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When professionals immigrate to Canada, they are taking a calculated risk that giving up their lives in their home countries will eventually pay off with a better life for their families. After a few months of breathing in the fresh air and settling into their new communities, reality sets in.

Canada is an increasingly expensive place to live, so the pressure to find a job sooner than later becomes a priority. But their confidence starts to fade when they realize how different Canada is from their home country.

You’ve read the company mission statement and history, you know the job description, and you’ve practiced a few interview questions with your favourite AI interview app. You feel ready for the interview! Um, no, may I kindly suggest that you are indeed NOT ready. Do you really want this job? The real game-changer lies in being willing to do a deep dive into research that goes far beyond the surface-level. Although knowing the job posting and reading up on the company’s website is a definite must, it is just the springboard for next-level dive into research which will enable you to present yourself as the ideal solution to the company's challenges.  

Ever wondered why some interview questions are difficult and catch you off guard? In today’s article, Centre for Skills Development’s Employment Specialist, Klara Kabelik, will provide you with some Trick or Treat tips for this spooky season. 

Trick: Tell me a little bit about yourself… 

Welcome to the Spooky Season, Canadian Newcomers! If this is your first October in Canada, you might be wondering why your neighbours are decorating their homes with skulls, ghosts and giant spider webs. This is for one of Canada’s favourite holidays: Halloween, celebrated on October 31st every year. And what does “Spooky” mean? It is a playful slang word for “scary” which suggests that it really is not scary at all.

As October unfolds in Canada, you will see pots of colourful asters and pumpkins of all sizes decorating front porches, cafe’s, stores and even workplaces. These represent the last harvest before winter arrives as we prepare for Thanksgiving and Halloween. Many newcomers are familiar with pumpkins as vegetables in savoury dishes, but not as decor, let alone a flavour in lattes and an ingredient in sweet foods like muffins and pie! But as an immigrant’s daughter, I assure you, Thanksgiving is an easy holiday to adapt to, and you don’t have to drink pumpkin spice lattes or decorate with pumpkins to celebrate, but your kids will likely beg you to. 

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A con, a ruse, a hustle or just plain old fraud. Whatever term people use there are all kinds of scams out there that criminals can benefit from. There are many tricks to get your money or valuable personal information.

Unfortunately, these forms of fraud have now moved on to targeting job seekers, especially newcomers who may not be aware of the laws and regulations in Canada, along with the proper legal process and procedures of obtaining employment.

We can help with some general suggestions and tips for you.

How is the job search going?  I know, frustrating right?  Stick with it! If you are doing all the right things such as knowing which job titles to begin your search with, being connected to different job search engines (Indeed, LinkedIn, Simplyhired etc.), and remembering to check the job search notifications regularly, then you should find a good match eventually. 

Imagine you’ve struck gold! You’ve found exactly what you’re looking for: you meet the requirements, and your experience fits the description…Check, Check: Jackpot! Full speed ahead. You are ready to apply! 

Hold up a second, let’s pump the breaks a little and not be such an eager beaver (Canadian reference, eh?) 

So, you’ve just graduated and are fresh out-of-school, or you’re interested in working in the field of employment services, but don’t know where to start. In that case, this is exactly the page for you!

Working as an Employment Specialist is a very rewarding job, as you are supporting a number of clients on their journey to finding meaningful work. By counseling clients on their employment needs and learning about the barriers that impact their job search, you are problem-solving, and coming up with solutions to help them move forward.

Better Jobs Ontario (BJO), previously known as Second Career, is a provincially funded program through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development, which helps individuals who are unemployed train for occupations in Ontario that are in high-demand. Such programs must be 52 weeks or less in duration to ensure that the job seeker gets back to work quickly (Government of Ontario, 2023). 

The program offers up to $28,000 in financial assistance to eligible candidates. This sum of money can cover expenses such as “a basic living allowance of up to $500 per week, books, other instructional costs such as student fees and supplies, transportation, and tuition” (Government of Ontario, 2023). 

Are you ready to begin your job search, but don’t know where to start? Or have you been applying to positions but haven’t had any luck? Centre for Skills has got you covered! Whether it’s composing a professional summary or identifying your transferable skills, this tip sheet will show you the best way to highlight your assets to the ATS, and to impress the employer!

Congratulations on embarking on a language course, academic program, or a new job! We hope you're eager to acquire new knowledge and skills. Let's talk about the level of commitment that is generally expected in Canadian culture.

This week, Centre for Skills celebrates Welcoming Week by hosting an online event on Friday, September 15th at 10:00 am. 

Welcoming Week is an annual opportunity to recognize and celebrate the people, places and values that help everyone feel welcome and give them a sense of belonging in their local community, no matter where they come from. 

So, you got the job Congratulations, it took a lot, but you earned it! You are now settling into your new role within the first couple of weeks, learning your co-workers' names and personalities you are riding this new job roller coaster of emotions with all the dips and twists, but you got this! Then you get an email from your boss to attend a team meeting.

Should you be worried? In your country of origin, your boss would only hold a meeting if it was bad news, or people were possibly being fired. Is it the same in workplaces in Canada? 

There are many factors that play a role in the process of searching for work, especially when it comes to finding a job that suits your needs and being able to support others in your life.  Your resume is usually the first marketing tool that you have to introduce yourself to prospective employers, so you want to ensure it is crafted well. Let's examine some “do’s” and “don’ts” that you should consider when creating this important document. 

The modern job market can be difficult to break into, with many job seekers competing for the same job in addition to the recruiting apps and online profiles one must contend with. Thankfully, there are many resources available for those who are looking to break into the workforce, though not all employment resources are created equally.  

I came to Canada 10 years ago as an immigrant from Pakistan. I know first-hand the kind of struggles and challenges newcomers face such as learning the local language, and how to adapt to all the little things that are so different in Canada, such as writing a Canadian styled resume! If you are a newcomer looking for some tips, I will give you some from my personal experience.

Imagine you’ve researched and practiced all week for an interview for a job in your field and you felt your interview went very well! However, you discover that the other candidate got the job. Why? Because your educational credentials had not been assessed. The employer thereby, did not know if your educational background matched the requirements of the company. I’ve heard of this happening over the years from so many newcomers and it’s very unfortunate. My goal is to see all clients succeed and not miss out on any opportunities, so get your credentials assessed!

When I first came to Canada, everyone was talking about volunteering. Mostly all my friends recommended me to volunteer. But why? I didn’t understand what was so important about it. I used to do a lot of volunteering back home before coming to Canada, however, it was not as emphasized as much as here.  

What is so important about volunteering?  

At Centre for Skills, for international women’s day, we decided to showcase the successes of some of the women who have taken our trades programs, and what better way to do this than to let everyone tell their own story. As such, this blog contains responses from a survey that has been completed by our graduates.  As much as we would have loved to display all of the great achievements of our participants, we could only pick a few responses to tell the story. Women from our programs are working in various fields throughout the trades, from construction, millwright, mechanics, and entrepreneurs.
 

Good advice can be difficult to find when you arrive in a new country, and sometimes hearing advice from many different people can get confusing! There can be so many opinions. What should newcomers do? Be cautious. Advice can be given with the best of intentions, but it can also be out-of-date and not fully informed. The first people you will ask for advice is of course people from your cultural community that have immigrated before you. Sometimes their advice can be quite useful, but don’t rely just on their advice alone, because your situation may not be the same as theirs was. What worked for them, may not work for you.

As a newcomer, you chose Canada for a fresh start for your family, but that fresh start comes with challenges. You may be feeling isolated, disconnected from your new community, bored and perhaps even stuck with no computer literacy or English conversation skills. Settling in Canada is not always easy, and newcomers need support along the way and Canada knows this. It has funded community programs in many local agencies, such as here at the Centre for Skills Development in Halton.

As a new immigrant to Canada around 10 years ago, I still remember my family’s very first winter. A lot of newcomers have this memory! For those of us who arrived in Canada in the winter, our first memory was stepping outside of the airport into the frigid air of reality! Could life on earth actually survive this cold, we wondered. If we arrived in summer, our cold wintery stereo-type of Canada got blown away by the unexpected heat, leaving us thinking that winter couldn’t be that bad with summers this hot! That was us: we arrived in June, it was so beautiful and hot! It made us feel like winters weren’t going to be so bad...we were, of course, so wrong!

The pandemic has changed the world of work and has influenced almost all industries in some way or another. Time is of the essence when recruiting and in a competitive marketplace it’s important for companies to make their hiring practices more efficient. ATS allows employers to review more applications without having to go through them manually. They utilize a software known as an “Applicant Tracking System “(ATS) that simplifies and expedites the recruiting process. It also manages ads on multiple job sites and records a database of new clients.

Most of us have been there – sending out resumes and not hearing back, interviewing for a job and being told they are going with another candidate. Job searching can be difficult and sometimes disheartening! That is why it is so important to find ways to stay motivated through the ups and downs of your job search. Taking care of yourself is key! Remember the right job for you could be just around the corner. Here are some of our top tips for staying motivated and keeping yourself on track for a successful job search.

A typical day in Canada, you might have already noticed, requires you to know many, many idioms! Idioms are expressions that are often not necessarily logical or even connected to the words that make them. They have to be learned but the words don’t help us get clues to their meaning. So how do you learn them? Memorizing them from long idioms lists online? Studying them and using fill-in-the-blank exercises to clarify their meaning? No and no. I think, dear reader, you are saying NO along with me!

Congratulations you got your first job in Canada!  Your big day is coming up and you are both excited and nervous. Besides the job description and your first week of orientation what else do you need to know? . . A LOT MORE THAN YOUR THINK….what about Canadian Workplace Culture? Sorry what? 

Workplace Culture, refers to shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, customs, traditions, and values in a work setting. You might be qualified for a position, but your success as a worker will mostly be based on your ability to communicate well within the expectations of that workplace.

What Are Your Salary Expectations? . . . Eek! Gasp! Yikes!

What do you say? And most importantly, how do ask for what you think you deserve?

Newcomers, you are not alone if this question makes you nervous or unsure of how to answer it. Most English speaking Canadians worry about it too. Part of it’s related to Canadian culture as we don’t often discuss our incomes even with our closest friends. In addition, if your expectation is too low, a company may pay you peanuts and if too high, they may not want you and think you’re greedy.

You heard of a great job and thought you would apply. Guess what? They now want to interview you next week. Congratulations! This is exciting and a big deal.  Feeling nervous about interviewing for your first major job in Canada?  Try to relax, take a deep breath, you are not alone and that is completely normal. Still nervous, right? 

Here comes the hard part, most Canadian workplaces do not tell you what the questions will be ahead of time. How do you prepare? 

For newcomers to Canada the first few days often go by with a flurry of emotions; confusion, excitement, fear, relief, worry, happiness, sadness. Jet lag wears off in a day or so, and before you know it you might be ready to start exploring your options, learning about your new environment and figuring out what are the next steps you should be taking to start building your new life in Canada. Settling in and beginning a new life in a new country is never an easy task, but having a plan or a to do list is always helpful to achieving your goals and this is no different.

Last month was the National Volunteer Week in Canada. We were very excited and honored to be celebrating our volunteers and their successes. Volunteers are the heart of our community and at the Centre for Skills they are certainly front and centre for many who need their support. From assisting newcomers in their efforts to learn English, to settling in and preparing for work in Canada, to hosting computer training workshops for all who want to improve their skills, our volunteers give generously of their time and expertise to make the future better and the journey a little easier for someone they have never met before.

At Centre for Skills Development, the health and safety of our clients and staff is our number one priority. All of our locations are open to in-person service. In addition, we continue to provide services remotely as well.

Newcomers arrive in Canada every day. Canada aims to welcome 421,000 new permanent residents in 2023. Some are fleeing for their lives, some are re-uniting with their families, some come temporarily to work and some immigrate for business. No matter where they are from or how and why they came to Canada, newcomers all share a somewhat universal immigrant experience.  

Here’s a story about Katarzyna and her family's journey to calling Canada home. 

The employment rate in Canada returned to pre-pandemic levels and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is finished for the most part. The good news is, there are plenty of jobs out there. Local companies are looking to hire full time or part time staff and many small businesses are having a hard time recruiting new employees.   

“For workers reluctant to get back to the workforce, perhaps it’s not just about finding a job. It might just be about finding the right job.” 

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a new federal holiday to be observed on September 30 each year. This holiday will commemorate the tragic legacy of residential schools in Canada, acknowledging the harm done to Indigenous Peoples. This is a day to reflect and honour survivors, ensuring they are never forgotten. 

Although Centre for Skills remains open on this day, there are many ways we will partake in the commemoration of this day and show our support. We invite you to join us as we mark the First Annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Mixed with the holidays, many believe now is not the time for networking and to put away their resumes until the new year, but that is not the case. The holidays can actually make for a great time to network and expand on your contacts. Check out these tips on how you can mix in career networking into this season's festivities.

We are closed today and back to working remotely as regularly scheduled tomorrow, October 13. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

From offline to online, Centre for Skills Development ESL/LINC programs have continued to stay connected while keeping their distance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Once delivering classes strictly through in-person instruction, staff were remarkably able to move their classes online in a matter of days. 

We had a wonderful visit from Jill Dunlop, MPP, Ontario's Associate Minister of Women and Children’s Issues at our Skilled Trades location, touring the facility and learning about our Women in Skilled Trades: Enhanced General Carpentry (WIST) program. 

As we navigate these changes (both temperature and worldly events), we can also navigate the changes in our professional lives by gaining new insight of the workforce, and finding new paths forward in our careers. So how do we do this? Learning more about what your strengths are and what type of goals you are looking to achieve is a great first step, and a career assessment can help you achieve this. 

Meet face to face with companies hiring th roughout Oakville and surrounding regions! Stay connected with the employment market, connect with other job seekers and employers, and increase your chance for an interview! Register today:

We were thrilled to have Jane McKenna, MPP Burlington join us yesterday at our Skilled Trades site to announce the $214,105 funding for our Industrial Millwright/Mechanic & Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship for Youth program for another intake!

Need help with computer basics to enhance your job search? If you have little to no experience using computers, we can help you boost your job searching skills in our free six-week computer course!

ParaMed is seeking energetic and dedicated Personal Support Workers, Developmental Social Workers, Nursing students and Health Care Aides to join their dynamic team of community support caregivers. Register today: https://paramed-hiring-event.eventbrite.ca

Networking is one of the most important things you can do to support your job search. During the holidays, often people think it is time to put away their resumes until the new year, but that is not the case! The holidays can make for a great time to network and expand on your contacts. Check out these tips on how you can mix in career networking into this season's festivities.

Our Workplace English classes are now in two locations! Click here to find out more. 

The Art Workshop for Newcomers on Friday at our Burlington site was a huge success! In partnership with Art Gallery of Burlington, this free workshop taught basic techniques for painting in watercolour. Clients were encouraged to share their settlement story through art form and connect with others in their new community.

We had a wonderful evening last night celebrating the achievements of our clients and students at our 2019 Celebrating Success event. We listened to some great stories from our ‘Stars’ who shared in their own words what their journey towards success has meant for them and celebrated the achievements of our Women in Skilled Trades: Enhanced General Carpentry graduates and scholarship recipient winners.

This week, our Get In Gear students and Employment Services clients had the opportunity to learn first-hand about careers in the Canadian Navy when they were invited to attend a VIP tour and sail aboard the warship HMCS St.Johns.

Share your settlement story through art on November 29! Register today by emailing alice.maroti@centreforskills.ca 

In Venezuela, Alice had been working as a Lawyer for almost ten years. After moving to Canada in 2012 and becoming a Settlement Information Specialist for Centre for Skills Development, Alice is excited to combine her two passions of legal and newcomer services into her new role as a Commissioner of Oaths for Centre for Skills Development.

Amazon strives to have a positive impact on customers, employees, small businesses, the economy, and communities. Join us for their Hiring Event on Monday, November 4 in Milton for Full-time Seasonal Warehouse Associates! Register today: https://amazon-hiring-event.eventbrite.ca   

#October is National #Disability Employment Awareness Month! The goal during this month is to increase #awareness of the positive outcomes of #hiring persons with #disabilities in #Canada.

Join us in this interactive speed networking workshop on October 23 in Burlington and learn how to grab attention, identify your strengths and finish with a call to action! Register today: https://speed-networking-workshop.eventbrite.ca 

Congratulations 🎓 to all of our Industrial Millwright/Mechanic & Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Youth students on successfully completing their program! We wish you the very best in the next chapter of your careers!

Everyone understands the importance of networking, but it can often appear intimidating. Check out these networking tips, as well as information about our upcoming Accessing the Hidden Job Market workshops!

All of our sites are closed on September 2 in order to celebrate Labour Day, and will re-open as regularly scheduled September 3. We hope you enjoy the long weekend! 

All Centre for Skills locations will be closed Monday, August 5 for the Civic Holiday. All of our sites will re-open as regularly scheduled Tuesday, August 6.

We are closed today and back to working remotely as regularly scheduled tomorrow, August 4. We hope you have a fabulous long weekend!

Happy International Women's Day! A balanced world is a better world, and today we celebrate women's achievements and raise awareness against bias. Our Women in Skilled Trades: Enhanced General Carpentry (WIST) program provides eligible women with the tools and training to launch a career in the Construction Industry. Learn more here. 

After actively sending your resume out and applying for job openings, you've finally got a call from a company that wants you to come in for an interview! Here are some tips in order to prepare yourself for aceing your interview.

​Due to poor weather and deteriorating road conditions, all Centre for Skills sites will close today (Wed., Feb. 27). Stay safe!

We apologize for any inconvenience, but during such weather conditions we err on the side of caution for the safety of our clients and staff.

Other Employment Services providers who may assist you are listed when you press the READ MORE button below.
 

Join us in celebrating and welcoming newcomers to Halton Region!

Seasons Retirement Communities is hiring! Join us for their Hiring Event on February 20, where they are hiring for positions in both Independent Care and Memory Care home areas: https://seasons-retirement.eventbrite.ca

The next WIST program starts on April 1, 2019. Information sessions are taking place throughout February and beginning of March, any interested clients are encouraged to register online at https://wist2019.eventbrite.ca.

The change that comes with moving to a new country was not easy for Ahmed and his family, but hope for a better life was what made it worth it. Read Ahmed's story moving to Canada and his experience in our English Language Learning program.

"Without the Centre for Skills help, I would not have got this job."Check out this video of Daisy's newcomer story and where she is today.

Over the past few months, we have refined our name and visual identity to better reflect our values and organization as a whole. Take a look at our video introducing our new name and look! 

Five scholarships were awarded to students who are preparing for a career in the Skilled Trades, and exhibit leadership attributes. Throughout their time at The Centre, they demonstrated exemplary effort both academically and technically, and will be using their award specifically towards the purchase of tools or apply it to their tool fee.

Richard Santamaria had been working in the Tool & Die industry for years before he started teaching The Centre’s Millwright & Machinist program, with over 23 years of experience under his belt.

Are you currently unemployed and having trouble finding a job? Join our Job Seekers Support Group and network with others in a similar situation! Biweekly, every other Monday starting September 10.

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of Frontline Home Inspectors & Building Consultants as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

Journeypersons and Apprenticeship Trainers who are looking to provide or currently providing apprenticeship training can register to attend the workshop here.  

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of Rockwool as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of Brandon Laidman Plumbing Inc. as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of Billet Marketing as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of Arriba Contracting as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

First Services Hospitality Inc. is recruiting to fill multiple positions for the prestigious Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville. Follow these 3 easy steps to meet the employer on July 19! 

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of GEM Windows as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

Rain or shine the 7th Annual Oakville Family Ribfest hosted by Oakville Trafalgar Rotary was a great success, as we excitedly premiered our very first Tiny Home RV!

Last night's Newcomer Recognition Awards proved to be a very exciting evening for The Centre, as three of our staff and one client were honoured by The Halton Newcomer Strategy.

Join us on Thursday, June 14 for our Skilled Trades Open House! Attend this informative event to meet employers, graduates, instructors and job developers in the Skilled Trades industry. Register today at: skilledtradesopenhouse.eventbrite.ca

Meet face to face with multiple companies hiring throughout the Halton and surrounding regions at our Spring Job Fair on Wednesday June 13 at the Burlington Convention Centre! Register at: https://centre-job-fair.eventbrite.ca  

The Centre for Skills Development & Training is honoured to have the generous support of Henry Blueskin VP100 Housewrap as one of the sponsors for our Tiny Home RV Program!

The Centre for Skills Development & Training in partnership with the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) is proud to announce the launching of our Tiny Home RV program. 

Throughout the day, over 300 interested community members bustled inside the Milton Sports Centre to connect with 30+ local employers. 

In partnership with the Ontario Centre for Workforce Innovation (OCWI), The Centre for Skills Development & Training (The Centre) is implementing and evaluating a new model of shared apprenticeship called the Ontario Adult Apprenticeship Program (OAAP).

On March 23, we celebrated the graduation ceremony for our first Home Renovation for Newcomers class. 

Celebrating International Women's Day this week, IKEA Canada works towards building a more inclusive and equal world through their partnership with Canadian Women's Foundation. 

For the fourth year in a row, The Centre for Skills Development & Training has been awarded in two categories of the Burlington Post Readers’ Choice Awards.

After John Oliver, Member of Parliament for Oakville announced his exciting contest , asking offices, families, friends and organizations of all kinds to show their Olympic spirit and support of Team Canada, The Centre wanted to show they were up for the challenge!

When more people can afford post-secondary education, our economy can grow and our middle class can thrive. That is why the Government of Canada is helping more low- and middle-income families save money for their children’s post-secondary education through the Canada Learning Bond.

Tiny home communities are proving to be a viable affordable housing solution in many parts of the world. In Canada, the tiny house movement addresses several pressing social issues; access to affordable housing, environmental impact, and now, thanks to the innovative new Tiny Homes program from The Centre for Skills Development & Training, even the employment skills gap.