Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

We provide learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees to access and fully participate in the workplace and wider community.

History of Organization

Since 1982 Skills for Change (SfC) has been meeting the needs of over 110,000 newcomers by providing them with workplace training and employment opportunities to help them gain meaningful employment. We work with employers to promote diversity in the workplace through mentorship, recruitment, and professional development training initiatives.

We see our role as being a bridge between immigrants and employers and providing the appropriate supports to both. There are three key areas in which we work:

• Providing programs and services to immigrants and refugees 
• Showcasing the contributions and talents that immigrants and refugees bring to society 
• Breaking down barriers that block immigrants and refugees from successfully entering the workplace

Accolades and Accomplishments

1993 - New Pioneers Awards- SfC launched the first New Pioneers Awards Gala to showcase the contributions made by immigrants and refugees to Canadian communities

2003 - Citation of Citizenship - SfC received the Citation of Citizenship from Citizenship and Immigration Canada

2004 - Community Learning Award - SfC received the Community Learning Award  from the Conference Board of Canada
 
2008 - Newcomer Champion Award - SfC's New Pioneers Awards team received the Newcomer Champion Award presented by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, an honour recognizing those who contribute to the understanding and sharing of Ontario’s cultural diversity

Programs

>New Pioneers Awards
>Mentoring for Change

SfC supports diversity at work for immigrants and refugees via a variety of programs and services that include:

• Intake and Assessment
• Language Training
• Occupation-specific Employment Preparation Programs ( Accountants and Bookkeepers, Medical Practitioners, Engineers, Electricians and Millwrights, Customer Service Professionals, Clerical and Administration, Teachers)
• Skills Upgrading
• Settlement Services
• Employment Resource Centre
• Mentoring
• Computer-based Training

New Pioneers Awards

The New Pioneers Awards is a Toronto's premiere community driven public education event that showcases the accomplishments of newcomers in six areas including Arts, Community Service, Entrepreneurship, Science and Technology Youth and SfC Graduate. The Toronto community nominates these outstanding candidates and community volunteers select the recipients.

For the past 18 years, the NPA has brought newcomers and corporations together to celebrate newcomer achievements and highlight the contribution newcomers have made to the Toronto community and Canada. In 2008 the NPA moved from individual recognition to collective action with the founding of Pioneers for Change (PfC), is a volunteer-driven alumnus of past NPA award recipients who come together to harness their collective skills, experience, passion, ideas and networks to support the newcomer initiatives SfC undertakes.

Funding and Program Partners

Sponsors:

• CIBC
• Western Union
• Blakes
• Carranza Barristers and Solicitors
• CGAO
• Sun Life Financial
• TD Bank Financial Group
• Xerox
• Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration ( Ontario)
• Ernst & Young
• C&D Graphics
• KPMG
• Fidelity Investments
• Hydro One
• Professional Engineers of Ontario
• OMNI & Citytv
• The Toronto Star
• Ming Pao Daily News
• Canadian Newcomer Magazine

Program Impact

Since 1993 , SfC has worked with over  many  community and business leaders, received over  hundreds of nominations and selected and recognized over 100 outstanding newcomers for their contribution to our community. Through the NPA, SfC has raised the bar of awareness on newcomers' value to our community by hosting the annual NPA event bringing together corporations, business and community leaders and representatives from all three levels of government. All sponsorship dollars generated through the NPA are used to fund the many Programs and Services SfC makes available to immigrants and refugees.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

"Toronto relies heavily on high immigration levels to sustain its population and fill jobs. Without immigration, the City’s population would have shrunk an estimated 10% between 2001 and 2006.  And almost half (44%) of recent immigrants (in Canada 5 years or less) in the City in 2006 were between the ages of 25 and 44 years when they moved; almost one-quarter (23%) were under the age of 14.”

“A number of high-performing organizations in the GTA have made diversity a strategic priority, but in all sectors, visible minorities represent on average, just 13% of the region’s leadership." (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

With over 100 outstanding newcomers who have received the coveted New Pioneers Award over the past 18 years, it is difficult to select just one award recipient to represent the breadth and depth of the talent and enthusiasm these extraordinary immigrants bring to our Toronto community. From scientists, entrepreneurs and artists to educators, dancers, and physicians, we have had the honor to share the stage with individuals from across the world who now proudly call Canada their home. To get an in depth perspective of the lives and stories behind these individuals, we invite you to visit our NPA website at www.skillsforchange.org/npa

Mentoring for Change

• Skills for Change developed a mentoring model and pioneered mentoring services for internationally trained professionals (ITPs) in 1993 by offering mentoring in the fields of accounting and finance, engineering, bio-technology and IT.

 As our mentoring model proved its effectiveness and gained popularity in assisting ITPs, the demand for mentoring increased and our services expanded to include mentoring for teaching, trades, social services, banking, sales and marketing, human resources, and other professions, as well as mentoring for language skill development and settlement mentoring.

The Mentoring for Change model includes a thorough orientation to mentoring program for both mentees and mentors including clarification of roles and responsibilities as well as ongoing support and check-ins for mentoring pairs from dedicated mentoring staff.

Today mentoring for ITPs is recognized as one of the most effective interventions leading to successful employment, settlement and language skill development.

Funding and Program Partners

Funders:

• Toronto Community Foundation
• The United Way of Greater Toronto
• The Counselling Foundation

Partners:

• Brampton Public Library
• Ryerson University
• City of Toronto
• Toronto Region Conservation Authority
• St. Michael’s Hospital

Program Impact

Through participation in mentoring programs, internationally trained professionals experience significant reduction in barriers to employment, settlement and language skills development. They are better prepared to enter and succeed in the labour market as well as to participate in and contribute to society as a whole. By enabling newcomers to succeed in Canadian society and engaging established Canadian professionals as volunteer mentors, mentoring programs contribute to health and vitality of all Toronto communities. In 2009/2010 Skills for Change facilitated 359 mentoring matches through our employment, language and settlement mentoring programs.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

"The earnings gap between recent immigrants and Canadian-born workers has widened significantly over 25 years. In 1980 recent immigrant women earned 85 cents for each dollar received by Canadian born women. By 2005, the ratio was 56 cents even though the educational levels of recent immigrant earners had grown faster than those of their Canadian-born peers during the period." (Toronto's Vital Signs®, 2009)”

In response to this widening earnings gap, Mentoring for Change is positioned to help immigrants and refugees who are new to the GTA (and Canada) by matching them with mentors who can support them in the three “Cs” of immigrant need, namely building Confidence, honing effective workplace Communications skills and making Connections in the workplace. Our experience has shown  that newcomers significantly increase their chances for securing meaningful employment commensurate with their international experience when they’re supported by a business mentor during the job search process.

Participant Vignette

An internationally trained engineer, S.D. participated in Mentoring Program with Skills for Change starting in December 2009. After an assessment of his skills and needs, S.D. was matched with a Professional Engineer mentor working with the Ministry of the Environment. In the course of a four month mentoring relationship, S.D.'s mentor was able to arrange a relevant volunteer opportunity for S.D. with a department of the Ministry of the Environment.

"This volunteering position and the experience I obtained by working with a group of Engineering Professionals have helped to obtain a position with York Regional Municipality as an Engineering Assistant. I got this job offer on May 13, 2010. I am very excited to get this job offer. I thank you very much for your time and hard work to arrange a mentoring opportunity for me at the Ministry; I thank [my mentor]. for his time to guide me during the course of the mentoring program and afterwards to arrange a volunteering opportunity, to help to get Canadian experience, and to provide a very good reference to the York Region."