH, and RAND. Pre-requisite - Microsoft Excel 2002 (XP) Level 1. Starts Feb 6 FrontPage 2003 - Build a Web Site Essentials Learn how to design your own web site using FrontPage 2000. Includes a comprehensive introduction to formatting, adding and editing text, how to liven up your web site with graphics. Using hyperlinks to link your site, opening another site in a new window, sending Email and more will be practiced. At workshop end, you will have your own web site on the Internet. Prerequisite: Windows and Microsoft Word experience. Starts Feb 17 MS Office: Word, Excel, Access 2002 (XP) Learn to use Word, Excel and Access. This comprehensive, 100% instructor-led training will teach beginners from the basic level up to advanced level of Word, Excel and Access. You will acquire computer skills in 3 weeks and apply these skills in your job search right away. Twenty hours of practice time is also included in addition to 70 hours of training. Starts Feb 21 PowerPoint 2002 (XP) & Publisher Essentials Learn to use Publisher to create newsletters, flyers and cards, enter and import text, and apply styles. Learn how to flow text from one frame to another, add borders and WordArt. Using PowerPoint, create and view exciting electronic presentations. Create a presentation that runs by itself. Prerequisite: Windows and Microsoft Word experience. Starts Feb 10 Word and Excel 2002 (XP) Essentials In Microsoft Word learn the basics of entering text, the File, Save As command, opening and editing a document, scrolling in a document, searching in a document, AutoCorrect, selecting text, moving and copying text, basic character and paragraph formatting. Particular attention is paid to three essential skills - using tabs, tables and mail merging. In Microsoft Excel, start with the basics, including elements of Excel screen, simple formulas (Sales-Expenses=Profit), operators: + - = / *, working with workbooks, worksheets, tabs, moving/copying worksheets, formatting labels and values, AutoFormat; basic functions (SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, NOW), printing, calculating percentages, and basic charts. Prerequisite: Windows experience. Starts Feb 24 IT Courses A+ Certification Preparation Our course will prepare you to pass CompTIA's A+ exam - the certification that's become "the ticket" for technical support staffers. You will learn how to install, configure and upgrade computer hardware and operating systems. Included is implementing workgroup LAN, LAN/WAN connectivity, file and printer configurations, diagnosing and troubleshooting, and safety and preventive measures. Pre-requisites - Computer and applications navigating; Internet browsing knowledge and familiarity with operating systems. Starts Feb. 10 Engineering Courses AutoCAD Level I & II Intended for those interested, or already in, a career in engineering or graphics and for various technicians/technologists, these courses will pave the way to sound knowledge, technical proficiency and expertise in developing technical design drawing. Pre-requisites: Basic knowledge of computer fundamentals and familiarity with operating systems and MS Office. Starts March 12 Quality Assurance & Control Training Become a Certified Quality Improvement Associate, Mechanical Inspector, Technician or Engineer. Fifty hours of quality training will develop your skills in quality assurance. The course covers the bodies of knowledge (BOK) for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) certification exam. The ASQ certification is recognized in North America and in other parts of the world. Starts Feb 3 |
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About Skills for Change |
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It is located at 791 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario M6C 1B7. We can be reached by phone (416.658.3101), fax (416.658.6292) or email.
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About SfCeNews |
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SfCeNews is published on the last
business day of each month. If you'd like to change your
subscription status, please go
here. If you have a comment or suggestion, we would like to hear from you. Click here to contact us. Our SfCeNews online archive can be found here. |
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About our Programs and Services |
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Please come by for a tour to see how our space is
being transformed!
The work to the building would not have been
possible without the contribution of many funders –
these include Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC),
the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI),
as well as the BMO Fountain of Hope. 