MOSAIC has just graduated the first cohort of students from Hope to Work, a pilot program funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation.
Hope to Work is a two-week program that helps refugees to Canada set career goals and plan how to achieve them. Participants learn new skills, improve their job search strategies and connect with employers by touring their places of business and finding out about their hiring needs. Participants are required to have 10 years of education or 6 years education combined with 4 years of previous work experience.
The initial intake for the program was predominantly made up of Syrian refugees and one of the graduates said it was the first time she felt a sense of “family” since arriving in Canada. The group toured four employer workplaces where they got a chance to check out Canadian work sites, and ask questions. The workplaces included Gordon Food Services, Para Space Landscaping, GlobalMe and Arc’Teryx.
At the graduation ceremony, one of the participants volunteered that the most important learning for her were the “small things”, citing the interview process and knowing what to expect as examples.
Marina Gherman, program coordinator, praised the group at the graduation ceremony, telling them “You have been such an easy group to work with. You are happy people and you created a wonderful atmosphere within the program”.
The next intake for Hope to Work will be in February 2017. To learn more, please visit mosaicbc.org/h2w.
