SmartCity Blog

Partnership Investors Earn Praise for Hiring Practices

By Tom McDonnell

Earlier in March, the ALLIES project (Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies) announced their list of the 2012 Best Employers for New Canadians.

Published each year, this list is a collection of businesses across Canada who are innovative leaders in their hiring practices, applying new ways of thinking to challenges that surround attracting and retaining the best talent.

I’m proud to say that six of this year’s winning companies are investors in Greater Halifax Partnership. Learn more about how these innovative industry leaders are standing out:

• BMO Financial Group
• Business Development Bank of Canada
• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce / CIBC
• Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Ernst & Young LLP
• KPMG LLP

Greater Halifax Partnership shares these organizations strong support of newcomer integration through initiatives like the Halifax Connector Program. A simple but effective referral process, Connector puts newcomers and international students in touch with local employers to build a network of contacts in Halifax. Since its inception, over one hundred immigrants have found full time work through their expanded contact base.

Support of initiatives like the Halifax Connector Program is another way these investors are standing out. We’re proud to be associated with such leading-edge organizations and look forward to continuing our strong partnership in the future.

See who is investing in the Partnership

Author: Tom McDonnell

Tom McDonell is Director of Investor Relations at Greater Halifax Partnership

                                  

Connecting in Communities Across Canada

By Fred Morley

Today, the Colchester Regional Development Association launched a new initiative modeled after Greater Halifax Partnership’s successful Halifax Connector Program. A version of this innovative approach to connecting immigrants to both communities and jobs is now found in nine communities across Canada.

Started just over two years ago, Connector is a formalized networking initiative that began as a way to help new immigrants establish their network of professional contacts. In a short period of time it has attracted significant praise and attention, and Truro’s recent decision to replicate it is another testament to its success.

When Connector launched in Halifax, it was is based on the simple understanding that integrating immigrants into the community, completing a successful job search, or finding a good career path seemed to be more about the strength of your network than the strength of your CV.  It was clear that people looking for opportunities needed to get connected. 

Fortunately, Halifax has great organizations like ISIS who work hard to get immigrants ready for success. We’re also fortunate to have an abundance of natural connectors - people with extensive contact lists who like nothing more than meeting people and connecting them to others in their own network. 

When each volunteer connector meets with an immigrant and has a discussion about local business conditions and potential career paths, no jobs are promised or offered… just advice.  However, each connector provides the newcomer with up to three new connections, and then each of these three is asked to provide three more, and so on.  In this way, a newcomer rapidly builds her network.

And it really works.  The program has grown from 50 to over 350 connectors representing over 250 businesses and organizations.  Over 100 newcomers have made connections leading to employment as part of this process.  The program also expanded to include international students and will soon expand to include both young and emerging talent and new graduates.

Connector has been recognized by the Conference Board of Canada as a best practice in attraction and retention of immigrants.  It has also received recognition from the Washington based International Economic Development Council.

Of course, the best outcomes for the program have been the hundreds of people who have found jobs, expanded their networks and put down deeper roots in Halifax. And with the help of the 350 + business people who volunteer their time as connectors, the Connector program will continue to make Halifax a more welcoming and inviting place to live and work.

Learn More about the Halifax Connector Program

Author: Fred Morley

Fred Morley is the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at the Greater Halifax Partnership.

Home(town) Security with Majora Carter

By David Fleming 

Eco-entrepreneur, public-radio host and MacArthur “Genius” fellow Majora Carter is the keynote speaker at the 11^th Annual Carmichael Lecture.

Greater Halifax Partnership investors Downtown Halifax Business Commission and Dalhousie University have teamed up to bring Carter in on March 8^th to open the School of Planning’s “Shift 2012” Conference and to present her keynote “Home(town) Security.”

Majora Carter’s emotional and inspiring TED Talk in 2006 was one of the first I saw and one of the ones that started the TED Talk phenomenon. Her vision is one that I think all Haligonians (or Atlantic Canadians) can identify with:

“I believe that you shouldn’t have to leave your neighbourhood to live in a better one.”

AGREATERHalifax, Halifax’s Economic Strategy for 2011-16, has a similar vision of a Halifax where people live, work, play and thrive in a diverse, vibrant and sustainable community. The economic strategy goals are not just about GDP growth or jobs (although both are still important), but about broader, sustainable community progress that attracts newcomers and encourages residents to stay in Halifax.

This focus on broader community and economic progress will be on display when we launch the 1^st annual Halifax Index at the Halifax State of the Economy Conference May 23 and 24, an innovative look at the relationship between the people, economy and place that make us who we are and tells us where we’re headed. We’re excited to present our findings and spur meaningful, productive discussions on how best to continue collaboratively growing our community. 

Carter’s recent comments on Halifax’s shipbuilding opportunity show the relevance of her presentation in our current economic climate and her understanding of the opportunity in front of all of us:

“The shipbuilding contract offers your city a rare opportunity to fill the expected shortage of skilled workers by getting training programs in place now and to re-engage some of those people who’ve found themselves on social security or suffering from substance-abuse issues,” said Carter.”

Marjora Carter will present her keynote on Thursday, March 8, at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Road, 6:00-8:00 pm. 

 

Author: David Fleming 

 David is the Junior Economist and Project Development Coordinator at the Greater Halifax Partnership. He studied Economics and Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island, and has experience working with private, public and non-profit organizations. 

In Case You Missed It: Meeting the Talent Demand

By Mike MacKenzie

This has been a promising week for labour market development news. The announcement of several initiatives and strategies aimed at both engaging underemployed workers and connecting segments of the labour force with non-traditional careers is a step in a positive direction.

In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that made headlines this past week:

Exploring how to encourage more women to adopt skilled-trade careers will be on the agenda when Halifax plays host to a conference put on by the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology. The conference, taking place May 3-5, will focus on improving access to skilled-trade education and removing barriers that often stop women from considering non-traditional career options. It’s no coincidence that this year’s conference is being held in Halifax. With Irving’s $25B shipbuilding program in the works, the demand for skilled labour in the region is expected to increase steadily for the next number of years.

The federal government also announced last week that it’s providing over $600,000 to help injured and disabled workers get back on the job. TEAM Work Co-operative, the recipient of the funds, is putting the money towards existing projects that help workers improve their skills and find relevant employment in their home communities, including Halifax. It is estimated that the funds will help over 120 people return to the workforce.

Finally, the provincial government announced this week that it intends to lobby for an increase in the quota of immigrants it is allowed to accept each year as part of the Provincial Nominee Program. A joint provincial-federal initiative, the program allows provincial governments to nominate immigrants who have the skills to make an immediate economic contribution to the province that nominates them. Nova Scotia is currently able to nominate up to 500 immigrants under the program, which officials say is not enough to meet the upcoming demand for labour in the province.

So in case you missed it, you’re now in the know.

Author: Mike MacKenzie 

Mike is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student. A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.