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Chamber Spearheads Mentorship Program For Newly Arrived Immigrants
| Submitted: May 07th, 2010
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The St. Catharines – Thorold Chamber of Commerce is launching a new program aimed at addressing Niagara’s labour market. In partnership with Canadian Access for International Professions and Skilled Trades’ (C.A.I.P.S), and with the support of the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada, the Chamber has developed a corporate recruitment program designed to build a network of business mentors for the C.A.I.P.S Mentoring Program.
“All the research that has been conducted in Niagara indicates that the future of Niagara’s labour market will be largely reliant on internationally trained individuals for its labour force growth,” explains Walter Sendzik, CEO of the St. Catharines – Thorold Chamber. “We have an increasingly large number of newly arrived immigrants with the skills and knowledge that should be transitioning well into Niagara’s economy, but there are still too many barriers.”
Through the Niagara Immigration Mentorship Program, the Chamber will be reaching out to businesses across Niagara to provide information about the mentorship program. The role of the mentor includes providing internationally trained professionals with knowledge about the local business community, direction on overcoming barriers to employment and expansion of contacts with businesses.
“Mentorship is about engagement and interaction,” continues Sendzik. “By connecting business people in Niagara with newly arrived immigrants in our community, we are confident that there will be an exchange of ideas, information and connections.”
While it is to be expected that protégés will gain insight and wisdom when working with a good mentor, experience reveals that mentors also benefit from the program.
Benefits of being a mentor include:
• Learning about your profession or trade from an international perspective
• Enhancing your professional development and leadership skills
• Contribute to the growth of the labour force and economic development of the Niagara Region
• Increase cross-culture awareness
• Receive recognition for community volunteer service and;
• To make a difference.
“Niagara was built by people from all parts of the world,” adds Sendzik. “Much like our past, our collective future includes attracting and retaining people on a global scale. Our goal is to build a mentorship network that facilitates the transition of those who have chosen to call Niagara home into the business community.”
If you or someone in your business is interested in becoming a part of the mentoring program or would like more information, please contact Mary Jane Trombley, Corporate Recruiter, at 905-684-2362 ext. 229 or membership@sctchamber.com.
The Chamber’s Mentorship Project is funded in part by Global Experience @ Work, an initiative of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, with support and funding from the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. Global Experience @ Work (GE@W) is designed to better integrate foreign trained professionals into the labour force by facilitating a bridge between workers and potential employers. This is the second phase of GE@W in which the OCC has provided $1,000,000 in grants to 15 community projects led by local chambers of commerce and boards of trade throughout the province.
For more information and interviews please contact:
Walter Sendzik, Chief Executive Officer, 905-684-2361 ext. 227
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