Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - October 2012
A new program is helping immigrants to land jobs with small businesses in the Toronto region.
The local program was established by York University and is unique in its aim to encourage smaller employers in taking advantage of new talent. Immigrants can pay a small fee to take introductory classes in English, business and professional-writing. Additional tuition fees grant access to more specialized courses.
Officials working on the York program say that small businesses can sometimes be intimidated by or unsure of foreign credentials. This program hopes to address that niche.
"In the past, small- and medium-sized businesses haven't tended to focus on recruiting foreign educated talent, in large part because most don't have human resources departments to vet foreign credentials and experience," says York University�s Nora Priestly.
This new resource seems to be helping out both the smaller companies, who are in just as much, if not more, need of skilled workers, as well as the immigrants who are looking to find work. Often positions in smaller companies go unadvertised and rely upon word-of-mouth which make them hard to find for newcomers who do not have established networks in the region.
Already over 300 people have gone through the program in the two years it has been up and running.
Source: Globe and Mail/
