Service partners

ACCESS EMPLOYMENT (GTA)

ACCES Employment is a leader in connecting employers with qualified employees from diverse backgrounds. More than 56,000 job seekers are served annually at seven locations across the Greater Toronto Area. Eighty-six percent of their clients are newcomers to Canada. As a not-for-profit corporation, ACCES receives funding from all levels of government, corporate sponsors, and the United Way Greater Toronto.


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ACCES Employment tested Model B: Navigating the Canadian Labour Market. The Career Pathways for Newcomer Women program was comprised of a 5-week employment readiness training that included developing an Essential Skills portfolio and career planning. In addition, some cohorts received creative problem solving or access to an online assessment platform and video portfolio. Those who needed Essential Skills enhancements were offered up to 10 weeks of support. Individualized support and employment connections through job matching and hiring events were also included in the program.
ACCES implemented a quasi-experimental design that recruited participants who received services from the intervention. Individuals with similar characteristics to the program group were identified to form a comparison group for the analysis. Individuals in the comparison group did not take part in the intervention but had access to all other existing services available to this client group.

Achēv

Achēv, formerly the Centre for Education & Training, is a leading charitable organization that delivers employment, settlement, language, women, youth and technology solutions services in the GTA, throughout Canada and abroad, that is committed to creating faster paths to prosperity for clients

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Achēv implemented Model B: Navigating the Canadian Labour Market. This intervention offered job search training, employer engagement activities, and 1:1 coaching to highly skilled visible minority newcomer women. The goal of the intervention was to support them in the development of a clear career plan based on a thorough assessment of their Essential Skills which are needed to successfully navigate the Canadian workforce.

Achēv also delivered Model C: Milestones to Employment targeted to racialized newcomer women with a background and/or interest in work in the senior care sector but who experienced challenges in entering or reentering this career. It included employer engagement in designing and developing workshops on employability skills and industry-specific practices, occupation-specific training, and a paid work placement. Employer partners facilitated placements with the goal of hiring program participants after they had completed 12 weeks of paid placement. Additionally, the intervention included on-the-job coaching support for job retention and advancement.

Model B research design: This evaluation used a random assignment design by randomly selecting participants into either a program group or a control group. Individuals who were selected for the program group received program offerings. Individuals assigned to the control group did not receive services from the program but remained eligible other existing Achēv services.

Model C research design: The evaluation of this intervention was a small-scale proof-of-concept study.

Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (Halifax)

Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia is a non-profit organization that provides settlement and integration services to immigrants who are in or are destined for communities across Nova Scotia. By offering comprehensive programs and supports, as well as a dedicated and caring team, ISANS helps immigrants build a promising future in Nova Scotia.

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ISANS delivered two models: Model B: Navigating the Canadian Labour Market and Model D: Building Canadian Work Experience.

Model B: ISANS offered the Visible Minority Newcomer Women at Work program to racialized newcomer women. The program had four main components: a 6-week employment-readiness training that included developing an Essential Skills portfolio and career planning, Essential Skills enhancements for those who needed them, individualized support, and employer connections through meet-and-greets, informational interviews, and hiring events.

Model D: The Refugee Women at Work program offered 4 weeks of employment readiness training that included preparation for a work placement. In addition, it offered up to 12 weeks of work placement with a wage subsidy. Individualized support and employer connections through guest speakers were additional components of the program.

Model B: This intervention used a random assignment design, which means that some participants were randomly assigned to a comparison group and others, to the program group. Some comparison group cohorts received individualized career counseling through this program.

Model D: This intervention was a small-scale proof-of-concept study.

MOSAIC

MOSAIC is a settlement non-profit organization that serves immigrant, refugee, migrant and mainstream communities in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley as well as throughout the province of BC and overseas via online programs.

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MOSAIC tested Model C: Milestones to Employment. The Care Pathways program was targeted to racialized newcomer women with a background and/or interest in work in the senior care sector but who experienced challenges in entering or reentering this career. The program consisted of a 4-week workplace and occupation-specific group training combined with up to 12 weeks of paid job placement in senior or home care. Short-term certifications and individualized support were also part of the program.
The evaluation of this intervention was a small-scale proof-of-concept study.

Opportunities for Employment (OFE)

Opportunities for Employment (OFE) Inc. is a faith-based not-for-profit corporation providing employment assistance services in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a leader in research and innovation in the employment development field, OFE continues to pioneer entrepreneurial and incentive-based approaches to employment services, resulting in increased employment rates, growth and productivity in their local economy, reduced reliance on social supports and lower costs to the Manitoba government.

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Opportunities for Employment implemented Model C: Milestones to Employment. The program targeted employment in the following high demand sectors: manufacturing and production, retail and hospitality, health services support, customer contact industry, administrative/office, and childcare preparation. In order to monitor and continuously improve performance, a milestones approach was implemented to help participants reach a series of intermediate indicators (or milestones) believed to be associated with progress towards sustainable employment.
The evaluation of OFE’s pilot programming used a random assignment design, by randomly selecting participants (the program group) out of those who volunteered to participate in the project. Individuals in the program group were offered the services and activities in the program. Individuals in the comparison group did not receive services from the program (demand-led programming) but remained eligible for other existing OFE services.

La Société économique de l’Ontario (SÉO)

The Société économique de l’Ontario (SÉO) propels Ontario's francophone and bilingual economic space to new heights by advancing leading-edge solutions in entrepreneurship, employer support, newcomer integration and community economic strengthening.

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SÉO piloted Model A: Partnering in Workforce Innovation in three locations: Ottawa, Sudbury, and Toronto. The program focuses on matching qualified French-speaking candidates with commensurate employment.
In Ottawa, the evaluation used a random assignment design, by randomly selecting participants (the program group) out of those who volunteered to participate in the project. Individuals in the program group were offered the services and activities in the program. Individuals in the comparison group did not receive services from the program but remained eligible for other existing SÉO services. The evaluations of the interventions in Sudbury and Toronto were small-scale proof-of-concept studies.

World Skills Employment Centre

World Skills Employment Centre is a non-profit employment centre dedicated exclusively to the employment needs of newcomers and to the needs of the local labour market. They help immigrants incorporate into the workforce through employment competency building, job search training and support, cultural competency building and language training.

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World Skills Employment Centre piloted two different models: Model A: Partnering in Workforce Innovation and Model B: Navigating the Canadian Labour Market. Clients in Model A participated in 5 days of workshops. Those in Model B engaged in those 5 days of workshops as well as an additional 5 days which focused on portfolio development and Essential Skills training. Clients from both models also had access to a self-leadership workshop series, mentorship through a circle of champions, targeted recruitment events, and employment matching by a recruitment specialist.
The evaluations of both models A and B each used a random assignment design, by randomly selecting participants (the program group) out of those who volunteered to participate in each intervention. Individuals in the program group were offered the services and activities in the program. Individuals in the comparison group did not receive services from the program but remained eligible for other existing World Skills services.

YWCA Metro Vancouver

YWCA Metro Vancouver is a registered charity, gender equity advocate and community service provider. They deliver affordable housing, early learning and child care, training and employment services, and a range of holistic programs that help support individual, collective and economic well-being.

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The YWCA tested Model B: Navigating the Canadian Labour Market, which provided racialized newcomer women with support in developing a clear career plan based on a thorough assessment of their skills, as well as opportunities to connect with potential employers.

The YWCA also piloted Model D: Building Canadian Work Experience. This intervention provided racialized newcomer refugee women, who are receiving either Income Assistance, Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)benefits or private sponsorship, with 12 week-long paid work placements in order to gain on-the-job language practice and practical experience in a Canadian workplace. The program included a six-week training program followed by a 12-week work placement. Participating employers providing a work placement were eligible for a wage subsidy to cover part of the employee wages.

The evaluations of both models B and D were small-scale proof-of-concept studies.