source: www.stoneycreeknews.com
For Mohammed Amjad, the chance to take part in a job mentorship program turned out to be the break he needed. For TD Canada Trust, taking the foreign-trained accountant under its wing didn't just land a promising new employee, it made good business sense. Mr. Amjad, who arrived in Hamilton from Pakistan one and a half years ago, now works out the bank's Centennial Parkway branch and is expected to rise into senior ranks. The program worked on his job-seeking and interview skills - including by addressing a key cultural difference. In Pakistan, it's seen as bad form to follow up a resumé with a call to prospective employers, while here it's considered essential. "I feel it is a dream coming true," Mr. Amjad said at an employer-recognition luncheon hosted by the Settlement and Integration Services Organization, which helps new immigrants adjust to life in Canada. "I had a really sincere mentor and she helped me a lot. I was feeling that probably it was impossible to go to a bank because I was sending résumés, I was meeting people and I was having interviews, but (getting) no after-call. I was feeling very frustrated." TD Canada Trust regional manager Dave May said the mentorship program is so successful it is being expanded to 18 placements. Four of an initial nine participants were hired and three found jobs elsewhere.
While his bank was among 15 area employers honoured by SISO for their efforts, Mr. May said the mentorship program "is good business" because it helps his company adjust to the city's changing demographics and tap a readily available talent pool. "It simply makes good sense," he said. "If our future customer base is going to experience change, we had better make sure our employee base is also representative of that change." Abdul Khan, the city's manager of water treatment, said his department's paid internships are helping overcome a shortage of operating engineers. Of 12 interns hired over the past year, four are now permanent employees and more are expected to follow suit, he said. The interns are also being marketed to contractors and consultants. "We are having serious problems filling our positions. There is such a shortage of good engineers in our our industry," Mr. Khan said. "Many of them - I personally talked to them - they were working either as security guards or delivering pizza, all kinds of odd jobs, and they were excellent professionals," he said. "Some of them were brilliant engineers and you just shake you head at why they would do that. Now they're working as engineers in our industry and we really feel encouraged." Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle praised the mentorship programs and said he expects adjusting to the job market to become easier for foreign-trained workers as a result of $920 million in new federal funding that rectifies previous inequities.
Until now, newcomers who went to Montréal, for instance, were able to receive $4,000 worth of federal services, compared to just $800 in Hamilton, he said. The new funding should help reverse the "brain drain" that costs the Canadian economy an estimated $5 billion a year in lost potential, he added. "Ultimately, newcomers, what they want is a chance to demonstrate their talent or skill. They want to work, they want to contribute, they want to pay taxes, they want to sweat. They're not afraid of that," Mr. Colle said. "We are going to benefit economically, socially, and our communities are going to be much more harmonious and much more positive in their outcomes when we embrace people." Mayor Fred Eisenberger said non-government organizations like SISO are critical to help immigrants to adjust, but more needs to be done - including on recognition of the credentials of foreign-trained professionals. "We have a critical doctor shortage in this town. We have 60,000 people that don't have doctors," he said. "If we could find a way of getting the doctors that are from foreign places accredited more quickly, we're going to be the better for it."
For Mohammed Amjad, the chance to take part in a job mentorship program turned out to be the break he needed. For TD Canada Trust, taking the foreign-trained accountant under its wing didn't just land a promising new employee, it made good business sense. Mr. Amjad, who arrived in Hamilton from Pakistan one and a half years ago, now works out the bank's Centennial Parkway branch and is expected to rise into senior ranks. The program worked on his job-seeking and interview skills - including by addressing a key cultural difference. In Pakistan, it's seen as bad form to follow up a resumé with a call to prospective employers, while here it's considered essential. "I feel it is a dream coming true," Mr. Amjad said at an employer-recognition luncheon hosted by the Settlement and Integration Services Organization, which helps new immigrants adjust to life in Canada. "I had a really sincere mentor and she helped me a lot. I was feeling that probably it was impossible to go to a bank because I was sending résumés, I was meeting people and I was having interviews, but (getting) no after-call. I was feeling very frustrated." TD Canada Trust regional manager Dave May said the mentorship program is so successful it is being expanded to 18 placements. Four of an initial nine participants were hired and three found jobs elsewhere.
While his bank was among 15 area employers honoured by SISO for their efforts, Mr. May said the mentorship program "is good business" because it helps his company adjust to the city's changing demographics and tap a readily available talent pool. "It simply makes good sense," he said. "If our future customer base is going to experience change, we had better make sure our employee base is also representative of that change." Abdul Khan, the city's manager of water treatment, said his department's paid internships are helping overcome a shortage of operating engineers. Of 12 interns hired over the past year, four are now permanent employees and more are expected to follow suit, he said. The interns are also being marketed to contractors and consultants. "We are having serious problems filling our positions. There is such a shortage of good engineers in our our industry," Mr. Khan said. "Many of them - I personally talked to them - they were working either as security guards or delivering pizza, all kinds of odd jobs, and they were excellent professionals," he said. "Some of them were brilliant engineers and you just shake you head at why they would do that. Now they're working as engineers in our industry and we really feel encouraged." Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle praised the mentorship programs and said he expects adjusting to the job market to become easier for foreign-trained workers as a result of $920 million in new federal funding that rectifies previous inequities.
Until now, newcomers who went to Montréal, for instance, were able to receive $4,000 worth of federal services, compared to just $800 in Hamilton, he said. The new funding should help reverse the "brain drain" that costs the Canadian economy an estimated $5 billion a year in lost potential, he added. "Ultimately, newcomers, what they want is a chance to demonstrate their talent or skill. They want to work, they want to contribute, they want to pay taxes, they want to sweat. They're not afraid of that," Mr. Colle said. "We are going to benefit economically, socially, and our communities are going to be much more harmonious and much more positive in their outcomes when we embrace people." Mayor Fred Eisenberger said non-government organizations like SISO are critical to help immigrants to adjust, but more needs to be done - including on recognition of the credentials of foreign-trained professionals. "We have a critical doctor shortage in this town. We have 60,000 people that don't have doctors," he said. "If we could find a way of getting the doctors that are from foreign places accredited more quickly, we're going to be the better for it."
No comments:
Post a Comment