Engaging employers on immigrant employment

1. Engaging employers on immigrant employment Elizabeth McIsaac, TRIEC Toronto LIPs Labour Market Meeting 14 April 2010

2. What is TRIEC? • Established in 2003 • Focus on finding solutions for including highly skilled immigrants in Toronto Region labour market • Multi-stakeholder collaboration: employers, universities, colleges, unions, community and immigrant organizations, occupational regulatory bodies, all three levels of government • Vision: A Greater Toronto Region that prospers by fully engaging the contributions of skilled immigrants.

3. Employer engagement • AWARENESS • Increasing employer awareness of the value of immigrant skills, education and experience • public awareness (print, TV ads, media / public relations) • Strategy development: identification of partnership opportunities / target groups, setting priorities • ACCEPTANCE • Increasing employer acceptance of the need to explore solutions and opportunities • Relationship development and management • ACTION • Enabling employers to take action and engage in solutions to recruit and integrate skilled immigrants into their workplace • Participation in programs • Spokespersons • Champions • Informing solutions

4. Employer engagement Challenges • initial contact • turnover of employer contacts • many contacts within organizations but not coordinated • creating buy-in across all levels • appropriate and effective opportunities for action • long sales cycle • external factors • employer fatigue

5. What does TRIEC do? • Convenes and collaborates with partners, creating opportunities for skilled immigrants to connect to the local labour market. [individual] • Works with key stakeholders, particularly employers, building their awareness and capacity to better integrate skilled immigrants into the workforce. [organizational] • Works with all levels of government, enhancing coordination and effecting more responsive policy and programs for skilled immigrant employment. [systemic]

6. Making connections Solution • Occupation-specific matches between a newly arrived skilled immigrant and their established Canadian counterpart • Since 2004, more than 5000 matches have been made • Nearly 80% of mentees surveyed have found full-time positions • Participation of 50+ corporate partners to recruit mentors Immigrants lack professional networks that help make linkages to employment opportunities:

7. Making connections Immigrants lack Canadian work experience often required by employers: • Solution • Paid internship program that provides first Canadian work experience, operated by Career Edge Organization • Since 2003 over 1000 interns have been placed • Currently there are over 350 active host organizations • Nearly 80% of interns secure full-time positions in their field

8. Building awareness

9. Building awareness Immigrant Success Awards

10. Building capacity The Employer Roadmap www.hireimmigrants.ca/roadmap

11. Building capacity

12. Employer Workshops Equip employers with strategies, resources and tools to effectively recruit, select, and integrate skilled immigrants Recruit: Sourcing channels to attract skilled immigrant job candidates Select: Recognizing international credentials; Identifying cultural biases and assumptions that can affect hiring decisions Integrate: Creating inclusive work environments to ensure equal participation; Identifying systemic barriers that can prevent full inclusion; Building Cross-cultural competence (individual, organizational); Creating strategies for educating recruiters, hiring managers, and general employee base Building capacity