Blog News

New funding to help immigrants settle in York Region

Written by Administrator Friday, 25 September 2009 15:27

At the York Regional Council Meeting on September 24, 2009, Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown, on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, and Vaughan MPP Greg Sorbara, announced $447,865 in funding through the new Local Immigration Partnership program to help immigrants settle in York Region.

This follows announcements of $459,000 of LIPs funding in Guelph and $146,397 in the Niagara region.

Since successful integration of immigrants to Ontario begins at the community level, the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement – a partnership between Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration – is providing almost 3 million in funding through LIPs to help create sustainable local and regional solutions.

Celebrating Success

Written by Administrator Thursday, 24 September 2009 21:09

On September 23, 2009, ACCES inducted seven new clients into their Walk of Fame. ACCES Communications Director, Shawn Mintz explains, “The Walk of Fame is an annual event that celebrates the people we have helped in the last year to find work in their fields. We had over 20 people nominated this year and we chose seven. They act as role models for other newcomers and it shows our success to our funders, government and corporate sponsors.” Those selected for the honour this year include Meenakshi Manikumar, who began her Canadian accounting career with Frontline Technologies after ACCES forwarded her resume to the firm. “If it wasn’t for ACCES,” she said, “I wouldn’t have even known about this job because it wasn’t advertised in the paper or posted.”

Joining her in the ranks of the recently employed are Maria Brett, now a Senior IT Analyst with Johnson and Johnson. Says Brett, “My employment consultant was the first person who said to me ‘you can do it’.”

Honourees also included Sarbit Singh, who secured a manufacturing position with Harris Canada, Yong Shen, who was hired as a Production Manager with HBC, and Andrey Burkovskiy who is now Director of Social Media for Profile Entertainment.

“My main challenge,” says Burkovskiy, “is that I was sending out hundreds of resumes and I wasn’t getting any responses from employers.” After completing the ACCES program, he says, “I got the job on my first interview.”

Two of the inductees are graduates of the ACCES Financial Connections Program: Karen Brown, who recently began as a Senior Business Analyst with TD Bank Financial Group and Alex Povolotski, now a Senior Account manager at RBC.

Many of the candidates praised other ACCES programs including the Talk English Café, the Mentorship Program and the ground-breaking Speed Mentoring Events.

Special guests at the event included Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Parliamentary Assistant Khalil Romal and Brampton Mayor Susan Fennel.

At the end of his speech, Romal thanked ACCESS “for creating the opportunity, for creating that link that gave these people a chance to pursue their new lives in Ontario.” Addressing the recipients, he added, It is your persistence and determination that got you those jobs, and I hope that all newcomers have a lot of faith in Canada, a lot of faith in Ontario, and they are determined and persistent and work hard in order to practice the job they love, the job they educated for.”

Fennel addressed the theme of Keeping Communities Working, pointing out that Brampton is “a city of extraordinary opportunities.” She said “In truth Brampton is so diverse that I say we’re no longer diverse, we’re all just Bramptonians. Almost everyone came from somewhere else, because 30 years ago, there were only about 9,000 people here and today there half a million. We speak over 100 languages. We’re a place you can work play and pray in peace.”

During the ceremony itself, each of the recipients was introduced along with their sponsors and employers – who were recognized for having the foresight and good fortune to bring these highly skilled and talented newcomers into Canada’s workplace.

ACCES Employment Celebrates Newcomers Achieving their Canadian Dreams

Written by CNMAG Tuesday, 22 September 2009 13:52

ACCES Employment will host its third annual Walk of Fame Event to celebrate the success of 7 inductees to the 2009 ACCES Employment Walk of Fame. Their recent success in finding employment was achieved by them staying positive, focused and persistent. Each recipient also took advantage of the free services provided by ACCES Employment giving them a competitive advantage and the right connections.

The Walk of Fame recipients are a portrait of Toronto ’s diversity, each individual has a unique story and one that is an inspiration to others who are new to Canada. Maria Brett who is now working as a Senior IT Analyst with Johnson and Johnson said, "When you are an immigrant, you fear that everything is going to be difficult. My ACCES consultant was the first person who said to me 'you can do it'.” Other recipients are now working at RBC, TD, Harris Consulting, HBC, Profile Entertainment and Frontline Technologies in roles such as: Director of Social Media, Production Manager, Senior Business Analyst, Manufacturing Engineer and General Accountant.

This year’s inductees will be personally congratulated by Khalil Ramal, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration representing the Honorable Michael Chan, the Mayor of Brampton Susan Fennell and representatives from ACCES’ corporate sponsors Scotiabank, Tim Hortons, RBC, TD and CIBC.

The event will be hosted by Angie Set, Lead News Anchor, OMNI News South Asian Edition and over 100 guests will enjoy entertainment by pianist Robert Chambers.

New training for environmental professionals

Written by Press Release Tuesday, 01 September 2009 09:28

In today’s tough economy, finding meaningful employment can be a difficult task for internationally trained professionals. To help remove barriers faced by newcomers, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) is launching the Mentoring to Placement for Environmental Professionals (M2P) Program. The program is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration as part of its investment in bridge training programs throughout the province.

"Ontario’s investment in internationally educated environmental professionals will help them get the experience and knowledge they need to work in Ontario. That means a better and safer environment for our families and future generations," said Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Michael Chan.

The M2P Program targets the environmental sector and offers a mentorship component followed by a three to 12 month paid work placement for 40 internationally trained environmental professionals in the fields of environmental planning, terrestrial or aquatic biology, ecology, or green building technologies.

"Toronto and Region Conservation has been providing green jobs for more than 50 years, and we’ve found that there is a current skills shortage,” said Marisa Iorfida-Sdao, Sr. Project Manager, Volunteerism and Diversity at TRCA. “There’s an untapped pool of talented internationally trained environmental professionals out there with diverse skills in their field, but their lack of Canadian experience and networks are common barriers for finding a job in their field. The workshops and mentoring relationship will allow the participant to get the support and guidance from environmental professionals who can then help them improve their local knowledge, build new networks and open doors to employment opportunities where they can make a valuable contribution to their field."

The program is led by TRCA through its Environmental Volunteer Network (EVN) and offers three main components: a mentorship, technical and soft skills workshops, and a three to 12 month paid work placement with a host organization.

Application dates are August 31 until October 5, 2009. Requirements include a bachelor degree in the field, and three years of relevant work experience outside of Canada. For more information about the application process please visit www.trca.on.ca/m2p

The M2P Program is delivered in partnership with Skills for Change and ACCES Employment Services.

Since 2002, TRCA has been working to assist thousands of newcomers arriving in Toronto adjust to a new country and locate a position in the environmental sector through a variety of programs including the Professional Access and Integration Enhancement Program for Environmental Engineers and the EVN.