Don’t miss the most important Diversity Celebration of the New Year!

Here’s your opportunity to come together with
Community and Business Leaders from across the
GTA and celebrate newcomer success at our:

16th Annual New Pioneers Awards Gala Event

Thursday, February 28, 2008
Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre

Reception: 6:00 p.m.
Dinner and Awards Ceremony: 7:00 p.m.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION

General Information
Call 416 658-3101 ext. 223

And this year’s Award Recipients of the 2008 New Pioneers Awards (NPA) are…

by Arlene Willis

Every year our volunteers on the NPA Award Recipient Selection Teams face the challenging task of having to choose an Award Recipient from an impressive line-up of submissions received. And of course, this year was no different!

It is our pleasure to inform you that the recipients of the 2008 New Pioneers Awards are:
 

We greatly appreciate the time taken by all nominators who nominated worthy candidates. All of the candidates were exceptional.

A big thank you goes out to the Selection Teams that took part in the process and to our SfC support staff who played a vital role in ensuring a smooth process.

The recipients will be meeting with the media, sponsors and selection teams at the Pre-Gala launch that will be taking place on Thursday, January 17, 2008.  Stay turned for more information.
 

CES Initiates ‘Meet and Greet’ Event for Program Participants

by Norma Bernal

Spectacular team spirit was in full force on December 6 when the Clerical Employment Services (CES) Program hosted "Sharing Strategies for More Effective Job Search: CES Networking Evening". With the gentle guidance of CES Coordinator Corina Carvallo, the program’s Employment Specialist Sonal Singh coordinated the event which tripled up as a reunion among past and present CES clients and staff as well as a holiday party for all concerned.

The evening began with a ‘Meet and Greet Bingo’ game that Dave Foster CES Facilitator/Counsellor organized. The game engaged participants in animated conversation with one another.

Three CES graduates, who are now well situated in their respective professions, were invited as guest speakers: Norma Mendez, Senior Manager at Scotia Bank; Mohammadreza Aghdasi, Financial Service Representative (FSR) at TD Canada Trust; and, Richie Laciste Human Resource (HR) Coordinator at Investors' Group. Each had wise words to share with other participants.

Norma emphasized believing in one’s self, open-mindedness and readiness to adapt to the Canadian workplace, and the need to have realistic and flexible expectations.

Mohammadreza identified a four-point guide to job search: Learn and improve job search skills; have educational and language proficiency assessed and documented; gain Canadian experience through volunteering; and become familiar with work environment through mentoring facilities.

Richie meanwhile called attention to the importance of pro-activity in job search “From researching companies, using business directories, personalizing each resume/cover letter and using all the job sites down to cold calling.”

An open forum followed, after which ‘strategies for more effective job search’ were discussed in smaller groups. The groups’ outputs, drawn together into a job search strategy framework in a plenary-style session, included determining a realistic action plan, developing job search tools, upgrading technical skills, improving language skills, among useful others.

With 40+ people in attendance, the event not only provided opportunities to touch base but also yielded job leads and additional SfC membership. From the evaluation done afterwards, participants were unanimous in their feedback: they found the evening fruitful and would welcome more of such in the future.
 

Recent Program Enhancements to the Job Search Workshop and Settlement Services

by Jemima Sabapathy

The Job Search Workshop (JSW) was introduced at Skills for Change in 1998. Over the years the program has grown and proved to be a vital part of Skill for Change’s programs and services.

Starting from January 2008, we are proud to announce further enhancements to the program which will strengthen our services to newcomers.

We will offer daytime, evening and Saturday workshops which will benefit clients who might be taking courses or doing survival jobs. Clients who have childcare issues would benefit from our occasional child care services during evening and Saturday workshops.

We will also provide enhanced follow up support to clients who complete our workshops. Our Job Search Coach/Employer Outreach Specialist will provide customized job search coaching support and also outreach to market JSW graduates to employers to facilitate paid jobs and work experience placements.

JSW Graduates will also be supported to enhance their job search skills through networking and mentoring relationships, facilitated by our Mentoring/Outreach Facilitator.

We are also proud to announce enhancements to our existing settlement services. We will provide direct settlement support to our clients by providing individual assistance, group information sessions and workshops. We also will provide sector specific information sessions and solution focused counselling based on individual needs assessment. Clients will further be assisted to network and build networking/mentoring relationships to help adapt and integrate effectively into their new country.

We are excited and looking forward to the arrival of 2008, to implement the exciting enhancements and contribute further to the successful integration of newcomers into the Canadian society.
 

Working Together Workshop

by Cristina Codreanu

On December 3, 24 representatives from 19 Assessment and Employment Resource Centres, and Skills for Change staff met in Toronto for the first “WORKING TOGETHER” workshop. The workshop was sponsored by Skills for Change through three of its programs: Clerical Employment Services, Teach in Ontario, and Newcomer Professionals at Work. Corina Carvallo, Clerical Employment Services Program Coordinator had the idea to invite representatives from community centres, who usually refer participants to different programs at Skills for Change (SfC), to an in-house workshop.

The objectives were to find better communication channels between community agencies for accurate referral processes, discuss resources that are needed to advance the existing partnership in this area, and formulate a plan for future collaboration. Since many of the attending participants were not updated about SfC programs, this workshop was an excellent opportunity to present our guests with details about the fifteen SfC programs, requirements and activities designed for newcomers.

The workshop drew employment counsellors and case managers from Goodwill, VIP, Career Foundation, ACCES, Seneca College, and many others. The workshop included an overview of SfC Programs & Services, discussion and brainstorming (issues, ideas, establishing processes), and a summary and evaluation. The session focused on the genuine exchange of ideas and best practices to enhance the referral process for newcomers. Since this was the first formal meeting devoted to strengthen the partnership between SfC and the community agencies that refer newcomers, much of the meeting focused on finding answers to the following questions:

• What are the positive experiences in the client referral and follow-up process?
• What are some of the challenges that the Assessment Centres are facing in the client referral and follow-up process?
• How can we work together more efficiently to better serve our clients and meet their needs?

All the remarks, discussions and conclusions were captured in a summary document sent out to all participants.

The workshop concluded with a frank discussion of key questions that need to be addressed and essential resources needed to advance the partnership between participant agencies with a client focused approach. The participants strongly agreed that we need to continue to organize these kind of workshops.

The workshop ended with an open exchange between participants, followed by an informal opportunity for continued discussions over lunch.

The organizing team, Corina Carvallo, Karen Gill, Shabnum Budhwani and Cristina Codreanu, will continue to organize other workshops next year on the same issue.
 

LINC Graduation Party and 15th Anniversary Celebration

by Rose Smith

The LINC Program held its Holiday and Graduation party in late December. This was an opportunity for team members and clients to celebrate the end of the session and the holiday season as well. LINC was also able to celebrate its 15 years of language training and delivery to its clients at Skills for Change.

Over 100 people attended the musical program and luncheon. Mrs. Santa Claus and her elf Elvira were on hand to guide the event and to distribute and deliver gifts to all the children in attendance and to many other attendees as well. There was also a holiday-themed cake marking LINC’s 15th Anniversary. Several of our partners were also there to help mark this very important event.
 

During this season of giving, we need your support to continue to help newcomers!

You may have received a special mailing from us asking for your financial support so we can meet the needs of the growing number of immigrants and refugees who come to live in the GTA.

Your generous gift will help us to improve our equipment and core facilities, so that we can continue to develop and deliver employment readiness training programs that help bring newcomers and employers together.

If you have already submitted your donation, please accept our sincere thanks. If you haven’t and would like to, this is your opportunity to contribute to Skills for Change and demonstrate your belief that newcomers deserve the chance to receive employment preparation and job opportunities. Please take the time to give generously so that we can continue helping make Diversity at Work … work!

Yes! I believe newcomers deserve the chance to receive employment preparation and job opportunities.

Click here to make your donation.
 

Rogers Yahoo! Web Basic Training Program

Web Basic Training Program

Skills for Change is excited to announce a new partnership
with Rogers Yahoo! to provide web basic training at Skills for Change to newcomers.

Who can join?
Landed Immigrants, Convention Refugees, Refugee Claimants, Canadian Citizens

English level required?
Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 or higher

When?
January 8
6:30-9:30 p.m.
(The session runs for 4 consecutive Tuesday evenings)

Where?
Skills for Change

How to register?
Contact Faduma Muse at 416-658-3101 x229
or muse@skillsforchange.org
 

ResponseAction Event

by Sherry Disterheft, Career & Work Counsellor Student, George Brown College

Mentors, Mentees, employers, and staff gathered together at the first ResponseAction event hosted by Newcomer Professionals at Work program at Skills for Change on November 29.

The intent of ReponseAction is to build partnerships, offer networking opportunities, and develop strategies to increase our resource capacity to provide services for newcomers.

The evening was a resounding success. Rosaline Graham began the evening by introducing one of the 2007 New Pioneer Award recipients, Beverley Halls, who acted as Master of Ceremonies. Roland Rhooms gave a masterful synopsis of programs offered at Skills for Change.

Ms Halls set the tone for the evening by quoting Socrates: "I believe that we cannot live better - than in seeking to become still better than we are.” Ms Halls also facilitated a lively and heartfelt question and answer forum. Participants offered their insights on current industry trends, employers who are hiring, and how Skills for Change might engage employers in partnerships.

PARTNERSHIP was the key word for the event. A special thanks goes to Eric Ding, Employment Outreach Specialist, for his partnership with Andy Sun, a recent mentee who has landed an HR position at a downtown financial institution. Cristina Codreanu, Program Coordinator for Newcomer Professionals at Work partnered successfully also with staff and volunteers to ensure the evening ran smoothly.

As one of the mentors remarked at the closing, “It was a great evening. When is the next ResponseAction event?”
 

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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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.
 

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:

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