By Ben Viccari
Our first speakers series guest of the year, Manjeet Dhiman, director of services for Acces Employment Services, told CEMA members on Feb. 5 of the organization’s success in helping qualified new Canadians.connect with potential employers. With five locations in the GTA, Acces helps some 15,000 job seekers make contact annually.
With Acces financed by both the federal Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, job-seeking clients and potential employers receive the agency’s services free of charge. Other organizations such as CIBC, Scotiabank, the United Way and the City of Toronto sponsor special activities. For instance, Tim Horton’s sponsors evening Talk English Cafe sessions at the Acces locations providing facilities for newcomers to get together to discuss their experiences as they improve their English skills.
Manjeet named such success stories as that of Hong Yu Hah, who came to Canada four years ago with an expectation of finding employment in the engineering field. She became discouraged until a friend told her about Acces , which connected her to the Toronto Transit Commission, where she is now a design draft engineer.
And then there’s Edgar Manukyan, who came here with a PhD and strong marketing skills and through connections made by Acces is now distribution manager of Terre Verra.
“One of the first things we recognize is that newcomers are generally faced with considerable culture shock,” said Manjeet. “Newcomers should learn the importance of eye contact and the handshake as quickly as possible: as well as the value of a properly presented resume.”
Check out the Acces website
