SfC is Hiring

Employer Outreach Specialist
The overall goal of the Newcomer Professionals at work Program is to facilitate the successful employment and integration of newcomer professionals in their fields and related fields. The program model targets clients who are job ready and have a high proficiency of English language skills. The integration into their fields will be facilitated through Mentoring, Internships and Job Placements.
 

EPRS Celebrates Graduation and Employment Success

by Normal Bernal (CES Facilitator/Counsellor)

It was a fitting close to all the hard work of the participants as well as a testimonial to the continued success of the long-running partnership among Hudson Bay Company (Hbc), Skills for Change (SfC), and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB).

April 20 saw a large group gather at SfC to honor the 11 participants who completed the Employment Preparation for Retail Services (EPRS) Program.

EPRS, one of the most comprehensive programs at SfC, is a 15-week program that has a training component, a work search prep component, and an on-the-job component. Program completion thus meant much more than attending a simple job search workshop as participants spent seven weeks in Retail Training, two weeks in a Job Search Workshop, and six weeks in a Co-op Placement at an Hbc banner store, such as the Bay, Zellers or Home Outfitters. EPRS is also a prime example of an excellent collaboration across programs within SfC: EPRS itself which delivers the training, the Clerical Employment Services (CES) which handles job search, and Intake, Assessment and Training (IAT) which, together with CES, implements, tracks, and monitors placements.

Three officials from Hbc attended the graduation to lend their support to the program: Jim Campbell, Senior Manager-Training and Development, Daniela Mayol, National Workforce Planning and Recruitment Manager, and Kathy Triona, Regional Training Manager-Central Canada. SfC Executive Director Jane Cullingworth was also on hand to congratulate the participants. Graduates Zhila Wu and Paul Lin, from China and Taiwan respectively, shared some wonderful insights and inspiring anecdotes about their experiences. Zhila talked about her journey of self discovery, beginning when she first came to SfC: “I didn’t have a clear plan for my future...” and culminating in finding a meaningful career: “Through this program, I learned to be a good retail sales associate.” Paul, on the other hand, related a story about his experience with an elderly lady that demonstrated his skill in helping customers, emulating Hbc CEO Mr. Zucker’s goal of extending “customer service never before seen in Canada.”

To date, 7 of the 11 graduates, including Zhila and Paul, are already employed at Hbc. With this 63% employment rate within a month of program completion, EPRS has clearly sustained its excellent employment record through the years.
 

ERC - New Hours

To serve you better we are introducing New Hours starting June 11, 2007:  Monday & Tuesday – 10 am – 6 pm; Wednesday – Friday – 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

As a result, some of the delivery times of our one2one Coaching services and workshops have changed. Please check our June calendar at www.erc.skillsforchange.org for details.

NEW WORKSHOPS!!!
Thinking About Getting a Summer Job? You’ll need MORE than COWBELLS to get an employers’ attention! You’ll need a RESUME that makes you STAND OUT!

If you are a Student/Youth looking for work join us on June 21, 2007 at 11 a.m. and let the Skills for Change ERC show you how to:

• Create a FABULOUS resume
• Deal with little or no work experience
• GET A JOB!

You will leave this one hour workshop with a finished resume!

Avoid Workplace Culture Shock
Tips on “fitting in” and keeping the job. Tuesday, June 26th at 3:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is required

Newcomers, Talk Your Way to a Job! June 11-15, 2007
Attend this new series of five interactive, communicative workshops. Practice effective techniques to convince employers that you’re a perfect fit for the job. In this series of five communicative group workshops you will:
 
• Practice effective communication techniques
• Be able to convince employers that you’re a perfect fit for the job
• Fast Track Your Way to a Job

Seats are still available! Call us today to register 416-572-0790!

GUEST SPEAKER
Thinking of Starting Your Own Business? Join us on June 19, 2007 at 1 p.m. when the Toronto Business Development Centre will be presenting a brief information session on how to get started. Pre-registration is required.
 

National Job Fair

by Jalileh Helalat (Coordinator, IAT)

On April 3rd and 4th, Skills for Change participated in the National Job Fair at the Metro Convention Centre. Over the two days 600 hundred people visited the Skills for Change booth and walked away with the spring issue of the Program & Services flyer.

Staff was busy throughout the Job Fair referring clients and providing information about programs and services that would be suitable. In fact, the days were so busy that the staff could barely take a break! By the end of the Job Fair, 375 people had left their contact information for future referrals.

To date, Skills for Change continues to be busy with those clients who originally heard about our programs from the National Job Fair. It was a great two days for Skills for Change.
 

Success@SfC - Our Clients Write
Teach in Ontario - A Must for all Internationally Qualified and Trained Teachers

by Johan Louw

This is my humble and thankful reflection on the most successful course I have ever encountered or attended in my life.

After 23 years of teaching I thought I knew everything about my profession and came to Canada to further my career and passion. Little did I know what difficulties and obstacles I would face in my endeavour.

Teaching is a world phenomenon and it should be more or less the same everywhere, right? Not so! This discovery put me on the path of time-consuming procedures and processes to pursue my licensing and certification in order to be able to teach in Ontario. One obstacle after another appeared as I attempted to procure the necessary documents and after 18 months of many unsuccessful applications, I was still struggling to become certified to teach in Ontario. My knowledge of Canadian teaching resumes and cover letters proved to be one of the difficulties I would have to overcome. But who would give me, or take a chance on an “outsider,” to prove that I was a great teacher with lots of experience in a multicultural setting. At times, it became so frustrating and demoralizing that I thought of giving up and finding something else to do just to survive in my new country.

Then miraculously things turned around and revived my hope again. Being a teacher by profession, I loved to teach and was willing to go to great lengths to be able to pursue my dream. My wife, who was a Registered Nurse in South Africa and who has had the same struggles in her certification process, saw a small advertisement in a magazine for newcomers. From this advertisement we saw that Skills for Change prepared Internationally Trained Teachers to teach in Ontario. Immediately, I contacted them and soon I was sitting in an orientation session where I was taken through the steps that had to be taken to teach in Ontario and the services that the Teach in Ontario program provided. The Teach in Ontario services included Intermediate and Advanced Language Upgrading Courses and the Employment Preparation Program (STIC).

After a few weeks of waiting, I was informed that I could join the STIC course. Excited about this new surge of positive change, I waited for the big day. The first day was an experience I shall never forget. Getting to know the GO Trains, TTC subway, and streetcars from Hamilton to Toronto was a life-changing experience all in itself! During the Employment Preparation Course we laboured through our three workbooks, in groups, individually and as a class to open the vast amount of intensive knowledge that we were to discover and acquaint ourselves with. Discussions, presentations and direct instruction equipped us as we went along, allowing us to move from a fearful situation to a celebration, from scratch to the pinnacle of the mountain that lay in front of us. The facilitators led us daily and equipped each of the teachers to be able to face the "new" system. We incorporated and learned of aspects such as Philosophy of Education, Planning and Preparation, Classroom Management, and Special Education, to mention but a few. Guest speakers to the program furthered our insight.

Soon our six weeks were over and the only thing that remained was our graduation. The atmosphere was relaxed and jubilant. Everybody was laughing and colourful in the different clothing that we wore. Speeches were made and kept short, certificates handed out, and then the feasting on different foods from all over the world started. Many indulged in more than one helping as there were too many dishes to accommodate on one plate. Late that afternoon we had to say our goodbyes and everybody departed in high spirits looking forward to be called for that important interview.

We as teachers of STIC Class 19 owe much to:

• Skills for Change
• The Teach in Ontario team and supporters
• The Government of Ontario for sponsoring the program

Our deepest sense of gratitude and sincere thanks to all that played a role in forming us so that we can now bury our fear, face Ontario classrooms with confidence, and bring our expertise into a great education system in building the future of our new country. Be assured that the Teach in Ontario team will all be remembered and cherished in years to come. I am optimistic and sure that we have now been given the chance of becoming simply Canadians. May this informative and empowering course grow from strength to strength.

Lastly, I would like to express my humble opinion that the Minister of Education should not only be aware of this service rendered to immigrants but that she should promote it and make it compulsory and ongoing as highly educated individuals are incorporated more and more into the socio-economic sphere of Canada. As individuals and as a team, we will be playing an ever-growing and more prominent role in the future as the demographics change. It takes two hands to clean your hands and I feel that by joining our "washing" power we can and will ensure a great future in education.

More success stories...

About Skills for Change

Established in 1982, Skills for Change (SfC) is a registered, non-profit agency providing "learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees so that they can participate in the workplace and wider community."

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.
 

About SfCeNews

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Our SfCeNews online archive can be found here.
 

About our Programs and Services

Our Programs and Services calendar can be downloaded here in pdf format.  To view a complete list of our programs and services, click here.

Alternatively, go directly to the program/service home page of your choice:

Bridge to Success for Trades
Clerical Employment Services (CES)
Employment Preparation for Retail Services (EPRS)
Employment Resource Centre (ERC)
ESL Courses
Human Resource Services
Job Search Workshop (JSW)
Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)
Mentoring for Employment
New Pioneers Awards (NPA)
Newcomer Professionals at Work (NPW)
Sector-specific Information Sessions
Settlement Services for Newcomers
Teach In Ontario
TechSkills