Board of Trade workplace program connects immigrants and Burnaby businesses

Image via WikipediaBY JANAYA FULLER-EVANS, BURNABY NOW



The Burnaby Board of Trade is working to break down barriers to employment for new residents.
The board has conducted six Breaking Down the Barriers workplace tours and is hosting its final forum for the project on April 28.
The aim of the project was to connect more than 250 immigrants with Canadian companies over a period of 18 months.
The project was designed to create meaningful dialogue between immigrants and employers, allowing attendees to exchange experiences and share perspectives.
The project has helped immigrants and employers better understand the challenges each faces, according to Darlene Gering, president and CEO of the board.
"Employers are saying, we do have to look at our hiring practices," she said.
And immigrants get an idea of what businesses are looking for, Gering added.
For instance, one of the common threads on the tours was that immigrants looking for work didn't realize employers do the majority of hiring through networking or employee recommendations, she explained.
"It was quite new for immigrants to learn that," Gering said, adding this surprised her, as people on the tours have gone through employment training with social service agencies.
Another interesting challenge for immigrants was understanding the different types of workplace culture in Canada, as they often expect to have to adapt to one cultural standard, she said.
But in fact, workplace culture varies depending on the industry and the type of company, Gering explained.
Gering addressed some of the challenges immigrants face in finding employment at a recent tour..
"The Canadian employment market is significantly more robust than others, but accessing it can be difficult and daunting for immigrants for whom language and cultural difference pose an inhibitory barrier to entry," she said.
"However, we need more immigrants to drive innovation, which is fundamental to our economy's success. We must continue to position British Columbia as the preferred destination for the world's best and brightest - therefore Canadian companies need to understand the challenges immigrants face in accessing the employment market. Additionally, immigrants need to be given the tools to market themselves so they are more appealing to employers."
Gering added that she is proud of the board's partnership with the Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table, which is leading the initiative.
The final tour was on April 14.
The board has been conducting the tours over the past 18 months, to introduce new immigrants to businesses in Burnaby. Tours have included the healthcare industry, engineering, finance, the IT and technology sector, green businesses, and accounting.
The forums are intended to raise awareness and reach out to the business community regarding the importance of newcomer integration into society, particularly through employment opportunities.
They are designed for immigrant job seekers, industry professionals and hiring managers.
The final forum, which is free to employers, is on April 28 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Vancouver Hilton Metrotown.
Bob Elton, chair of the Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia and former president and CEO of B.C. Hydro, is presenting.
The Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have provided funding for the Breaking Down the Barriers project.
For more information, go to: www.bbot.ca.

© Copyright (c) Burnaby Now

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Alberta targets mature workers to combat future labour shortage

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EDMONTON - The Alberta government wants aging workers to put off retirement instead of putting golf balls as a way to stave off a looming labour shortage.

Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk released Wednesday a strategy aimed at encouraging more mature workers to stay on the job.

It’s one way to avert the worker, skills and knowledge crunch expected when the forecasted economic upturn crashes into Alberta’s aging population.

“We’re walking into a perfect storm,” Lukaszuk said, after announcing the report Engaging the Mature Worker: An Action Plan for Alberta at a human resources conference.

“2011 is the first year during which officially baby boomers are turning 65, so we’re looking at a large exodus of workers, not only in numbers but experience.”

Alberta faces a shortage of at least 77,000 workers in the next decade, he said. “That means no doctors, that means no coffee shops open, that means no daycare.”

Lukaszuk said he wants to maximize groups which are under-represented in the workforce — aboriginals, youth, immigrants and older people. A similar government report on engaging aboriginals is on the way.

Mature workers now account for about 16 per cent of the workforce and fewer than one in four employers have strategies in place to address the aging workforce.

In 2010, 17,400 Albertans retired, 2,300 more than in 2009. About 190,000 workers are expected to retire during the next 10 years.

Lukaszuk said the government wants to tap into mature workers — age 55 and above — who don’t want to stop working.

“We’re finding that our pre-retirees and retirees no longer follow the pattern of turning 65 and instantly hitting the golf course and never working again. Most mature workers want to stay engaged in the labour force in some capacity — maybe doing what they were doing all their lives but on a part-time or casual basis or changing careers altogether.”

The strategy was met with mixed reviews at the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton.

“Sixty-five is too young to retire,” said one senior, who declined to give her name.

Diana Bacon, 77, retired as a kindergarten teacher when she was 58 and said that as it turned out, if she had kept working, it would have robbed her of a blessing.

“I retired early because my husband retired early and I’m glad I did because we had a few trips and things before he died,” Bacon said.

“If I’d have kept on working, I’d have missed that. And after he died, I could have gone back to work but I have enough to live on and I don’t require a lot.”

Bacon, who volunteers at the centre preparing taxes for seniors, says encouraging people to work longer will have another unintended consequence.

“If you allow people to work endlessly, you’re going to cut back on the people available to do volunteer work. It’s very well-known that the best volunteers are the seniors.”

The plan calls on government to work with employers to retain mature workers by developing age-friendly workplaces, succession planning and phased retirements.

Mature workers who want to keep working should have more employment and career services and post-secondary education options.

The plan also calls for educating employers on the value of older workers and to revise pension and tax policies.

It suggests employers consider reducing hours and responsibilities of mature workers, move some to part-time work, recall retirees for busy times, use them for mentoring and consulting and redesign their jobs.

“There’s nothing magical that happens to us at 65,” Lukaszuk said.

“We don’t lose our capabilities. We not only could be as productive but frankly, could be even more productive because of the wealth of experience that we have.”

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour said he supports mature workers staying on voluntarily but worried some may be coerced to stay on.

“If (Lukaszuk’s) talking about forcing people to work past retirement age against their choice, then he’s going to have a war on his hands. Working Albertans won’t take kindly to having their retirement dreams undermined or taken away.”

He was also skeptical that employers would go out of their way to accommodate older workers.

“We in the labour movement have been calling on both governments and employers for years to discuss more flexible approaches to retirement for mature workers, but the truth is we’ve met a lot of resistance especially from the employers’ side.

“I’m not as convinced as the Minister seems to be that employers will get behind a more flexible approach.”

Charlotte Bouchard, chair of the Human Resources Institute of Alberta, said employers are looking at ways to retain older workers and reviewing their retirement policies.

“That’s a lot of experience that’s going out the door,” Bouchard said.

But employers face some challenges when it comes to retaining mature workers. “Is there the desire for them to stay? Secondly, what initiatives do you need to put in place to get them to stay? Do you need to help them more with benefits? Do you need to give more life balance?

“You need to have some flexibility.”

Lukaszuk said the province will work with the federal government to make sure tax rules and other policies don’t deter people working past retirement age.

“If you’re collecting your pension and choose to work part-time, you will just jump yourself one bracket over and everything you’re earning will be deducted in income tax and making it a futile exercise.”

Lukaszuk said keeping aging people working could boost workforce numbers by 40,000 but it still isn’t a long-term solution to Alberta’s labour shortage.

“At the end of the day, if we were to be 100-per-cent successful with persons with disabilities, mature workers, aboriginals, women and those who are chronically unemployed or underemployed, that still won’t suffice.

“At the end of the day, our population growth is still not catching up with our labour force requirement to our economic growth.”

Lukaszuk urged the federal government to revamp Canada’s immigration policies to better address the economic needs of provinces.

bmah@edmontonjournal.com

twitter.com/mahspace

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

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Canada promises faster immigration, more student visas for India

TORONTO: Just days before Canadian parliamentary elections on May 2, political leaders are wooing Indo-Canadians by promising less waiting time for immigration and more student visas from India.

Speaking at a roundtable organized by the Canada- India Foundation (CIF) here, top leaders of the opposition Liberal Party promised a comprehensive relationship with India. They said their party government will take the bilateral ties beyond trade to increase immigration and tourism from India and foster deeper education and research cooperation.

Top Liberal Party leader and Toronto MP Bob Rae reminded Indo-Canadians the role played by his party leader and former prime minister Paul Martin in ushering in G20 to include India and other developing economies for wider consultation on global economic issues.

He said Canada should focus on its core competencies in engaging with India and leverage its expertise to continue to push for stronger nuclear ties with India.

Suggesting more visas for Indian students to study in Canada, John McCallum, MP from the Toronto suburb of Markham-Unionville, said Australia was "eating Canada's lunch'' in attracting Indian students and the federal government must usher in friendlier policies on visa and work.

Canada currently gets about 3,500 Indian students compared to over 40,000 going to Australia each year.

Rob Oliphant, MP from the Toronto constituency of Don Valley West, said his party had identified Gujarat as a great business destination 20 years ago. He said he was happy that the current Canadian government has recognized the importance of Gujarat by being a partner country at this year's Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

Since Canada still doesn't have any official presence in Gujarat, he favoured a full consular office in the state.

Oliphant promised that his party government would reduce wait times for the family class immigration category from 11-13 years now to five to six years. He also said his party government would be more careful in addresses sensitive issues like the visit of union minister Kamal Nath here last year which led to protests by Sikh groups for his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots.

Bengali-origin Rana Sarkar, who is contesting for parliament for the first time from the Toronto constituency of Scarborough Rouge River, said that based on past history, his Liberal Party has "the DNA for dealing with India and now there is need for India 2.0 engagement strategy.''

Maria Minna, MP from the Toronto constituency of Beaches-East York, emphasized the need for serious engagement of the Indian diaspora for deepening Canada-India relations.

Canada-India Foundation leaders Aditya Jha and Ramesh Chotai, said the Indian diaspora was pleased that the Liberal Party recognizes its role in shaping Canadian policies.

Representatives of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, IIT Alumni of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization also quizzed Canadian politicians about India.

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