List highlights best employers for new Canadians
For CAE, a Montreal-based manufacturer of pilot simulation and modelling technologies, skilled immigrants are an invaluable source of talent and expertise, according to the company’s vice-president of HR and administrative services.
“We do business in 80 different countries and we have employees who come from about 93 countries. That adds a lot of value to us because we can actually use them to help us understand their cultures and help us interact and do business in these countries,” said Michel Lussier.
The company, with 3,400 Canadian employees and 2,600 worldwide, recognizes foreign credentials and experience, with the motto of attracting the best talent wherever they’re from, said Lussier.
Not only does the company hire new skilled immigrants already in Canada but if it finds a qualified candidate in another country, CAE will help him get a work permit, find a home and navigate the legal system to bring over his immediate family, said Lussier.
“We try to do as much as we can so when they come and join us, they’re concentrated on helping us grow our company,” he said.
The company also has an onboarding program for new Canadians, subsidized English and French tutoring and subsidized technical and professional training. This commitment to hiring skilled immigrants and integrating them into the workforce is why the company made Mediacorp Canada’s Top 20 Employers for New Canadians list.
The editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council chose the Top 20 from applicants to this year’s Top 100 competition.
The application process included questions about hiring new Canadians such as:
• how does the company recognize international credentials and work experience?;
• does the company offer training to address skills gaps, such as language?;
• does the company provide onboarding programs?;
• do the company’s recruitment efforts target new Canadians?; and
• does the employer offer internships and mentorships?
“Instead of viewing immigrant jobseekers as a risk, these employers have come up with ways of hiring, training and integrating internationally trained workers into the Canadian workforce,” said Rachel Caballero, lead editor of the Top 20. “International credentials and experience are not considered liabilities or barriers to employment at any of these firms.”
Immigrants crucial to labour force growth
Statistics Canada predicts immigrants will account for all of the net labour force growth by 2011. Given that demographic reality, it made sense to recognize employers that are tapping this important pool of talent with the hopes of inspiring other organizations to follow suit, said Richard Yerema, editor of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.
“You don’t have to be in Vancouver or Toronto or even Calgary or Montreal for this to be an issue. It’s actually to your advantage to make sure you have some formalized programs you can follow to attract new Canadians coming into the country who are highly qualified and highly skilled and offering great value to any organization,” he said.
It doesn’t take a lot of extra work to hire new Canadians, but it does take a little extra patience and understanding, said Kimberley Hogan, vice-president of HR at Christie Digital Systems Canada, one of the Top 20 employers.
The firm’s parent company has offices around the world, including Japan, Beijing, Hungary and Singapore. As such the Kitchener, Ont.-based firm, which designs and manufactures video projection systems, is very multicultural, said Hogan.
“We have a culture that is very used to interacting with people from many places and countries. We really do try to understand some of those cultural nuances,” she said.
Interviewers are willing to take the extra time to get the information they need from candidates who aren’t used to talking about their strengths and successes, said Hogan.
“We take the time to understand the cultures where these people are from and we do try to adapt how we interact with them to ensure that they’re comfortable,” she said.
To find qualified candidates, Christie works with the New Canadian Program (NCP) in Waterloo, Ont. Developed in 1992 by the Waterloo Region District School Board and funded by Service Canada, the program helps connect newcomers with local employers.
Christie, which has 400 employees in Canada, has a reciprocal relationship with NCP. Members of the firm’s HR department participate in training programs for new Canadians, such as mock interviews, and the NCP calls Christie when it finds a new candidate with the right mix of skills.
“They’ll go the extra mile to make the introduction,” said Hogan, whose firm also offers on-site English-language tutoring for employees who might need a little extra help.
Top 20
The top employers for new Canadians
Mediacorp Canada, editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council chose the Top 20 Best Employers for New Canadians from applicants to the 2008 Top 100 competition. And the winners are:
• Associated Engineering Group, Edmonton
• Business Development Bank of Canada, Montreal
• CAE, Saint-Laurent, Que.
• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto
• Christie Digital Systems Canada, Kitchener, Ont.
• Enbridge, Calgary
• Ernst & Young, Toronto
• Island Hearing Services, Victoria
• KPMG, Toronto
• Keane Canada, Halifax
• MDS Nordion, Ottawa
• Manulife Financial, Toronto
• Providence Health Care, Vancouver
• Replicon, Calgary
• St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
• TD Bank Financial Group, Toronto
• Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto
• University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
• Wardrop Engineering, Winnipeg
• i3DVR International, Toronto
“We do business in 80 different countries and we have employees who come from about 93 countries. That adds a lot of value to us because we can actually use them to help us understand their cultures and help us interact and do business in these countries,” said Michel Lussier.
The company, with 3,400 Canadian employees and 2,600 worldwide, recognizes foreign credentials and experience, with the motto of attracting the best talent wherever they’re from, said Lussier.
Not only does the company hire new skilled immigrants already in Canada but if it finds a qualified candidate in another country, CAE will help him get a work permit, find a home and navigate the legal system to bring over his immediate family, said Lussier.
“We try to do as much as we can so when they come and join us, they’re concentrated on helping us grow our company,” he said.
The company also has an onboarding program for new Canadians, subsidized English and French tutoring and subsidized technical and professional training. This commitment to hiring skilled immigrants and integrating them into the workforce is why the company made Mediacorp Canada’s Top 20 Employers for New Canadians list.
The editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council chose the Top 20 from applicants to this year’s Top 100 competition.
The application process included questions about hiring new Canadians such as:
• how does the company recognize international credentials and work experience?;
• does the company offer training to address skills gaps, such as language?;
• does the company provide onboarding programs?;
• do the company’s recruitment efforts target new Canadians?; and
• does the employer offer internships and mentorships?
“Instead of viewing immigrant jobseekers as a risk, these employers have come up with ways of hiring, training and integrating internationally trained workers into the Canadian workforce,” said Rachel Caballero, lead editor of the Top 20. “International credentials and experience are not considered liabilities or barriers to employment at any of these firms.”
Immigrants crucial to labour force growth
Statistics Canada predicts immigrants will account for all of the net labour force growth by 2011. Given that demographic reality, it made sense to recognize employers that are tapping this important pool of talent with the hopes of inspiring other organizations to follow suit, said Richard Yerema, editor of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.
“You don’t have to be in Vancouver or Toronto or even Calgary or Montreal for this to be an issue. It’s actually to your advantage to make sure you have some formalized programs you can follow to attract new Canadians coming into the country who are highly qualified and highly skilled and offering great value to any organization,” he said.
It doesn’t take a lot of extra work to hire new Canadians, but it does take a little extra patience and understanding, said Kimberley Hogan, vice-president of HR at Christie Digital Systems Canada, one of the Top 20 employers.
The firm’s parent company has offices around the world, including Japan, Beijing, Hungary and Singapore. As such the Kitchener, Ont.-based firm, which designs and manufactures video projection systems, is very multicultural, said Hogan.
“We have a culture that is very used to interacting with people from many places and countries. We really do try to understand some of those cultural nuances,” she said.
Interviewers are willing to take the extra time to get the information they need from candidates who aren’t used to talking about their strengths and successes, said Hogan.
“We take the time to understand the cultures where these people are from and we do try to adapt how we interact with them to ensure that they’re comfortable,” she said.
To find qualified candidates, Christie works with the New Canadian Program (NCP) in Waterloo, Ont. Developed in 1992 by the Waterloo Region District School Board and funded by Service Canada, the program helps connect newcomers with local employers.
Christie, which has 400 employees in Canada, has a reciprocal relationship with NCP. Members of the firm’s HR department participate in training programs for new Canadians, such as mock interviews, and the NCP calls Christie when it finds a new candidate with the right mix of skills.
“They’ll go the extra mile to make the introduction,” said Hogan, whose firm also offers on-site English-language tutoring for employees who might need a little extra help.
Top 20
The top employers for new Canadians
Mediacorp Canada, editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council chose the Top 20 Best Employers for New Canadians from applicants to the 2008 Top 100 competition. And the winners are:
• Associated Engineering Group, Edmonton
• Business Development Bank of Canada, Montreal
• CAE, Saint-Laurent, Que.
• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto
• Christie Digital Systems Canada, Kitchener, Ont.
• Enbridge, Calgary
• Ernst & Young, Toronto
• Island Hearing Services, Victoria
• KPMG, Toronto
• Keane Canada, Halifax
• MDS Nordion, Ottawa
• Manulife Financial, Toronto
• Providence Health Care, Vancouver
• Replicon, Calgary
• St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
• TD Bank Financial Group, Toronto
• Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto
• University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
• Wardrop Engineering, Winnipeg
• i3DVR International, Toronto
