Helping People Succeed TRIEC/CASIP Employer Toolbox Joint Initiative Connecting Employers to Solutions for Hiring Skilled Immigrants

Helping People Succeed The Partners CASIP - Service Excellence through Collaboration The Consortium of Agencies Serving Internationally-trained Persons (CASIP) consists of 8 partner agencies across the Greater Toronto Area. The mission of CASIP is to bring together expertise as partners, to coordinate and enhance service delivery in the GTA to internationally- trained persons, thereby maximizing their employment potential and their ability to contribute fully to Canadian society. TRIEC -New Realities. New Opportunities Since 2003, The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) has collaborated with a diverse group of stakeholders including employers, post-secondary institutions, employment service providers, community organizations, regulatory bodies and all three levels of government. The goal is to assemble these key players to find and implement local, practical solutions that lead to meaningful employment for skilled immigrants.

Helping People Succeed Employer Toolbox Project Description The Employer Toolbox is a TRIEC Initiative accepted by CASIP. This project addresses the barriers that employers have identified in relation to hiring skilled immigrants. These include: language skills recognition of foreign work experience and credentials lack of Canadian work experience employers’ limited knowledge of cultural competency the implementation of workplace cultural training

Helping People Succeed Employer Toolbox The project connects small and medium size employers (SME) directly to the resources and supports. It increases their capacity to hire skilled immigrants. The toolbox consists of the following ‘tools’ to assist employers: Hireimmigrants.ca The Mentoring Partnership Skills International World Education Services (WES) CASIP Job Developer Network

Helping People Succeed Job Developer Network Job Developer Network The Job Developer Network is a coordinated outreach effort of 20 job developers at eight community service agencies in Toronto working to connect SMEs to practical resources and programs that will help them to hire skilled immigrants. By enhancing employers’ human resource capacity and subsequently linking them through immigrant serving agencies to immigrant job candidates, the opportunities for the immigrants to be appropriately employed will be maximized.

Helping People Succeed Implementation Process Roll out through CASIP agency job developers; 20 JD’s at participating partner agencies since April 2007 JD’s are trained on partner offerings, Skills International, Career Bridge and The Mentoring Partnership JD’s meet in person once per month to discuss processes, challenges and successes and build relationships Protocols and processes developed Development of a webpage to share information about open job postings from across the CASIP agencies Expectation for each JD to make 20 contacts per month to educate employer through with electronic brochure or in person Phase 2 to include JD’s from additional programs

Helping People Succeed Job Developer Sharing Webpage: Objectives Provide a platform for collaboration and communication for CASIP Job Developers Share information about open job postings among JD’s from across the CASIP agencies Increase placements of CASIP’s ITI clients –Employer Toolbox Outcome Strengthen relationship between JD’s and SME employers through Service Coordination Increase effectiveness of JD’s to meet SME employers’ hiring needs

Helping People Succeed Why Partner? Why Partner? The use of the CASIP job developer network to bring candidates to employers has two distinct benefits: Employers will be more likely to view the job developers as a single source of reliable and effective resources, information and employment candidates, resulting in more immigrant clients being hired. A database of job postings allows participating agencies to share jobs thereby increasing client placements. For effective sharing it is important that protocols for JD sharing be developed and adhered to.

Helping People Succeed Building the Network Steering Committee All CASIP agencies have a manager representative on the steering committee which includes hireimmigrants.ca staff as well. The committee meets monthly. Resources Required Liaisons: Coordinate meetings, job developers, IT resource development IT Support: Design and Implement web tools Marketing Material: Design and print employer leave-behind Facilitator: Build trust through networking and guide development protocol Space: Accommodate monthly steering committee and JD meeting

Helping People Succeed Challenges and Successes Challenges Building trust amongst JD’s JD turnover Some challenges with technology Communication challenges between JD’s, managers, steering committee Successes Relationships have eventually developed Positions have been filled through the Network

Helping People Succeed For more information, please contact: Beth Clarke, Manager, Newcomer Employment and Mentoring Services Ext. 210