I was happy to see integration to Algonquin territory and indigenous culture related programming in 2014 WOW. Please continue to involve local Aboriginal organisations and…

Linda Manning
WOW 2014 participant, Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa
In our city’s history, immigrants have always played an important role. They build our economic prosperity, diversify our culture, contribute to our social vitality.

Jim Watson
Mayor of Ottawa
My nomination is an indication that our hard work in building Canada is recognized. All we do is to serve the community in return for embracing us when we needed it.  

Mehdi Mahdavi
Ottawa Immigrant Entrepreneurship Awards Nominee
The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is so happy to have joined the OLIP Health and Wellbeing Sector Table. It is clear that OLIP cares about immigrants and refugees and…

Wendy Tang, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre
The WOW seminar on immigrant women’s nutrition and health was a step in the right direction towards closing the gap between academic researchers and service providers.

Josephine Etowa
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa will continue to play a lead role in the implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy, just as we did in the founding of OLIP.

Steve Desroches
City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Ottawa
All the WOW events that I went to were great – WOW does give a sense of a community trying to improve its attraction and retention!

Caroline Andrew
Professor, University of Ottawa
I’m really impressed with the level of energy and commitment around the Health and Wellbeing table and look forward to continuing collaboration between OLIP and OPH.

Marcela Tapia
Ottawa Public Health
The work and expertise that OLIP brings to our community is so important as it helps us to build bridges and break down silos.  I look forward to our continued work together. 

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa
The target beneficiary of the work of OLIP is the whole community. In this short period we have planted together important seeds for Ottawa’s development.  

Dick Stewart
OLIP Council

Exploring Magnet and partnership models to advance immigrant employment

August 13, 2018

By Ingrid Argyle, Manager of the Ottawa Employment Hub

On June 27, 2018, more than 30 community partners joined Ottawa Employment Hub to learn from Mark Patterson, Executive Director of Magnet and Hire Immigrants in Toronto, housed at Ryerson University, and Sue Sadler, Senior Vice President, Services and Program Development, ACCES Employment in Toronto.

Ottawa Employment Hub has partnered with Magnet for the past two years and now has more than 20 local partners engaged in the collaborative network, powered by a job-matching platform that connects employers to talent based on skills and qualifications.  This Welcoming Ottawa Week (WOW) workshop provided community partners with the opportunity to hear firsthand from both Magnet and ACCES Employment, a leader in connecting employers with employees from diverse backgrounds in Toronto, on how they leverage partnerships to connect immigrant talent to jobs.

Mark Patterson spoke to his dual role as Executive Director of both Magnet and Hire Immigrants. Hire Immigrants, managed by the Global Diversity Exchange (GDX) at the Ted Rogers School of Management, profiles “what works” in immigrant employment worldwide, providing resources for employers, immigrant entrepreneurs and policy makers.

Mark explained how Magnet utilizes an advanced and protected recruitment model that promotes diversity and supports bias-free recruitment strategies, and emphasized its focus on partnerships. “Magnet always partners with community organizations, including employment services, settlement agencies, industry associations and business intermediaries, as well as colleges and universities,” he said.  “We continue to build these partnerships in Ottawa, and this WOW event provided a great opportunity to share knowledge and learn how we can best focus collaborative efforts moving forward.” 

Mark shared examples of how Magnet can drive collaborative action on immigrant employment, such as working with Starbucks on their commitment to hire 1,000 refugees, providing a portal to support and retain international students, and the ALiGN network’s assessment based matching to remove barriers for those with limited work experience. He also showcased new contextualized Labour Market Information (LMI) features of the platform, and how it can support pre-arrival services.

Sue Sadler highlighted ACCES Employment’s partnership with Magnet and Ryerson University, as well as their overall approach to immigrant employment. In 2017, ACCES served 32,000 job seekers through 25 tailored programs. Three-quarters of their clients are new immigrants.     

Sue emphasized the importance of employer engagement and taking a sector-based approach. She shared ACCES’s six-tier model for sector-specific program delivery, as well as their focus on both academic and industry partnerships. “In consultation with employers and industry leaders, we have developed expertise in a wide range of sectors including engineering, finance, human resources, IT, sales and marketing, supply, and most recently, entrepreneurship,” said Sue. “We deliver these sector specific programs alongside communications and language training and mentoring opportunities.”

Hindia Mohamoud, Director of OLIP, thanked the guest speakers. “There is a lot of potential to explore, and now that we are connected, we can leverage the experience of Ryerson University and Access Alliance more intentionally,” said Hindia. “A key WOW objective is to foster connections and promote learning on the multiple complex pathways to building a welcoming city”.

Ottawa Employment Hub would like to thank OLIP for making this event possible, as well as Mark, Sue and those who filled the room to share their ideas and enthusiasm!

Find out more at:

www.accesemployment.ca
www. magnet.today
www.ottawaemploymenthub.ca