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Apr 23
Love0

The effects of under-employment & unemployment on society

By Uncategorized

With more than six unemployed Canadians for every job vacancy, Canada’s recovery from the global economic downturn of 2008-09 has remained relatively modest, compared to the preceding 12 months. True, Canada’s employment rate increased by 28,700 (0.2%) in March 2015, but the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.8%.

Since our economic recovery began in 2009, there has been little progress in job creation. Many of the newly created jobs have been part-time or temporary employment contracts. In the short-term, this helps to fill an essential need for many who are facing barriers to sustainable employment, but these so called “mini-jobs” are typically low paying and often hinder workers from improving their livelihood, over the long-term.

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Nov 09
Love4

Building strong partnerships to support immigrant success

By Uncategorized

Career Edge Organization, along with Skills International is pleased to support an exclusive partnership with the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), a program funded by the Government of Canada, developed and implemented by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC).

CIIP provides pre-arrival orientation workshops to Federal Skilled Workers (FSWs) and Provincial Nominees (PNs) while they are still overseas during the final stages of the immigration process to help prepare for their economic success in Canada.

Currently under this partnership, job ready and top talent candidates are identified by CIIP Overseas Officers before their arrival in Canada, and are referred to Career Edge Organization.

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Feb 14
Love4

Internship Success with a Romantic Twist

By Uncategorized

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we just had to share an internship success story with a romantic twist that has emerged from the Canadian Immigration Integration Program (CIIP)‘s referral program with Career Edge Organization that provides internship opportunities to eligible, job-ready CIIP clients immigrating to Ontario.

Recently, we were delighted to learn that a pair of CIIP clients from China were both successful in landing Career Bridge paid internship opportunities. To add to the charm of this news, we also learned that the two successful CIIP clients just happen to be husband and wife!

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Nov 14
Love5

Do you know a company that is leveraging diverse skills?

By Uncategorized

TRIEC (the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council) is calling upon employers, internationally qualified professionals, and partner organizations (like us) to help shine the spotlight on deserving organizations and individuals who have shown leadership and innovation in recruiting and retaining skilled immigrants.

The IS (immigrant success) Awards present an annual opportunity to give GTA champions the recognition they deserve.

In 2009, we nominated St. Michael’s Hospital for the Toronto Star Award for Excellence in Workplace Integration, and 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.

To date 25 trailblazers, employers and individuals, have been recognized. If you or your organization deserve to be recognized, don’t miss your chance this year. Tell your story by filling out a short nomination form online by Thursday, December 1, 2011.

Visit  http://triec.ca/how-we-make-change/raise-awareness/is-awards/ for details or to submit your nomination today!

Nov 03
Love6

Poll: Should Remembrance Day be a statutory holiday?

By Uncategorized

When we blogged about Remembrance Day last year, we had no idea that almost a full year later this issue would continue to be a contentious topic among employers, workers, war veterans and average citizens alike. But our blog stats show that this post remains one of our most visited pages to date – evidence that the topic is still hot.

Click here to read the original blog post.

Tell us what you think – take the poll!

Lest we forget.

Oct 03
Love6

3 Reasons Why Your Business Needs to Hire New Graduates This Year

By Uncategorized

By Anne Lamont, President and CEO, Career Edge Organization

Excerpt from Anne’s blog post for the Toronto Board of Trade’s VoteOntario2011 campaign.

  1. The first good reason to hire young graduates is likely also the most obvious one; without them businesses risk eroding their knowledge foundation. Let’s face it, our workforce is aging – and at an alarming rate for some organizations. Eventually, that knowledge housed within the senior ranks needs to be transferred, or it risks disappearing altogether. Keeping the talent pipeline fresh with new hires allows organizations to plan, build and transfer expertise and knowledge more seamlessly while mitigating timing delays or productivity.
  2. The second great reason to hire young workers is to help grow and develop your middle level managers. By creating coaching and mentoring roles for middle managers, exceptional opportunities for learning and professional development are also created that can only be achieved through first hand experience. When organizations encourage the development of these leadership skills, they are also fostering a supportive and positive workplace culture, in turn improving productivity, enabling the transfer and sharing of knowledge and driving innovation too.
  3. The third very compelling reason for hiring recent graduates is because they bring the latest training to their employers, fresh perspectives, can-do attitudes, and in many case, hands-on experience. Although it may sound trite, an investment in recent graduates is an investment in our future. Through their post secondary educations, university and college students today are not only getting exposed to traditional best practices, but more importantly they’re participating in and contributing to leading edge innovations and emerging technologies through living labs, think tanks, innovation centres, private/public sector partnerships and joint ventures – whether it’s through Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute, Queen’s University’s Innovation Park, University of Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience or George Brown’s Institute of Entrepreneurship and Community Innovation, just to name a few.

To read the full article on the VoteOntario2011 blog, click here.

Sep 06
Love3

Employing people with disabilities: “Leading with Action”

By Uncategorized

As an active member of JOIN (Job Opportunity Information Network), a network of community agencies of the Greater Toronto Area assisting persons with disabilities in finding and maintaining employment, Career Edge Organization is working collaboratively with 25 member agencies to help connect employers with pre-screened, career-minded Canadian college and university graduates with self-declared disabilities. Our Ability Edge paid internships provide meaningful work experience for persons with disabilities while guiding employers through the recruiting, hiring and integrating process.

Ability Edge Program currently has over 600 active registrants in the areas of Business (29%), Arts/Humanities (35%), Information Technology (13%), Engineering (2%) and Health/Sciences (9%).

Career Edge Organization is one of the key sponsors of JOIN’s 8th Annual Employer Conference, “Leading with Action” taking place November 21-22, 2011. Please note that the “Early Bird Rate” (discount) for registration ends September 15th.

Highlights of JOIN’s 8th Annual Employer Conference, Leading with Action includes:

  • Global Business Leadership Network Summit for senior business leaders
  • Networking opportunities
  • Interactive workshops facilitated by industry leaders, subject experts and diversity-related practitioners
  • Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA): impacts on business in 2012 and onwards
  • 2011 Employer and Entrepreneur Awards
  • Keynote presenters, entertainers and special guests

People with disabilities are an underutilized and well educated labor force that can add a wealth of skills and diversity to the workplace. Yet the gap between people with disabilities and the greater population in terms of employment rate is still wide. Consider the facts:

  • Employment rate of persons with disabilities (ages 25-54): 51%  vs. Employment rate of general population, ages 25-54: 81% (Stats Canada 2001 PALS)
  • Post secondary education rate of persons with disabilities is 52% – quite comparable to the non-disabled population (59%) (Earnings and Employment Trends Dec 2003 – BC Stats)

So employers are subsequently missing out on the benefits that this diverse and qualified group has to offer.

JOIN’s Employer Conference, “Leading with Action,” will address these and many other issues. Learn about best practices for disability inclusion; get the tools to be a leader in this field.We hope to see you there!

Aug 18
Love2

Canada’s changing labour force: Where will we be in 20 years?

By Uncategorized

In a hot-off-the-press study from Statistics Canada, a number of “projection scenarios” were used to get a glimpse of the Canadian labour force – twenty years into the future.

The first projection suggested that our labour force will grow slowly, to between 20.5 and 22.5 million by 2031 (from approximately 18.5 million, currently). The reason for this sluggish growth is the inevitable retirement of baby boomers. Overall “participation rate” (% of total population that is in the labour force) is actually expected to decline.

The study also predicts that within ten years, a record-setting one in four workers will be 55 years of age or older.

Cultural diversity is also expected to increase, according to Stats Can. By 2031, a third of our labour force may be “foreign born.”

So, what does this mean for employers?

Quite simply, it means that change is on the horizon, and Canadian employers that consider the trends in their strategic planning will be best prepared to compete in this increasingly dynamic and global market.

The data makes a great case for employing youth. Investing in entry level talent today can help foster the middle management and senior leaders of tomorrow. Twenty years from now, today’s Career Edge interns will represent skilled and experienced workers that will play a crucial role in filling the gap created by a mass baby boomer exodus.
Trends towards an increasingly foreign labour force means that employers that are not adequately equipped to recruit and retain internationally qualified professionals will be missing out on a third of Canada’s available talent.

Time will only tell whether the images conjured in Stats Canada’s crystal ball will come to life. In the mean time, Career Edge Organization’s host employers are getting proactive, drawing upon our tools, resources and top talent to address both short-term and long-term needs.

Aug 08
Love2

Survey: “Canadian CEOs expect challenges in recruiting and integrating younger workers”

By Uncategorized

According to Canadian HR Reporter, “75 per cent of Canadian CEOs expect challenges in recruiting and integrating younger workers, compared to just 54 per cent of their global counterparts.”

A survey of 1,201 CEOs worldwide, conducted by PwC (and recently feature in a Canadian HR Reporter article) found that Canadian CEOs are also more focused on recruiting and retaining older workers than their global counterparts.

The explanation for this is twofold: as most employers are well aware, Canada’s population is aging. The article points out that Career Edge Organization Host Employer BMO Bank of Montreal has over 46,000 employees who are “experienced workers,” and the bank continues to invest in programs to ensure continued retention. Examples include mentoring programs and flexible work arrangements as well as ongoing training and professional development.

BMO is not alone. 83 per cent of the Canadian CEOs surveyed expect that a key concern in coming years will be the limited supply of skilled candidates – compared to 66 per cent globally.

Many of Career Edge Organization’s host employers are thinking “outside-the-box” to address the issue of retirement and looming skills shortages that have been on the horizon for several years now. While strategies include programs to retain older workers, employers are also building new talent pipeline, and considering untapped talent pools.

Canada is very fortunate to be a destination of choice for internationally qualified professionals – immigrants who bring experience, education and skills to the table, as well as the added benefit of unique and diverse perspectives.

Looking at our Career Bridge paid internship program’s talent pool, it’s hard to imagine any shortage of skills. Consider the stats:

  • Over 60 per cent of our registrants have a Masters degree or higher
  • 80% have at least five years of relevant work experience
  • 51% have been in the workforce for at least 10 years
  • The majority are bilingual – with strong English business communication skills as well as other languages that can help companies compete globally as well as better serve diverse customers locally

Employers looking to develop the skills of younger or less experienced workers turn to our Career Edge and Ability Edge paid internship programs, for recent graduates and grads with disabilities, respectively. This employers are long-term thinkers with sustainability in mind. And it works! Some of our original Career Edge interns from 1996 are now still with their Host organizations, in leadership roles.

The PwC survey is a positive sign that organizational leaders are recognizing the potential talent management challenges that lie ahead, and we’re happy to share solutions and best practices.

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