By Mark Larson

From Nova Scotia

Find Distance/Online Services – Workplace Skills Initiative

Here is a situation you may be familiar with: – as a career practitioner / employment specialist you are faced with a client looking for advice and guidance concerning their need to find employment in their field. Add to this mix, the fact that this client is an immigrant and has unique challenges regarding the integration into not just the Canadian labour market but a new country as well. In addition, this individual has chosen to live in a smaller urban center far removed from your location and cannot take advantage of the face to face services your organization offers.

The Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association (MISA) recently received funding from HRSDC (Human Resources and Social Development) to extend their suite of employment and language services to newcomers throughout Nova Scotia. The Workplace Skills Initiative will help the organization reach newcomers living outside of the Halifax Regional Municipality and provide additional services to both employers and newcomers wishing to develop new workplace skills.

The online or distance education service that will extend assistance to immigrants anywhere in Nova Scotia will be the New Beginnings Online pre-employment workshops. These online workshops complement the Halifax based New Beginnings program classroom based workshops that have been successfully assisting newcomers integrate effectively into the labour market. The three workshops in the New Beginnings Online program are:

Job Search	Interview Skills	Working in Canada
In this workshop, participants learn about resumes, cover letters, methods of job search, identifying and researching potential employers, marketing yourself and other topics.  Participants learn and practice skills which will help them compete for positions in the Canadian labour market.	This workshop helps participants prepare for Canadian job interviews.   Participants learn what to expect at the interview, what kinds of questions may be asked and what is important to employers.  After this workshop, clients are better able to manage a job interview.	This workshop covers basic employment issues such as employment contracts, taxes, workplace culture, organizational culture and success in the workplace.  It helps participants feel more comfortable and confident working in a Canadian environment.

E-employment specialists and online facilitators will be able to reach immigrants throughout the province and provide the employment counseling, workshop facilitation and career path expertise so crucial to those newly arrived and eager to apply their skills and qualifications to the acute labour market demands of Nova Scotia.

These labour market demands are not restricted just to a major center such as Halifax, but spread over the entire province. The distance / online services that will be made available to immigrants allow for the extension of services to smaller urban centers and rural communities throughout the province. It will also allow those precluded from taking advantage of Halifax based services due to time and cost restrictions (i.e. child care, transportation, attendance in academic upgrading, etc.) to have access to employment services and resources to assist them contribute their workplace skills as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

For more detailed information about the New Beginnings Online program, go to www.newbeginnings.online. For additional information about the range of services offered by the Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association, go to www.misa.ns.ca/wins.php.

Mark Larson is the New Beginnings Online Coordinator and is a member of the Employment Services Unit at MISA.

From New Brunswick

TOWES Assessment Now Available in New Brunswick

by R2 Management Inc.

We are pleased to inform Contact Point readers that the Test of Workplace Essential Skills, commonly known as TOWES, is now available in New Brunswick.

TOWES is an effective assessment used to accurately measure the three essential skills associated with literacy; reading text, document use, and numeracy. Recognized across Canada as a standardized test, it is also accepted by some employers as an alternative credential to the secondary school diploma.

TOWES can be used in a variety of situations such as in the selection of new employees (pre-employment screening tool), in the development of education programs to meet individuals needs (educational assessment), in work/worker adjustment programs for organizations (decision making for future training) as well as school/work transition programs. More importantly, test results are correlated to scales used by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSD), Canada’s National Occupational Classification, as well as the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).

Efforts to increase productivity in our Province must ensure that workers, job seekers and students, have the literacy skills necessary to acquire new skills on an on-going basis in our ever changing and competitive job market.

As a Human Resources Development Agency and as TOWES Distributor for the province of New Brunswick, we believe that TOWES can be a valuable tool considering the importance of literacy in today’s economy.

Our agency would be more than pleased to provide additional information on TOWES and its best practices. We can be reached at (506) 759-7272.

Further information can also be obtained through the TOWES website at: www.towes.com or through our agency’s website at www.r-2.ca.

R2 Management Inc. is a bilingual and professional agency offering human resources development mentorship to businesses and organizations looking to improve their clients’ or their workers’ employability level. This type of service is essential when challenges occur (i.e. accidents, job changes, employment barriers) in an individual’s life, affecting his/her employment possibilities. Please visit www.R-2.ca for more information.

From Ontario

Find out more about the Professional Development Training Series

by Job Skills

Job Skills is pleased to present an exciting new selection of training opportunities taking place during 2008 into the early part of 2009. The courses are designed to provide additional skills, enhanced learning opportunities and recognition for specialized training for individuals working with clients in the Employment Services sector.

For the first time, Job Skills has partnered with The Corporate Schoolhouse, ONESTEP and The Ontario Alliance of Career Development Practitioners (OACDP) to provide various levels of certification for individuals.

Through its new certificate programs, The Corporate Schoolhouse is now offering individuals the opportunity to receive a General Employment Services Professional Certificate or a more Specialized Employment Services Professional Certificate, based on their own particular interest.

ONESTEP, in partnership with OACDP, is also offering the opportunity to work towards the Career and Employment Information Specialist (CEIS) Certificate for individuals looking to enhance the skills and knowledge needed to better support clients to make informed career, education and job search plans.

You can register for the courses on an individual basis, even if you are not planning to complete the certificate programs.

For more information on these courses, please see our website at www.jobskills.org, email us atpd@jobskills.org, or call 905-898-5138 or 1-866-592-6278.

Job Skills, a dynamic, non-profit community-based employment and training agency, has been offering a variety of employment and business services since 1988. The agency currently has locations serving residents of York/Bradford, Dufferin, Halton, Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto. Visit www.jobskills.org to find out how Job Skills is working to get you working!

From Alberta

Ignite Your Passion Conference: “Fire into the Future”

by Robert Shewchuk

The Calgary Chapter of The Career Development Association of Alberta (CDAA) is hosting its annualIgnite Your Passion Conference titled “Fire into the Future” on October 3rd, 2008 at the Fort Calgary Historic Park.

The Ignite Your Passion Conference is a one day event that offers career development professionals a forum to learn new and innovative methods of working with our clients, as well as a chance to re-ignite our own passion for the career development field. This year’s conference promises to build on our past success and offer an informative and fun professional development opportunity that will assist career professionals in Calgary and the surrounding area.

We are very proud to offer three innovative and professional speakers who will offer their expertise in the areas of leadership, future careers, and facilitations skills. Tammy Robertson, owner and operator of Work Heart Consulting, will speak on “Career Practitioners as Leaders of the Future”. Ruth Kelly, president and CEO of Venture Publishing Inc. and the publisher/editor-in-chief of Alberta Venture Magazine, will speak on “Careers of the Future”. Michelle Devlin, an accomplished professional speaker, will speak on “Facilitating for the Future”.

Although this is a CDAA Calgary Chapter event, all career professionals are welcome to attend our conference. Please e-mail Robert Shewchuk at rwshewchuk@cbe.ab.ca if you are interested in attending the Ignite conference.

From British Columbia 

Join Aspect for their 2008 Conference: Power – Passion – Perseverance

by Lesley Patten

Join us for the 2008 ASPECT Provincial Conference on November 6 and 7, 2008, at the Delta Victoria, Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria, British Columbia. Rediscover your POWER, rekindle your PASSION and build your PERSEVERANCE for the road ahead. The 2008 ASPECT Conference will further empower you to meet day-to-day challenges, recognize your abilities, share your successes, rally your mavens and be impactful and influential.

For more information visit: www.aspect.bc.ca.

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