News & Announcements

This morning the Center for Students with Disabilities at Centennial College, Progress Campus arranged for an information session for students about employment prospects after graduation. Scotiabank and Career Edge Organization were invited to give presentations.

Scotiabank was represented by Sophia Dritsas, Assistant Manager, Diversity Initiatives and Kay Leslie, Manager Workforce Diversity. Career Edge Organization was represented by Rizwan Abdul, Client Relations and HR Manager and Rima Dasgupta, Recruitment Sourcing Specialist.

Kay and Sophia from Scotiabank spoke to the students about the opportunities their organization offers to persons with disabilities and the framework they have around providing workplace accommodations for persons with disabilities. They also talked about the partnerships Scotiabank has established with various agencies including Career Edge Organization that work with persons with disabilities to make Scotiabank a more inclusive workplace for persons with disabilities. They also mentioned that internships through the Ability Edge program are a viable way to establish a career at the Bank.

Rizwan from Career Edge Organization in his presentation spoke about the benefits of Ability Edge paid internships for students with disabilities. Some of the benefits are:

• Internships provide option to break through the frustrating cycle of “no experience, no job; no job, no experience”

• Interview concentrates on abilities versus disabilities as disclosure concerns are minimized – All employers have understanding from the beginning of recruitment process that applicants have a self-identified disability

• Reasonable workplace accommodations are provided to interns during the internship

• Interns can reach potential by removing stereotype concerns

• All interns have a designated Coach who assists them to gain valuable work experience

• Win-win experience for the intern and the Host Organization as both get an opportunity to decide if the internship can potentially lead to permanent employment

Rima concluded the presentation by explaining the registration process on the Ability Edge website to students.

Are you in the loop?

Each quarter, Career Edge Organization sends out our e-Newsletter to up to 25,000 of our closest friends – host employers, partner organizations, interns and alumni all receive the Career Bulletin. Our next issue is scheduled to be sent out tomorrow, and will feature an update on Canada’s economic recover, spring cleaning tips for your office and workspace and an inspiring story of a recent Career Bridge intern who is now a Vice President at United Way in Toronto.

Our newsletter is not just about sharing updates; it’s about building a community of support and empowerment. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of our interns, partners, and alumni while staying informed about the ever-evolving landscape of employment in Canada. Subscribe today to be part of our growing network!

Our newsletter provides our partners and stakeholders with updates on our organization as well as the greater business community as it pertains to employment in Canada. Our regular sections include:

• A letter from Anne Lamont, our President and CEO
• Updates on our internship numbers, new Host organizations, staff and alumni
• Inspiring success stories and profiles of real people who have been touched by our programs
• Industry news – what’s going in the Canadian economy, labour market and business community
• Workplace trends – the latest trends in hiring and talent management
• Career management – professional development tips for everyone including job seekers, human resources professionals and senior hiring managers

If you haven’t been receiving our newsletters, make sure you have subscribed with your up-to-date contact information.

Subscribe now to stay informed about the latest updates, success stories, industry news, and workplace trends in Canada’s employment landscape. Don’t miss out on valuable insights and opportunities to connect with Career Edge Organization!

Are you a good writer and wish to contribute to the Career Bulletin? Talk to us and let us know by leaving a comment below!

A news story on the Toronto Star website has sparked some heavy and heated debate. When I read the article this morning, I didn’t think much of it. But as of now (3:30 PM EST) there are over 93 passionate comments, the majority touting anti-immigration sentiment.

It is clear from these comments that the frustration described in the article is shared by multiple groups within Canada, including those who are internationally qualified as well as Canadian-born job-seekers who have recently graduated or worked all their lives.

Some posters identifying themselves as newcomers have been fighting back, offering their perspectives, but their comments have been met with overwhelming disagreement.

“Canada likes to think of itself as open and accepting. However, one can see by many of the comments posted here that is not the truth…It’s also obvious from some of the comments here, that many Canadians don’t know anything about or understand the immigration process — or how much time and money it takes to come here.”

The article, Facts back up job-search frustration felt by newcomers, comes in anticipation of findings from a study conducted by the province’s Office of the Fairness Commissioner, set to be released on Tuesday along with recommendations. It points out that immigrants are finding it “impossible to crack through regulatory barriers” and that “skilled immigrants earn less than half, on average, of what their Canadian-educated counterparts earn.

In a Country that is so proud of its multiculturalism and diversity it is surprising to read some of the comments which are riddled with sarcasm, frustration and anger.

What is troubling to see is that many of the comments contain inaccurate statements about key topics such as immigration policy, government processes and the Canadian economy.

One commenter stated that our unemployment rate is over 10% – this is not true. Another posited that the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration “should be sued” for letting the newcomer mentioned in the article (an experienced civil engineer from Kenya) into the country. Of course, we know that the Ministry is a Provincial-level government department that provides services to immigrants and promotes inclusion while it is the Federal government which oversees immigration.

It was shocking then to see that within a couple of hours over 10 readers have clicked “agree.”

Not everyone expressed frustration.

“Employers don’t care about where you got your education, it’s how you think…It’s not about having a Canadian education or work experience, it’s about integrating into Canadian culture,” said one immigrant who managed to successfully land a career in his field.

Of course, we cannot assume that the comments are an accurate reflection of what Canadians or Torontonians believe. All we can conclude is that many groups are frustrated in the aftermath of a recession that has changed our Country for years to come and that where immigration is concerned, many are misinformed and more education is required.

Tonight TRIEC is celebrating their annual Immigrant Success Awards,  which includes recognition for companies for integrating newcomers in the workplace, an award sponsored by the Toronto Star.

Earlier this year we were honoured to nominate St. Michael’s Hospital for the Toronto Star Award for Excellence in Workplace Integration, and we were thrilled to learn that they won!

St. Michael’s Hospital was honoured by TRIEC, in partnership with the Toronto Star, for going beyond visionary but actually implementing and embedding practices – in this case, the Career Bridge paid internship program for Internationally Qualified Professionals.

Click here to see the video via the Toronto Star’s website

Other winners include Samtack and Pitney Bowes for the RBC Immigrant Advantage Award, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP for the CBC Toronto Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion and Michael Bach, National Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, for the KPMG Canada, Canadian HR Reporter Individual Achievement Award

Today the Toronto Star also featured a “special section” showcasing successful Internationally Qualified Workers, including Career Bridge alumna Patricia Simeons from St. Michael’s Hospital who also mentored and nominated recent Career Bridge Intern-of-the-Year-Award winner Richard Ballesteros.

The article headline reads: “Patricia’s adventure needed a dose of excellence.”

Click here to read her full story.

Congratulations to St. Michael’s Hospital for earning this recognition, and thank you for your continuing support of our program.

Many thanks to TRIEC for a wonderful evening and for recognizing leaders in diversity such as St. Mike’s.

On Sunday night, the Paralympics came to a close in Vancouver with a dazzling ceremony and 6,000 spectators, athletes, officials and dignitaries in attendance.

Canada placed third (following Russia and Germany respectively) with ten gold medals, 5 silver and 4 bronze.

While things wind down in Vancouver, here in the GTA we’re just getting started. This week is so jam-packed with exciting events that the folks here at Career Edge Organization are calling it March Madness!

On Monday, our Client Relations and Human Resources Manager, Rizwan Abdul, attended “WIN 2010: Workplace Integration for Newcomers.” Hosted by the Newcomer Centre of Peel (NCP) through the sponsorship of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the event aims to be “a platform for engaging in open dialogue and devising real world solutions.”

This morning, Rizwan is supporting host employers KPMG and their diversity leader Michael Bach at “Beyond 2010: What’s next in HR and Diversity.” Hosted by Global Learning Initiatives, the breakfast event features topics on demographic data collection, AODA and eLearning.

Our President & CEO Anne Lamont is also keeping busy this week participating in two important roundtable discussions hosted by the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). This morning they will gather at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre to discuss the growing Engineering Sector. On Friday, Anne will be joined by our New Business Development Specialist Lisa Carnevale in Mississauga as TRIEC turns its attention to the Biotechnology Sector.

On Thursday we’ll be attending TRIEC’s annual Immigrant Success Awards ceremony and networking event, sponsored by RBC, Canadian HR Reporter, Toronto Star and CBC.

While some of us celebrate with TRIEC Thursday evening, others will be “Networking with the World” with Toronto Board of Trade at their “Multicultural Mega Networking” event.

Finally, as in previous years, we will be exhibiting at the Spring National Job Fair for two full days this week on Wednesday and Thursday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This is a definite highlight for us because we get to come face to face with job-seekers – the tremendous and diverse talent that truly is at the core of our organization.

Come visit us there at booths #423 and #425!

Last week Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion held the “Mayor’s Job Creation Summit,” to gather insights and ideas from key stakeholders in the community.

The idea behind this was to identify, understand and put forth solutions to employment challenges in Mississauga, with a special focus on youth and newcomers.

Led by a Steering Committee of prominent figures in Mississauga business, government, not-for-profit, education and labour organizations, the summit took place last week on Tuesday, February 9 and was a follow-up to previous summits held in May 2009 and in 2007.

On his eponymous NewsTalk 1010 radio show, John Tory interviewed the Mississauga Mayor the day of the summit.

“We’re going to come forward with action,” McCallion said. “We have to act on the information we received today.”

Career Edge Organization was thrilled to hear John Tory cite Career Bridge as an example of an effective and thriving solution to employment issues faced by internationally qualified professionals who are newcomers to Canada. Thanks for the shout-out!

Last week, Career Edge Organization conquered the Human Resources Professionals Association’s Annual Conference and Tradeshow – aka HRPA 20X.

We not only took up post at the tradeshow as an exhibitor, we also had eyes and ears in the conference. So if you couldn’t make it out this year, no worries! Let us fill you in.

Overview:

More than 3,500 business professionals attend the HRPA Conference and Tradeshow annually, making it Canada’s top HR event and one of the largest HR events in the world.

The event boasts 120+ workshops for professional development and over 250 exhibitors offering the latest and greatest in HR products, solutions and services. Attendees included everyone from HR students, to HR managers as well senior executives and business leaders. And, of course, we were there too!

Keynote highlights:

Read More

The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) is holding their annual conference and trade show and conference this week, from Wednesday January 27th to Friday January 29th, and as in previous years, Career Edge Organization is going to be there.

As you may be aware, the general admission to the Trade Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (conveniently across the street from us) is FREE for all guests, so take advantage of the great networking and learning opportunity, and visit us at our booth, #337.

Many of us have been back to work for almost two weeks now, following a few days off with loved ones or for some, a week or two of bliss someplace much warmer than here.

Now that we’re two weeks in – how are those New Year’s Resolutions coming along?

Although you may have entered 2010 fully pumped and ready to take on a long list of ambitious challenges, you may by now not even remember where you placed that list as you continue to play January “catch-up”, a game that may continue well into February. This can involve anything from catching up with work from before the holidays to catching up with people you didn’t see over the holidays.

So the last thing we need at this point is to add to our ominous and growing to-do lists, but I came upon some tips from professional blogger and journalist Anita Bruzzese that I think are very important in today’s professional work environment. Whatever you allow to fall off your radar this month, keep these targets in mind:

1. Take the High Road
2. Focus on Quality

In one of Anita’s columns for Gannett News Service (USA Today and many others), which she reposted on her blog, 45 Things (“Eat your salad first, and other career strategies” on January 4, 2010), she provides her own list of career resolutions for 2010 and we were happy to see that a few of the items corresponded with ours.

With Anita’s permission, we’d like to add the above two resolutions to our list and ask that you, our employers and partners, do the same. They are two simple concepts but they are often overlooked and underemphasized.

Focus on quality: A lot of companies like to say they’re focused on quality, and deluge employees with memos and reports on the subject. But there are ways to focus on the quality of your daily tasks that can make a real difference in how you are viewed at work. Try proofing every single e-mail before you send it, making sure you use proper grammar and spelling. When you leave your personal message for callers, stand up and smile while speaking. Your message will make you sound energetic and approachable.

Take the high road: Deciding to be a nicer person is a wonderful goal, and one many people like to put on their resolution list. But the guy in the cubicle next to yours drives you crazy by eating chili cheese dogs – with extra onions – at his desk. The receptionist puts your mail in the wrong box. Lots of little aggravations can challenge your “be nice” resolve at work, and before you know it, you’re upset with yourself after making a snide comment or getting in to an argument with a co-worker. Instead, make a commitment to pay a sincere compliment to one co-worker a day, especially to someone who is getting on your last nerve. Prompting yourself to see the good in someone can help put petty annoyances to rest.

-Excerpt by Anita Bruzzese