New Programs and Initiatives

By Elaine Clow-Martin

Way to Go! Project – Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board

The Way to Go! Project was conceived by The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, to assist all students in finding satisfying and rewarding career paths, in high demand career areas. The Board has had a historical vision of addressing the needs of industry for a skilled workforce, to enable future economic development in the school community, the Province, and country as a whole. This “thinking outside the box” towards meeting employer’s needs for a skilled workforce is much more proactive, relative to some other school districts’ more traditional approach to providing career advice.

Study groups and think tanks were established with Industry leaders, including Motorola Canada, The Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association, The Canadian Masonry Association, The Woodbridge Group, Canadian Plastics Industry Association, Ryka Blow Moulds, Dofasco, and Nortel Networks. These initial focus groups, gave impetus and definition to the Mission Statement of the “Way to Go!” Project: “To partner business and education, provide business with the tools to build a skilled, motivated workforce and assist educators in guiding students towards successful career choices.”

Future industry trends predicted special needs for careers in three focus sectors: Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Tourism, and Telecommunications. These led to the identification by the focus groups and their respective associations of 32 specific high demand careers to target in the first year.

To date, the Business Industry Facilitators (B.I.F.’s) have contacted more than four hundred companies, eighty industry and business associations, and twenty post-secondary institutions, with the view of developing career profiles of successful high performers in these projected high-demand careers. As well, Way to Go! B.I.F.’s are identifying those specific traits which indicate success in the individual occupations, through use of an established assessment instrument, developed by Dr. Larry Cash.

Upon development of these profiles, phase two of the Project becomes tenable. Using “career.Max” an on-line version of the assessment instrument designed for students, young people with the traits required for success in these careers are identified. In this way, linkage can be made for students to careers through the Project Database, and a more tangible method of matchmaking between students and potential job satisfaction in careers that might otherwise be overlooked, becomes possible.

The Way to Go! Project provides an effective method of sharing the field of vision for a trained and motivated workforce. It is a new type of radar, that not only predicts the theoretical probability of a student’s success in a given career, but which enables a student to personally ask: “Am I similar or different to a highly successful and motivated person in this occupation? Am I a match for this job, and would I be happy in it?” It gives an opportunity for more “up-front” career direction than was previously available. All in all, it is: “The Way To Go!”

For more information: Contact Nicki Newhouse or John Price at The Way to Go! Project Office 905-816-9555 or by email: nicki.newhouse@dpcdsb.org or john.price@dpcdsb.org

By Shauna Kelly

The Practice Firm

The Practice Firm simulates perfectly the commercial activities of a real business. Its transactions with other Practice Firms around the world recreate all aspects of local and international commerce. In fact, everything is realistic, except production and money transfers, which remain fictitious.

The Clientele

The staff of a practice firm is composed of individuals that are unemployed. Their participation gives them the opportunity to update their knowledge and acquire hands-on work experience while conducting an active job search. Throughout their activities, the participants benefit from the professional support of resource personnel.

During their stay at the Practice Firm, participants work in the department, which fits their educational background:

• Secretarial
• Sales
• Marketing
• Human Resources
• Purchasing
• Accounting
• Graphic Design

All participants are unemployed individuals with some professional experience whose knowledge and skills need updating; or they may be starting a new career and want genuine work experience. They all have one final goal: to secure permanent employment within a real firm.

A Global Phenomenon

The Practice Firm concept was officially born in Germany in 1950. Today, there are some 3,000 Practice Firms forming a network in 35 countries.

The Canadian national headquarters is called the Canadian Practice Firms Network and is located in Quebec City. The Practice Firm concept was introduced in Quebec in April 1995 and now there are close to 30 formed in that province. The Practice Firm formed by the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) and HRDC was the first English-speaking Practice Firm and the first to form outside the province of Quebec. UCCB’s Practice Firm boasts a 90% success rate in helping people find employment.

For further information visit our website: www.capebretonu.ca or contact Shauna Kelly, Business Manager – skelly@caper2.uccb.ns.ca (902) 563-1695 (phone)

Employment Services Information Warehouse

The Employment Services Information Warehouse is a pilot project designed to make the job of service providers, career counsellors, and agency staff easier!

Funded by HRDC, Toronto North, and co-ordinated by Humber College, we are a centralized, co-ordinated and accessible resource for employment service providers. Our mandate is to collect, provide and distribute information about employment services, programs, training, and employment-related issues within the Toronto North area.

To enable us to do this we have collected information on:

• ESL, LINC, and LBS programs
• Programs specific to: Newcomers, Women, People with Disabilities, Youth, Experienced Workers, Aboriginal, Metis
• The Canadian Labour Market
• Education and Training Opportunities, and much more.

As part of our services we provide a “hot-line” of information. Call us with your questions. Let us help you help your clients.

• Send us your information on upcoming programs, special events, new services … and we will broadcast it via our broadcast fax service to our extensive database of service providers.
• Attend our workshops and guest speaker series
• Network with other service providers
• Visit our warehouse: Pick up flyers, brochures, pamphlets
• Drop off your information for others to access

For more information contact:

The Employment Services Information Warehouse
1 York Gate Blvd., Suite 136A
Toronto, ON
M3N 3A1
Ph. (416) 631-0187
Fax (416) 631-9486
e-mail: esiw@ymca.net

By Jane Wilson

Women’s Technology Institute

MicroSkills, formerly Rexdale MicroSkills, is proud to announce the Official Opening on October 28, 1999 of its Women’s Technology Institute, a not-for-profit education centre dedicated to training women for careers in Information Technology – programs prepare women for IT careers in networking, web site design & development, programming and computer services. This is Toronto’s first all-women training initiative, designed to address the many barriers women face in accessing training and employment in Information Technology. The Institute offers role modeling, mentoring, hands-on work experience, childcare, and financial assistance along with state of the art training for recognized industry and professional certifications.

We are currently seeking like-minded industry partners who, believing in women’s ability to excel in IT careers, would like to contribute to building the Women’s Technology Institute.

For more information regarding the Women’s Technology Institute see web site: www.microskills.ca or contact Jane Wilson, Manager, Women’s Technology Institute, (416) 247-1660 ext. 235.

By Don Lapierre

Volunteering To Broaden Your Horizons

Good grades and a post-secondary degree are not enough!

Employers today are looking for knowledgeable and skilled employees. But it’s not as difficult as you think to break the cycle of needing a job to get experience and experience to get a job. Volunteering is a great way to gain valuable work experience while you’re still in school.

Through volunteering, you’ll learn the essentials employers are looking for, such as time-management, problem solving, and communications skills. In fact, many employers today look for volunteer experience on résumés-it shows initiative, commitment, and maturity.

Not only does volunteering give you a competitive edge in the job market, it provides you with useful tools for your job search, and allows you to explore career ideas. The hands-on experience you get through volunteering will help you decide if a particular line of work is for you. Volunteering also helps you build a network of contacts. These individuals can offer you career tips and advice, and can introduce you to important people in your chosen field.

Most of all, volunteering is a chance to learn more about yourself and your community. A fun, interesting, and fulfilling position will give you a sense of accomplishment and pride while offering the opportunity to give something back to society.

The sky’s the limit!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to volunteering. Approach your volunteer position as thoughtfully as you would a paying position. Have an understanding of what skills you have to offer and what you want to learn before you start looking. Make sure the volunteer position meets your own needs as well as the needs of the organization.

There are many paths to take when it comes to finding volunteer work. Check out a community organization in your neighbourhood, or visit your local volunteer centre. Many colleges and universities have volunteer placement centres with resources and experienced staff to give you a hand.

If you prefer to search for your own position from cyberspace, visit the Volunteer Opportunities Exchange (VOE) at www.voe-reb.org. The VOE is an Internet-based matching system that connects agencies looking for volunteers with people seeking volunteer opportunities. Remember that there is more than one way to volunteer. If you have access to the Internet and some self-discipline, you can volunteer virtually for any organization in the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own computer!

If you want to learn more about volunteering and all its possibilities, a good place to start is Volunteering Works! -Volunteer Canada’s new youth volunteering project. Visit www.volunteer.ca or phone 1 800 670-0401 to find out more and broaden your horizons today!

Have you launched a new program or initiative?
E-mail us about it at admin@contactpoint.ca.