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Career Action for Newcomers (CAN) Program
Celebrates its 20th anniversary
Toronto, Ontario (October 22, 2000) – JobStart announced today that it will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Career Action for Newcomers (CAN) Program on Tuesday, October 28th ,
8:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.. at JobStart, 219 Dufferin Street, Suite 1C, Toronto. Elizabeth McIsaac, Executive Director, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) will deliver the keynote speech focusing on the evolution of services for Internationally Trained Professionals and trends for the future.
“Twenty years since the ‘Career Action for Newcomers’ Program was introduced, I am proud to say that we have helped thousands of newcomers to Canada successfully transition into the Canadian workplace!” –
Heather Sant, JobStart Executive Director
About Career Action for Newcomers (CAN)
From humble beginnings in the basement of the Dufferin Street Baptist Church in 1987, the Career Action for Newcomers Program (then known as the Independent Living Skills Program) has developed into an established and successful program for foreign trained professional new to Canada. Now housed at 219 Dufferin Street West, Toronto, we offer a full range of services including job search, job placements, mentorship, and the most recent addition, the Enhanced Language Training program for IT Professionals Program.
About JobStart
JobStart is a community based, not-for-profit agency helping experienced workers, newcomers to Canada, youth, and persons with disabilities overcome challenges in order to reach their employment goals. The agency serves over 8000 clients annually, from its three locations. JobStart offers several different programs designed to help their clients gain the skills they need to find meaningful employment in today’s job market. At this time JobStart is pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of the Career Action for Newcomers Program over the past twenty years!
For further information, please contact:
Stephen Clow, Manager, Communications and Business Development (416) 253-2711 or (647) 226-3863, Stephen.Clow@jobstart-cawl.org
Computer training centre celebrates - JobStart program marks first anniversary
The Etobicoke Guardian- December 2007
Reprinted courtesy of the Etobicoke Guardian
JobStart is celebrating the first year anniversary of its Etobicoke-based computer center - a milestone that has seem the not-for-profit employment services agency train almost twice as many people as initially projected.
“We are very pleased with the success of this program,” said Terry Mclean, manager of the Computer Learning Training Centre (CLTC).
“We expected to serve 350 people, yet a year later, we’ve successfully trained over 600 JobStart community clients and visitors- nearly double our original target.”
Mona ElSayeh, manager of communications, attributes the program’s great success to its accessibility to clients who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford computer training. Through the CLTC, JobStart runs free technology skills development workshops for youth, experiences workers, people with disabilities and newcomers who are enrolled in one of their many employment programs.
“We found that a lot of our clients were interested in computer training, but couldn’t afford the oftentimes expensive fees,” she said. “So simply by telling them about our free program, we attracted a lot of people.”
The workshops, which include six introductory computer courses ranging from lessons in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and basic web design, provide its students with the technical and software skills requited to compete in the job market.
“Technology can play a very important role in transforming people’s lives and the communities they live in,” Gavin Thompson, director of community affairs for Microsoft Canada, whose Unlimited Potential- Community Technology Skills Program funds the workshops, said in a statement.
At Thursday morning’s anniversary celebration, ElSayeh said several graduates of the program were on hand to speak to the workshops’ positive impact on their lives- both professionally and personally.
“The easiest way to measure the success of the program is by jobs our grads secure, but just imagine someone who comes in and doesn’t even know what a mouse is,” she said, noting the CLTC also offers a basic digital literacy workshop for such clients. “After learning something as simple as e-mail, their confidence is boosted and so many more doors are open to them.”
Those results, while more difficult to measure, ElSayeh said, are just as rewarding. In addition to its free programming for JobStart clients, the CLTC also offers affordable courses and customized packages to individuals and the local business community- the latter being a market that the CLTC hopes to reach out to on a larger scale in the coming year, ElSayeh said.
The CLTC is located at 2930 Lakeshore Blvd. Visit www.jobstart-cawl.org or call 416 231 2295 for more info.
JobStart celebrates First Year Anniversary of Computer Learning Training Centre- over 600 new clients served
Lakeshore Villages- November 2007
reprinted courtesy of the Lakeshore Villages
JobStart, a Toronto-based not-for-profit community employment services agency, today announced that they will celebrate the first anniversary of their Computer Learning Training Centre (CLTC) located in Etobicoke on December 6, 2007. The CLTC allows JobStart to introduce free technology skill development workshops to youth, experienced workers, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada, providing them the technical and software skills required to compete in today’s job market.
“We are very pleased with the success of this program,” said Terry McLean, manager of the Computer Learning Training Centre. “We expected to serve 350 people, yet a year later, we’ve successfully trained over 600 JobStart community clients and visitors – nearly double our original target.”
JobStart’s CLTC offers six introductory computer courses ranging from lessons in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access, to basic web design and was made possible by a grant from the Microsoft Unlimited Potential – Community Technology Skills Program.
“Microsoft is thrilled to have been given an opportunity to partner with JobStart,” says Gavin Thompson, Director of Community Affairs, Microsoft Canada. “Technology can play a very important role in transforming people’s lives and the communities they live in.”
“We would like to thank Microsoft Canada for providing our clients with the opportunity to enhance their computer skills,” says Heather Sant, Executive Director of JobStart. “The ability to understand and use technology has a huge impact on our clients’ success in finding rewarding employment.”
All courses are free to individuals currently registered in one of JobStart’s employment programs.
As well as providing community service, the training centre offers courses and customized packages to individuals and the business community at affordable rates.
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