The goal of Immigrant Women’s Employment Readiness Connections Program (IWERC) was to equip women with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to be a successful professional in the Canadian workplace. We matched employers with internationally-trained, professional women with backgrounds in Administration, Accounting, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Business and project management.
In the two years of our IWERC program, we successfully trained 45 women in three cohorts. Training addressed pre-employment skills, tailored employment assistance services, design thinking, intercultural competency, individualized job placement services and provide opportunities to broaden professional networks.
Through these interactive workshops, participants examined power, authority, and the source of the common conflict between knowing and doing. Utilizing content presentations, large and small group discussions, questionnaires, demonstrations, and reflection, ideas were processed in an interactive format. Participants were left with workable insights to help them navigate their individual inner journey and returning for group sharing and wrap-up activities guided by professional facilitators.
The program ended in March 2019 and, we’ve excited to mention, all of our participants are now involved in the Canadian workplace; they are working with profit and non-profit organizations and have their own careers in Canada.
