We’re in the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, but it’s never too late to bring the issue of workplace stress to your attention.
The Canadian Mental Health Association reported that 58% of Canadians feel an “overload” resulting from “pressures associated with work, home and family, friends, physical health, volunteer and community service.” The organization defines stress as the ‘body’s response to a real or perceived threat.’ Read More
“Your support meant so much more to this family than material items, it gave them hope for a brighter future and a belief that their community cares.”
This unexpected letter arrived at Career Edge’s office last week – from a family assisted by Holiday Helpers, a charity providing one-time, personalized Christmas packages to low-income families with young children.
Senior Vice-President Jay Yakabowich explained why Career Edge sponsored a family through Holiday Helpers, “Helping others is paramount to who we are. Career Edge values are the cornerstones of our organization: Integrity, Collaboration, Passion (positively impact another person’s life), and Inclusion (every individual has the right to have an opportunity to contribute to a successful and prosperous Canada).” Read More
With the new year in full swing, we are doubling our efforts to break down employment barriers for those facing challenges in joining the Canadian workforce. With that in mind, we are asking business leaders, community partners, and alumni ambassadors to join our efforts by: Read More
Last time on InternSHIFT, we introduced our newest internship program for Canadian Armed Forces Reservists, speaking to various stakeholders who all share the common goal of helping Reservists launch their civilian careers in Canada.
For Episode 2, we were inspired to look at Generation Y from a few different angles after reading a 24 Hours Toronto article that upheld the perception that new grads have a weak work ethic, poor attendance, and are just not ready for the workforce.
For recent grads, these stereotypes can thwart their attempts to secure employment, as some employers – like those mentioned in the article – are less inclined to bring GenY/Millennial employees on board.
But this issue is not new. In fact, it’s the reason Career Edge exists. So we invited a few subject matter experts to join us for this episode to talk about the skills and benefits that GenY DOES bring to the workforce, and the ways employers can unlock talents that are often overshadowed by stereotypes:
Career Edge’s Achievement Awards recognize the success of accomplished individuals and leading organizations that partner with us to provide meaningful employment opportunities, helping us to launch more careers in Canada. We also salute our interns and the people behind them – the mentors who help enhance the internship experience.
This year, we took a personalized approach and celebrated the Achievement Awards through various events held over the months of May and June, in partnership with the winners and finalists. We also recognized the organizations and individuals who have demonstrated leadership and cultivated innovative employment solutions, allowing more people to make an investment in their career.
Video-based talent screening has revolutionized how we review and assess candidates seeking access to paid internship opportunities. Many of our employer partners have also taken advantage of these pre-recorded video interviews, as a compliment to their existing recruitment best practices.
We’re happy to share that we have now made these videos on-demand. Previously, links to selected candidate videos would be sent via e-mail upon request, but now they are accessible directly from the list of applications, for every candidate.
We have also made it easier for you to meet candidates from our newest internship program for Canadian Armed Forces Reservists by launching the Career Edge Video Gallery Portal. Log in using the same account details that you use to access careeredge.ca and you can browse through our video gallery of Reservists seeking civilian employment opportunities within the community of their reserve unit. Don’t have an account yet? Register here.
It is an exciting day for Career Edge, as we are proud to reveal the brand new design of careeredge.ca!
Our website is at the heart of all we do – it is a virtual space that connects Canada’s top employers with amazing talent. It is our goal to ensure our website remains innovative and fully accessible – for first-time visitors and frequent users alike – as we celebrate our 20th year of launching careers through paid internships.
The new design has streamlined navigation and an improved user experience, while better reflecting the needs of our stakeholders and the ways we work together.
So come on in, make yourself at home, and join us as we launch more careers via the new and improved careeredge.ca!
Yesterday, the Government of Canada presented the 2015 Federal Budget, which – among many of our country’s chief priorities – includes a promise of strengthening the Canada Labour Code by extending protection of, “all employees and interns under federal jurisdiction.”
This news represents a big win for those who have joined forces with Career Edge to advocate for fairness and equity for interns in Canada, particularly the Canadian Intern Association, which has advocated tirelessly for interns’ rights since it was founded in May 2012. This inclusion of intern protections in the budget is also being celebrated by all those who have supported the Intern Protection Act (Bill C-636), which is scheduled for voting tonight.
This time last year, Career Edge and the Canadian Intern Association were among many subject matter experts asked to present briefs to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) as part of their Youth Employment Study, and subsequent report. The purpose of these briefs that were presented in a series of Committee hearings was to advise FINA on solutions that would promote higher levels of youth employment.
As a staunch advocate for greater employment and paid internship opportunities for new graduates – including those with disabilities – as well as newcomers to Canada, we are truly thrilled to see that our recommendations were reflected in the budget.
Working with government at all levels and other key stakeholders, we have taken a significant and positive step forward to cultivate socio-economic sustainability for all Canadians by ensuring our youth and new immigrants find meaningful work experience, so they can become taxpayers – not tax burdens.
Last month, NDP members of both federal and provincial parliaments introduced bills that – if passed – will extend workplace standards and safety provisions to interns under the Canada Labour Code (CLC) and Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). The introduction of these bills is a big step forward in terms of ensuring fairness and equity for interns, while making the conditions related to unpaid internships more comprehensive for employers.
