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These partnership projects arose out of and address trends and opportunities identified in the
2007 Trends & Opportunities Report.
This report published in January each year provides a synopsis of economic and labour market information for South Western Ontario including Windsor, Essex County and Chatham-Kent along with a community action plan focused on workforce development. The action plan is based on consultations conducted throughout the region identifying workforce development trends and issues, actions currently being taken to address those trends and issues as well as recommended future community-wide actions.
To obtain a copy of the current report and/or to participate in upcoming consultations, please contact Diane Soucie at 519.250.3959/1.877.629.2293 or diane@netsuccess.on.ca.
2007 – 2008 Partnership Projects
Career Counsellor Forum
The Trends, Opportunities and Priorities Report of 2007-08 recognized the structural shift in our economy and the need for relevant career information to be available in secondary and post-secondary schools as well as to service providers working with the unemployed in our community.
The Career Counsellor Forum conducted in January 2008 brought together over 250 guidance and career professionals for a half day session featuring representatives from sectors including Supply Chain Management; Construction; Tourism; Finance; Information Technology; Mining and Health Care. The event was kicked off by noted futurist and economist Jim Carroll who engaged the audience with his talk of real opportunities within the innovation economy. A videotape of his address is now being pared down into a presentation-format for future use. Following the keynote, attendees circulated in small groups to hear from career representatives of their opportunities in their sector immediately and within the next five years. Event feedback was highly positive and continues to be a topic of conversation within the community.
Value of Education Interactive Activity
Another trend noted in 2007, was the rising skill requirement. Completion of a secondary school is imperative and post-secondary education and/or continuous learning is encouraged. Our project team decided a board game for Grade 7 students would convey this message in a fun and interactive way while getting the students to begin to think about some of the decisions they would be making in the coming years. Pathways to Success was developed to be facilitated by student success teachers at the secondary school level. The students begin by exploring the definition of success as “doing what you love in a way that makes use of your talents and interests”. Students select a character and a career goal and then go about the board picking up the knowledge and experience required to prepare for the world of work, college, apprenticeship or university.
"Cashing In – Unlocking Your Potential"
This half-day session addresses the need to integrate the growing number of immigrants into our local workforce. The employer led workshop offers a minimum of 50 immigrants the opportunity to meet with over a dozen employers from a variety of sectors to obtain real-world feedback on job search and the Canadian workplace. Participants will author their own “positioning statement” and put the statement into practice by introducing themselves to a number of employers during a networking component of the program. Then, in small group settings, these employers will provide workshop participants with advice about their cover letter and resume, conduct mock interviews and discuss how to be successful within Canadian workplace culture. This workshop will also enhance employers’ understanding and willingness to consider the skills, knowledge and attitudes presented by immigrants.
"Unlocking Your Potential" Manual
A job search manual outlining a comprehensive job search strategy suitable for those entering the workforce for the first time, immigrants, and those displaced and re-entering the labour market.
Not only do we have a significant number of youth seeking to enter the workforce for the first time, the dramatic loss of manufacturing jobs in our community coupled with the spin-off effect creating job loss in other sectors has resulted in the lay-off of many long-term employees. Individuals employed with a company for ten years or more lack experience in modern human resource selection practices and what it takes to secure a job. As a community-based job search resource, we have developed a print and electronic Job Search manual laid out in an easy-to-use format highlighting print and electronic resources to execute a modern, professional job search strategy guaranteed to get noticed.
Examples of topics the manual will focus on include:
- “Best Practice” websites focusing on career decision-making, labour market information to encourage continuous learning strategies and job search.
- Becoming in-tune with what employers looking for and what you have to offer
- Target marketing to the 70 to 90% of the jobs available and never advertised
- Pinpointing your transferable skills and the companies who would hire people with those skills
- How to be a “convenient solution” – Why you network and how.
- Creating a cover letter and resume that “get you out of the pile of 50 and in to the pile of 5” who are getting an interview.
- E-resumes, keywords and resume database techniques
- How to prepare for a behaviour-based interview so that of the 5 being interview you’re the one who’s offered a job.
Print versions of the manual will be distributed to secondary school and post-secondary school educators and counselors, employment service providers, staffing services, labour adjustment committees and community events targeted to job searchers. A downloadable document will also be made available. In both cases the document will be available in both official languages.
A continuous improvement approach will be taken to document creation by validating content as it is compiled. Validation will be provided by service providers, employers, labour adjustment committee representatives and unemployed individuals.
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