The Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) at York University will help unemployed and underemployed immigrants to acquire project management skills thanks to a $400,000 joint agreement with partner organizations and Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Labour and Skills Development.
The Immigrants Working Centre (IWC) of Hamilton will collaborate with the Schulich Executive Education Centre and partner McGraw Hill to develop and deliver a suite of skills development activities for 80 recent immigrants, focusing on employment in manufacturing supply chain operations.
“This initiative is a perfect fit for our capabilities as custom training providers and learning designers,” said Rami Mayer, executive director of SEEC at the Schulich School of Business. “We are pleased to work with our partners in this effort and provide an important impact for clients of the Immigrants Working Centre so that they may be able to upgrade their skills, integrate better into Canadian society and thrive. I look forward to creating a meaningful program for those seeking to learn project management as it applies to the manufacturing and supply chain sector.”
The program is part of the ministry’s $115-million Skills Development Fund that will enable market-driven solutions and unlock the economic potential of skilled trade and broader workforce development initiatives to facilitate economic recovery.
“This project will also help a sector that was hard hit by COVID-19 to recover faster.”
– Elena Caprioni, SEEC associate director
SEEC will support the Newcomers in Supply Chain Operations (NSCO) project by developing a suite of online resources to support recent immigrants facing multiple barriers to economic participation and sustainable, living-wage work. The project will create an opportunity for internationally educated individuals to enhance and apply their skills in the local economy and to fill specific workforce gaps related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are excited to be part of this project that will not only help with the post-pandemic recovery but also allow us to showcase SEEC’s capabilities to develop learning programs that directly help educated newcomers find work,” said Elena Caprioni, SEEC associate director. “This project will also help a sector that was hard hit by COVID-19 to recover faster.”
The program aims primarily to serve unemployed and underemployed newcomer job seekers in Hamilton, Ont., and the surrounding area, as well as the Halton and Niagara regions and Brant County. While the program will be delivered remotely, the project will maintain a regional focus to respond to the local labour market context and enable local job development activities towards employment outcomes for participants.
The Immigrants Working Centre delivers innovative models of integrated, employment-focused settlement and language programming to support immigrants’ success in a just and supportive Hamilton.
More information is available on SEEC’s offerings for organizations.