Employers honoured for work integrating skilled immigrant talent

Immigrant Success Awards, co-sponsored by Canadian HR Reporter, awarded to 3 employers, individual

Three organizations and one individual have been honoured with awards from the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and RBC, in partnership with Canadian HR Reporter.

Maxxam Analytics, Huawei Technologies Canada, Career Edge and Zuleika Sgro, manager of talent management services at Questrade, were recognized for leading the way in integrating skilled immigrant talent in the Greater Toronto Region labour market at the annual Immigrant Success (IS) Awards.

“The IS Awards winners are part of the growing momentum to embrace immigrant employment as an important part of the solution to address demographic changes and support innovation in the Toronto region,” said Zabeen Hirji, chief human resources officer at RBC.

Canadian HR Reporter Individual Achievement Award

Sgro was given the Canadian HR Reporter Individual Achievement Award in recognition of her successful efforts recruiting 100 skilled immigrants for the growing online brokerage. H
er company is seen as an employer of choice and recognized internally and externally for the value placed on diversity among its staff.


Toronto Star Award for Excellence in Workplace Integration

Testing laboratory Maxxam Analytics received the Toronto Star Award for Excellence in Workplace Integration because of its successful recruitment of skilled immigrants through a co-op program. Maxxam has taken 400 placements since 2005 and hired one-half of them full time.

RBC Immigrant Advantage Award

Global telecommunications company
Huawei Technologies Canada was given the RBC Immigrant Advantage Award. Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, the company has embraced a strategy of hiring skilled immigrants in Canada who know well both the Huawei technology and brand.

CBC Toronto Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion

The CBC Toronto Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion was given to Career Edge Organization’s Career Bridge Program, a paid internship program for immigrants.

Employers get highly qualified pre-screened talent sourced to fit prescribed roles and 80 per cent of interns find full-time employment within six months post-internship.

“Especially now when Ontario is facing more competition for skilled immigrants from western provinces, we need to step up our game in leveraging the talents of this group,” said Elizabeth McIsaac, executive director of TRIEC. “Businesses across the region should be looking to these leaders for their novel strategies to get skilled immigrants working for them.”

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