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hireimmigrants.ca, provides businesses with the tools and resources they need to better recruit, retain and promote skilled immigrants. The site also profiles good examples and innovative practices of employers across the country. Here’s a round up of the useful resources recently posted there.

The Benefits of Hiring Skilled Immigrants (Series)
The business case for hiring skilled immigrant talent is clear to many of us. But it isn’t yet to everyone. This 3-part audio-video series helps make the case, in the words of employers who already get it.

Hiring Skilled Immigrants – A Sound Business Decision (eTip)
Business leaders from both large and small companies identify several key reasons why they hire skilled immigrants.

What Employers Want When They are Hiring (Article)
Canadian Immigrant speaks to the people who are instrumental in hiring talent for their companies and share their insight on what’s affecting the employment of newcomers.

Promoting Diversity in the Office: Tips for Bias-free Hiring (Article)
While many organizations may have the goal of creating diverse workplaces through bias-free hiring, they may not have implemented the many elements needed to achieve this goal.

In the News:

New Resource to Help Build Workplaces Inclusive of Skilled Immigrants
TRIEC launches new online learning hub for employers, HR leaders, community partners and immigrants.

Looking for Leaders: Nominations Open for TRIEC’s 7th Annual Immigrant Success Awards
Each year, TRIEC presents the IS Awards to recognize innovation and leadership in integrating skilled immigrants into the Greater Toronto Region labour market.

Making the Case for Employers to Tap into the Talents of Skilled Immigrants – a New hireimmigrants.ca Series
The business case for hiring skilled immigrant talent is clear to many of us. But it isn’t yet to everyone. That’s why we created hireimmigrants.ca.

Workshops Help Employers Source, Recruit, Onboard and Retain Immigrant Talent
Workshops use real world examples and case studies from the BC market to support HR practitioners in understanding how to overcome common challenges in recruiting skilled immigrants.

IEC-BC to Launch New Canadian Assessment Resource for Employers
The New Canadian Assessment Resource will be a one-stop, online source for assessing skilled immigrant job candidates.

Canada’s New Immigration Rules put Premium on Young People
New immigration rules will target workers aged 18 to 35 as the Conservative government provides the clearest sense yet of how Canada will rely on young immigrants to soften the fiscal pain of a demographic crunch.

More Changes to Canada’s Immigration Program
On August 17, 2012, the federal government announced changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program. While not a surprise (as changes have been proposed earlier in various forums), their impact will be significant.

Multicultural Canada? There’s a Banking Job for That
As change has become a mantra in the business world, executive responsibilities and job titles are evolving quickly. The Globe and Mail’s Emerging Roles series asks Canadians about how their jobs are changing.

Stay updated with hireimmigrants.ca.

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What is this research about?

This report (funded by ALLIES, a joint project of Maytree and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation) provides support for the development of a “one-stop” HR Support Centre for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in four regions across northeastern Ontario. This proposed support centre is the second component of the ongoing HR North project. The first component, an online database and matching tool, is currently being developed in partnership with Skills International with funding from Industry Canada.

Download HR North: An Analysis of HR Practices of SMEs in Northeastern Ontario (PDF).

Why is this research needed?

Previous research suggests that SMEs in northeastern Ontario are not reaching their full potential compared to similarly situated businesses in southern Ontario. Local SMEs face difficulties meeting their labour force needs. At the same time, many SMEs are unaware of the increasing business opportunity in hiring skilled immigrants and are not tapping into this talent pool.

The economic future of northeastern Ontario relies on the growth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises. More than 98% of employers in the region have fewer than 100 employees, making SMEs absolutely vital to the overall development and prosperity of the local economy. Previous research indicates that 60% of surveyed employers in the North Bay area expect the size of their workforce to increase in the next three years. Employee retention is a concern.

Identifying an HR support model that is tailored to SMEs can increase these employers’ capacity to hire and retain the skilled talent they need.

What did the researchers do?

This study looks at SMEs in the districts of Parry Sound, Nipissing, Timiskaming, and Cochrane, and limits its definition of SME to those employers with fewer than 100 employees. A researcher consulted with and surveyed local SMEs about their current human resource practices and requirements.

What did the researchers find?

SMEs in northern Ontario do not have formal internal or external human resource supports.

• More than 90% of local SMEs do not have dedicated on-site HR support.
• Many SMEs use online websites to source HR-related information.
• Few external sources of comprehensive human resource support are available to SMEs.
• Very few SMEs use external HR services.
• In order to successfully hire and integrate newcomers, employers need several key HR services: recruitment tools, candidate screening, mentorship or internship programs, language training, workplace diversity training, funding and support for skills upgrading, retention tools, succession planning and community integration support.

Recommendations:

The report supports the continued development of the online database and matching tool. It also recommends the development of a single source (“one-stop”) support centre for SMEs across the region that provides resources, tools, and live assistance with HR management issues. This support centre would provide:

1. Recruitment tools
2. Candidate selection and hiring tools
3. Language and communication training
4. Retention tools, including succession planning resources
5. Workplace diversity training
6. Licensing and skills upgrading, including funding for training
7. Community integration support
8. Mentorship or internship programs

How can you use this research?

The combination of attracting, recruiting and retaining skilled immigrant talent is of interest to all employers, but especially to SMEs. Previous ALLIES research outlined the business case for SMEs making better use of skilled immigrant talent. We also identified some of the same HR challenges and solutions outlined in this report. The model proposed here may be of interest to policy-makers and service providing organizations in both smaller and larger centres.

Related links:

• Global Talent for SMEs: Building Bridges and Making Connections
• Attracting, Retaining and Integrating Skilled Immigrants: An Analysis of Canada’s Leading Employers
• Hireimmigrants.ca - Supporting the recruitment, retention and promotion of skilled immigrants
• Immigrant Employment Councils (IECs) across Canada

hireimmigrants.ca, provides businesses with the tools and resources they need to better recruit, retain and promote skilled immigrants. The site also profiles good examples and innovative practices of employers across the country. Each week we bring you a round up of the useful resources posted there.

3 Ways to Prepare Skilled Immigrants for Promotion (eTip)
Three ways managers can be proactive and encourage all employees, including skilled immigrants, to apply for promotions.

Finding and Keeping Top Talent Big Concern for Employers (article)
Immigrants accounted for two-thirds of Canada’s population growth from 2006 to 2011 and are one solution to the skills shortages facing many Canadian organizations.

Cultural Competency Training Makes College an Award-Winning Employer (video)
Denyse Diakun, Director of Workforce and Personal Development at Algonquin College talks about the college’s cultural competency training and the effect it has had on employees.

In the news

Feds Propose Expediting Skilled Workers’ Transition from Temporary to Permanent Residence
Changes would allow skilled temporary foreign workers to apply for permanent residence after 12 months of full-time work experience down from 24 months.

Canada Immigration: Jason Kenney’s Reforms Will See Employers Selecting Newcomers
Proposed immigration reforms will better align Canada’s immigration system with labour market needs and address the skills mismatch, says Minister Kenney.

Stay updated with hireimmigrants.ca.

• Subscribe to their eTips (bi-weekly email)
• Follow them on Twitter.
• Follow their LinkedIn page.
• Attend one of their webinars.
• Subscribe to their RSS feed.

hireimmigrants.ca, provides businesses with the tools and resources they need to better recruit, retain and promote skilled immigrants. The site also profiles good examples and innovative practices of employers across the country. Each week we bring you a round up of the useful resources posted there.

Foreign-Trained Immigrants Less Likely to Work in Regulated Occupations (Stats)

Foreign-educated immigrants with fields of study that typically lead to regulated professions were less likely to work in these professions compared to the Canadian-born.

Personal Networks and the Economic Adjustment of Immigrants (report)

Knowing people in 10 or more different occupations increases an immigrant’s chances of being employed and earning more money, finds this Statistics Canada report.

In the news:

N.B., Alberta Poaching Toronto’s Skilled Immigrants

Recruiters from Alberta and N.B. are in Toronto to hire hundreds of new immigrants for jobs in the booming oil, hi-tech and construction industries.

Promises and Challenges for Immigrant Employment in 2012

In 2012, various stakeholders will need to collaborate and be innovative to ensure immigrants find jobs commensurate with their skills and experience.

Helping Newcomers Network Successfully in the Canadian Workplace

A Q&A with Lionel Laroche, whose firm teaches individuals and employers — large and small — the cultural communication skills needed to be successful in a diverse workplace.

Multicultural Leadership Starts from Within

Multicultural organizational skills are as much of a competitive advantage as other elements of business strategy. Managers can grow these skills in the workforce by recruiting diverse candidates and including multicultural elements in leadership training.

Immigration Program Useful But Flawed, Kenney Says

Provincial nominee programs are helping provinces and employers fill skilled labour shortages but the minister wants changes to reduce fraud.

French video translations

Individual chapters of Finding Talent:

• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 1: Compétences essentielles et compétences non essentielles
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 2: Susciter la candidature d’immigrants qualifiés
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 3: Accent et odeurs – des facteurs dans les décisions d’embauche?
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 4: Entrevue de présélection téléphonique
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 5: Présélection des curriculum vitæ des immigrants qualifiés
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 6: Entrevues avec les immigrants qualifiés
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 7: Parlez-nous de vous-même
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 8: Activités sociales
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 9: N’écouter que son devoir
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 10: Affirmation de soi
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 11: Réussites passées
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 12: Expressions familières et idiomatiques de l’entreprise
• Trouver des personnes de talent Chapitre 13: Guides d’entrevue

Individual chapters of Integrating Talent:

• Intégrer le talent Chapitre 1: Séance d’orientation au nouvel employé immigrant, formation et soutien
• Intégrer le talent Chapitre 2: La collaboration interculturelle
• Intégrer le talent Chapitre 3: Les relations avec son supérieur et entre collègues
• Intégrer le talent Chapitre 4: Évaluation de la performance – récompenses et reconnaissance
• Intégrer le talent Chapitre 5: Fidéliser les talents des immigrants qualifiés

Visit hireimmigrants.ca to find out more about recruiting, retaining and promoting skilled immigrants.

New on hireimmigrants.ca week of Dec. 19

Immigrant Labour Market Outcomes in Canada: The Benefits of Addressing Wage and Employment Gaps (Report summary)

This RBC report finds immigrant wage and employment gaps have widened. Skilled immigrants’ incomes could increase by as much as $30 billion if they were paid like Canadian-born workers.

Tapping Into Immigrant Talent is Critical to Canada’s Economy and Businesses (video)

Canadian organizations need to do a better job of recruiting and integrating skilled immigrants or risk losing them to other countries, says Jane Allen, Chief Diversity Officer at Deloitte.

In the News

Shortchanging Immigrants Costs Canada

An RBC study finds if immigrants’ skills were rewarded in a similar way to that of Canadian-born workers, the increase in their incomes would amount to $30.7-billion — or the equivalent of 2.1% of GDP.

Diversity? YESS please.

Immigrants face multiple barriers at non-profits but cultural awareness training and other easy initiatives can remove these barriers.

French videos

Trouver des Personnes de Talent (French Finding Talent video and guide)

Trouver des personnes de talent est une vidéo de formation développé par TRIEC, qui utilise une approche du conte pour démontrer des techniques qui permettent aux entreprises de tirer parti des talents des immigrants qualifiés.

Intégrer le Talent (French Integrating Talent video and guide)

Intégrer le talent, une vidéo de formation développé par TRIEC, utilise une approche du conte pour explorer quelques stratégies pour les entreprises qui cherchent à créer un milieu de travail inclusif.

La Collaboration Interculturelle (French Cross-Cultural Teamwork video series and guide)

La collaboration interculturelle est une série de vidéos, développé par TRIEC, qui nous montre comment les différences culturelles peuvent avoir une incidence sur la dynamique du jeu des équipes dans le milieu de travail canadien.

And each of the individual episodes:

La Collaboration Interculturelle (Introduction)

La Collaboration Interculturelle Épisode 1: Pré-Rencontre «Bavardages»

La Collaboration Interculturelle Épisode 2: S’adapter à la Diversité Religieuse

Déléguer les Rôles et Gérer les Obstacles à la Communication

Favoriser les Contributions aux Discussion d’Équipe

Visit hireimmigrants.ca to find out more about recruiting, retaining and promoting skilled immigrants.

Immigration policy in Canada is complex and is driven by both federal and provincial interests. At the 2011 ALLIES Mentoring Conference, Naomi Alboim, a leading expert in the field and Maytree Fellow, shed light on current trends in Canadian immigration, shared insights on foreign qualification recognition, and suggested potential new directions for mentoring.

According to Naomi, a dramatic sea change in Canada’s immigration system, policies and priorities is under way. There is a need for real public debate about what kind of country we want to be and what kind of immigration policy best leads us there.

Presentation

Find out more about the conference on the ALLIES site.

Related links:

• A reflection on immigration policy: two years after Adjusting the Balance
• Read Adjusting the Balance
• Read the Discussion Paper Series

(Don’t forget to click “Load more” near the bottom to see everything! Note, you may need to reload the page for the “story” to load, thanks for your patience!)

On day one of the ALLIES conference (May 5, 2011), participants spent the afternoon in roundtable discussions on particular issues related to mentoring programs for skilled immigrant professionals.

Here is a quick report of the ideas that emerged:

1.    Intercultural Communication

• Cross-cultural competencies are important for both groups, not just for mentees. Each side needs to develop those skills equally. Change needs to come from both sides
• Need for a toolkit on how to prepare small and medium  enterprises to deal with intercultural communication issues.

2.    Job  Readiness for Mentees

• Communicate Canadian employers’ expectations on English language level pre-immigration.
• Activities need to be developed to manage expectations of both mentees and mentors on what job readiness entails.

3.    Building Partnerships

• Beg, borrow and steal. Use what has worked in other programs and adapt it to your context.
• Establish a common front for employers.
• Allow for coordination among multiple funding bodies to avoid competition where there should be collaboration on the field.
• Engage several stakeholders: small and medium enterprises, private and public sectors, industry sectors, targeting high-growth industries that are in high demand and recruiting. In these partnerships there must be a range of diversity, a level of expertise.
• Each stakeholder’s expectations must be clear.
• Constant follow-up is important for partnerships. This entails resources.

4.    Mentoring for Regulated Professions

• Embed mentoring into professional development plans for mentors who come from employer partners.
• Offer e-mentoring pre-arrival from professionals within the regulated professions.
• Work with regulatory bodies to embed mentoring as a qualifier for their members professional development and re-certification credits.

5.    Marketing

• Marketing for Mentees: connect with mentees through ethnic organisations, faith organisations, public library talks, and before they get to Canada (for example through IPSO).
• Marketing to employers: set up an advisory committee of initial employer champions who can recruit other employers to the program. “Speak to the choir first.”

6.    Pre-mentoring and post-mentoring activities to make mentoring more successful

• Structure – Setting and communicating goals and expectations (for all partners, community, clients, employers, etc.) and having clear deliverables.
• Sharing of ideas, best practices, feedback and evaluation.
• Recognition – mentoring alumni events, awards, testimonials and media outreach.
• Sharing success stories – impacts on corporate partner, mentees, mentors and funders; understanding of program potential and impact
• Networking activities around the mentoring program.
• Understand what employers need and want – it informs design and success of program.

7.    Professional Development for Mentors

• Joint activities can be developed by employers in collaboration with Immigrant Employment Councils.
• Co-development groups to allow mentors to share with other mentors.
• Recognise the professional development provided during the mentoring program with a certificate or an acknowledgement in the mentor’s development plan. Mentoring needs to be embedded in performance management plans by corporations.

8.    Evaluation

• Establishing shared criteria with all agencies to track mentoring on several other data but numbers.
• A shared platforms to gather up and share knowledge.
• In one program, mentees did presentations to mentors: the whole program heard from the persons for whom the work is intended.
• Network mapping: capture connections to ensure that networks have been enhanced through mentoring.
• Extending evaluation period to four months to a year after the end of the mentoring relationship to assess longer-term impacts.

Find out more from Day one (yesterday) of the ALLIES conference.

Building on local successes: learning and leading

On May 5 and 6, ALLIES held a mentoring conference in Calgary to celebrate the successes of current mentoring initiatives. Participants shared their experiences, explored new opportunities, and continued to build mentoring initatives that impact the lives of skilled immigrants and local employers across the country.

A full report about what was learned at the conference will be released by the beginning of June and will be available on the ALLIES website.

(Don’t forget to click “Load more” near the bottom to see everything! Note, you may need to reload the page for the “story” to load, thanks for your patience!)

In 2009, the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC) launched its Career Mentorship Program. As part of the pilot, ten internationally trained, job-ready professionals were matched with Canadian mentors with similar professional backgrounds.

Within three months of completing the program, 50 percent found jobs commensurate with their education and experience.

The impact of mentoring

“These highly skilled individuals needed some help in learning how to conduct a successful job search in Canada and in getting to know the ropes of Canadian workplace culture. Clearly, the minimal time invested by the Canadian mentors is paying big dividends for our new, job-ready residents and for our region’s workforce,” says Doug Piquette, executive director at ERIEC.

Sule Mohammed, a mechanical engineer from Nigeria, found ERIEC’s Career Mentor Program through the Engineers’ and Technologists’ Integration Program (ETIP), offered by the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Sule’s mentor, Ricky Santos, shared important job search techniques such as visiting companies and following up with them after a couple of weeks.

“Ricky was exactly who I wanted. He made me understand the importance of showing my confidence. He reviewed my résumé and cover letter. He also encouraged me not to accept the first job I was offered – to wait for the right job for me. He provided hope. He was like a big brother to me,” says Sule.

Mentoring is a true win-win

But it’s not just the mentees who reap the rewards of the mentoring program – mentors learn a lot from the experience as well.

“We take [things] for granted, professionally and culturally. I don’t think I understood the extent of the differences even with my own staff,” says Annette Bilawchuck, who, as the manager of planning and engineering at TELUS, mentored Vivian Li, an electrical engineer from China. “Vivian opened my eyes to the simple things we just don’t think about.”

Then there is the feeling of pride when her tips to create a more concise and visually appealing résumé helped Vivian land interviews for professional-level jobs.

“I can’t describe that ‘Ah, ha!’ feeling of accomplishment I felt when Vivian got that first interview. These are the rewards of my investment of time,” says Annette.

As part of the mentoring relationship, Annette also arranged mock interviews for Vivien with some of Annette’s peers and introduced her to several connections in the Edmonton business community

“I saw her confidence grow every time we met. Her excitement became my excitement. I couldn’t wait to drop everything I was doing to help her. She’s focusing now on what she’s capable of instead of believing she needs to accept entry level positions,” says Annette.

Success!

In fact, Vivien is now a Design Specialist on Annette’s team at TELUS.

Mentoring is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to connect skilled immigrants with established Canadian professionals in the same or related occupation. And as the above examples show – it works. Many skilled immigrants have found employment using the skills and connections gained through the mentoring relationship.

Building on local successes: learning and leading

On May 5 and 6, ALLIES is holding a mentoring conference in Calgary to celebrate the successes of current mentoring initiatives. Participants will share their experiences, explore new opportunities, and continue to build mentoring initatives that impact the lives of skilled immigrants and local employers across the country.

You can follow the conversation on Twitter at @maytree_canada and other participants tweet live from the conference using the hashtags #mentoring and #immigrants. A full report about what was learned at the conference will be released by the beginning June and will be available on the ALLIES website.

For more information:

• ERIEC Scores Results
• Sule Mohamed- the face of success
• Profile: Annette Bilawchuk
• The National Mentoring Initiative supports urban centres in Canada to develop, implement and enhance mentoring programs for skilled immigrants in their communities. It will establish mentoring as a successful labour market strategy across Canada.