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Helping newcomers find jobs -- NOW
November 22, 1999
By Donna AbsEveryone knows a story or two about the highly qualified immigrant who is driving a taxi or delivering pizza. Often, newcomers to Canada take these jobs because they don't have "Canadian experience", lack the knowledge of job search Canadian-style, or have a very limited network of contacts. The Newcomer Opportunities for Work experience (NOW) Program is working to reduce those barriers to employment. Funded by Human Resources Development Canada, in cooperation with the Toronto District School Board, NOW has been operating out of the Bickford Centre since May of this year. So far, the results have been very promising/
Clients spend four weeks at the Bickford Centre, performing self- and career-assessment, creating an action plan with specific career goals and targets, and preparing for their job searches. They learn how to tap into the hidden job market, and get help making cold calls to arrange a work experience placement. They are encouraged to do information interviews, and become prepared for some of the realities of the Canadian workplace. They also learn some job maintenance skills. Program participants do the research to find the work placement and, in the process, become more familiar with where they might be able to use their skills and apply their experience in Toronto.
Work experience is key to breaking into the Canadian Market
From the outset, NOW attracted a large number of newcomers to Canada with an incredible range of skills and experience; a waiting list developed very quickly. The work experience portion of the program is recognized as a great opportunity to break into the Canadian market, and for many foreign-trained professionals, this is a very important bridge to employment. Many individuals come from the Information Technology sector. You might expect these people to be in great demand, but many were not achieving much success in their job searches. Others had had very specialized skills, in forestry, horticulture, environmental science and engineering who were having difficulty accessing the "hidden job market". The NOW program helps clients assess their skills and improve their resumes and covering letters. They also learn more about employer expectations and gain skills that help them target potential employers.Clients' communication skills also improve dramatically in the first four weeks of the program. They continue to develop these skills in the workplace and most clients have noted that their confidence grows throughout their time in the NOW program, even if their language abilities were already strong. A requirement for acceptance in the program is a level of English that will not interfere with performing duties in the workplace. Still, most clients express a concern about their chances at finding employment and worry about the interview process. Those same IT professionals, as well as the other NOW clients, are now finding that interviews are less intimidating and feel more confident about their skills in general. Several have been hired by the companies who hosted them for the work placement. Concerns about English have been unfounded, although almost all clients judge their language skills to be improved by the end of the placement.
As expected, given the chance to show what they can do, the highly capable clients of the NOW program are impressing employers with their abilities, their motivation and hard work.
For more information about the Newcomer Opportunities for Work experience (NOW) Program, call (416)393-0350
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