Call for Nominations - Deadline September 15

Mark the Date – Skills for Change Open House – October 2nd
The 25th Anniversary of “Employing Diversity at Work”

On October 2nd, Skills for Change (SfC) cordially invites you to the SfC Open House, welcoming new and existing programs and services, our employers and community partners, the New Pioneers Award sponsors, government representatives and the community at large.

This year’s theme “Employing Diversity at Work,” will showcase Skills for Change’s leadership in making diversity work for internationally trained professionals and Canadian employers.

The SfC Open House will include:

· Market Place: Profiling New and Existing Programs and Services
· Tours of our newly renovated building
· Networking and Refreshments
· 25th Anniversary Celebration

Date: Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007
Time: 10.00 am to 3:00 pm – Market Place, Tours, Networking
Place: Skills for Change
Address: 791 St. Clair Avenue W., Toronto, ON M6C 1B7
(Southside of St. Clair, 3 blocks west of Christie; 3 blocks east of Oakwood)
Parking: Municipal Parking lot located on the east side of the building

RSVP: Janka Farkasova at 416.658.3101 ext 237 or farkasova@skillsforchange.org
 

Rogers Yahoo! Web Savvy Training Program

Skills for Change is excited to announce a new partnership with Rogers Yahoo!

Rogers Yahoo! is sponsoring a program that will provide "web savvy training" at Skills for Change to newcomers. The program will start in October - stay tuned for details.

Proudly sponsored by:

 

Goodbye Libby - Welcome Juan

After 25 years of dedicated service, Libby Ackermann, Manager of the Skills for Change Employment Resource Centre (ERC) has begun her retirement.

As a founding member, Libby has been a big part of Skills for Change’s growth and it owes much of its success to her outstanding commitment over the years. Her friendliness and enthusiasm will be missed by everyone.

Skills for Change is pleased to welcome Juan Segura as the new ERC Coordinator. Juan comes from a similar position in Scarborough and brings with him a wealth of experience in this field. He has also worked with the provincial government and had his own immigration consulting practice.

Welcome Juan Segura!
 

Cross-Cultural Communication Workshop for Internationally-Trained Teachers

This one day workshop is designed for internationally-trained teachers who want to work in their profession in Ontario. Participants will examine how culture informs their values and behaviour, and consequently, their communication with others.

Through role play and group work, they will explore ways to develop culturally sensitive communication strategies, with specific reference to the diversity in Ontario schools.

When: Saturday, December 1, 2007
Time: 9.00 a.m. – 2.30 p.m.
Where: Skills for Change, 791 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario (map)
Fee: $25 payable in person
Registration: in person, by phone, by email
Registration Deadline: Monday, November 26, 2007
Contact: Faduma Muse (Phone 416-658-3101 ext 229) (Email muse@skillsforchange.org)
 

2007 United Way Campaign

Although the United Way Campaign officially starts on September 6th with the United Way Rally in Dundas Square, the preparation and planning at Skills for Change started in mid August.

Skills for Change staff and board members are striving to raise $15,000 for the year 2007.

This year Kanchan Lakhotia from the Engineering Your Future program and Golnaz Fatemi of Teach in Ontario have volunteered to be the Co-chairs for the campaign.

The members of the Fundraising Committee are Sonal Singh, Janka Farkasova, Juan Segura, Farnaz Esfahanian, Marie Soulodre, Natasha Heckley, Priya Sivalingam, Arlene Willis and Nicoleta Verdes.

The activities and events that have been planned for this years fundraising include:
 

Payroll Deduction	SfC Bake Sales
Days of Caring	50/50 monthly draw
Casino Rama Trip	Movies Lunches
CN Tower Climb	Casual Day
Flea Market	50/50 Entrepreneurial Day
Raffle by LINC	Book and Movie Rentals
Managers’ Lunch	Wrap Up

Please support this campaign by donating/purchasing items for the flea market, books/CD/DVD rental, pledging for CN Tower climbers or climbing with SfC staff members. Your support helps United Way help others.

Without you there is no way.

For information, please contact Kanchan at 416-658-3101, ext. 211 or Golnaz at ext. 260

From a Client to an Employee

by Eric Ding, Newcomer Professionals at Work Program

Like many newcomers to Canada, and after job searching for a few weeks, I realized I needed professional counseling and job search assistance. And finding the right program was critical to my success! I learned about the Newcomer Professionals at Work program from Skills for Change’s website and was immediately attracted by what it offers.

The Newcomer Professionals at Work (NPW) program’s overall goal is to facilitate the successful employment and integration of newcomer professionals in their fields, through its components of direct employment, internship and mentoring opportunities and counseling support. And for a new program, I was impressed with its success.

In a matter of days, I was moving forward in my job search. I met Nicola Joseph, the NPW Intake Counselor and Rosaline Graham, the Mentoring Counsellor. Both provided me with valuable advice and guidance in searching for employment in Canada. I was deeply impressed by the meaningful services Skills for Change provides to its clients.

Soon after I learnt about an opening for an Employer Outreach Specialist with the NPW team. I was encouraged by Cristina Codreanu, the Program Coordinator, to apply for the position. The idea of helping newcomers like me propelled me to apply for the position.

Now, as a staff of Skills for Change for almost one month, I am very excited to receive the chance to work in a professional organization that helps newcomers.
 

EPRS Empowers Immigrants for the Canadian Retail Market

by Norma Bernal and Sonal Singh, CES Program

A group of 10 dynamic individuals started the Employment Preparation for Retail Services (EPRS) program on April 23, 2007.

Sammy Alfadili, The Bay Sales Manager, Scarborough Town Centre; Roland Rhooms, SfC Manager, Programs and Services; Sharron Tan DeBibiana, TDCSB Instructor; Corina Carvallo, CES Coordinator; and Sonal Singh, CES Employment Outreach Specialist with some of the EPRS Program graduates, April 23, 2007 session

They finally graduated on August the 3rd after 15 weeks of hard work consisting of seven weeks of intensive classroom training in Canadian Retail Sales, two weeks of work search preparation, and six weeks’ on-the-job training at different Hudson Bay Co. (Hbc) stores.

As a three-way partnership among Hbc, Skills for Change (SfC) through the Clerical Employment Services (CES) and Intake, Assessment and Training (IAT) programs, and Toronto District Catholic School Board (TDCSB), EPRS is a highly successful program.

It provides immigrant job seekers the much-needed training and Canadian work experience, thus empowering participants in their work search. For this group alone, six have already been offered jobs at their placement stores, and will be starting work in the immediate future.

During the graduation, attendees heard from the representatives of the various stakeholders.

Iman Alademmine, one of the graduates and among the lucky ones who got a job offer, shared her thoughts on the 15-week journey saying, “Attending the program was a great tool that allowed me to get Canadian experience in the field that I enjoy the most.”

Sammy Alfadili, Sales Manager, The Bay-Scarborough Town Centre, commended the hard work and dedication shown by the participants not only in their training but also in their co-op placement.

Roland Rhooms, Manager, SfC Programs and Services, recognized the enduring partnership that enabled the continued implementation of the program. Sharron Tan DeBibiana, TDCSB Instructor, shared inspiring words with the graduates on their special day.

The celebration concluded with the awarding of certificates to the participants, giving out of gifts from Hbc, and sharing of refreshments, with lots of fun and picture taking in between. It was indeed a happy day for everyone, especially for the participants who are excited on embarking on a new career in Canada’s retail sector.
 

Excerpt from Practicum and Field Integration Reflection Paper

by Ina Kazhdan, Placement Student, George Brown College

My decision to do practicum work with the Newcomer Professionals at Work program (NPW) at Skills for Change was a wise choice. Skills for Change provides employment counselling and training opportunities for newcomers through various sector-specific programs.

The practicum was a great experience for me. I have learned a lot about working as a career practitioner and developing myself in the field. I felt like a team member, and the staff and organization were very friendly and supportive. Often I was invited to attend workshops, information sessions and meetings. If I had any questions or needed some help, the staff was willing to lend a hand.  Also, I noticed that staff members here are very client-oriented.

My supervisor was generous about sharing her knowledge on various issues: client assessment, job readiness characteristics, internal and external referrals, file documentation and how important it is for us as counsellors to be aware of different cultures and adapt our work accordingly. One aspect of this was to focus my attention on my client’s locus of control. Locus of control (centre of control) means how and why people feel responsible for events that occur in their lives, such as unemployment. I learnt quickly many aspects of job development, intake and assessment using the ACEC process, resume critiquing, conducting interviews, counseling skills and questions, and personality dimensions knowledge. As well, the evaluation process of my practicum and feedback from my supervisor helped me understand better my strengths.

I enjoyed my practicum experience with the NPW program and I hope in my future, to work in this kind of environment.
 

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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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
Career Transitions (CT)
Clerical Employment Services (CES)
Employment Preparation for Retail Services (EPRS)
Employment Resource Centre (ERC)
ESL Courses
Engineering Your Future (EYF)
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