UHC Case Study

UNEMPLOYED ABOUT THE UNEMPLOYED HELPHELP CENTRE CENTRE OF WINDSOR INC.Ready-to-WorkProgram The Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor Inc. (UHC) is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the unemployed and underemployed. The UHC strives to help people reach their employment goals to improve the quality of their lives. The UHC provides various programs/services that have addressed the specific needs of the Windsor region since 1977. These include employment/ educational/career counselling; effective job search techniques, pre-employment training programs, on-the-job training programs, literacy, walk-in Resource and Information Centre for self-conducted job searching and more. THE IDEA The UHC has offered Employment Services funded through the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD) since 1990. Since Windsor is the fourth most diverse city in Canada and 24% of the population includes newcomers to Canada, it was important to develop programs and services accessible to a diverse clientele. In 2009, OTEC approached UHC and encouraged them to deliver the Ready-to-Work (RTW) program in Windsor. A partnership was formed. This partnership included an additional network of immigrant serving agencies across the province which operated until 2011. When the funding period concluded, UHC identified a programming gap for newcomers with lower language and skill levels in Windsor. The Windsor tourism industry has seen consistent growth over the years. As a result, there was a high demand for trained staff in this sector and not enough candidates to fill these opportunities. OTEC and UHC addressed this opportunity, and through funding made available by Immigrant, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), adapted the Ready-to-Work program in 2013. The collaboration of partners resolved two specific problems: 1. Securing employment for newcomers 1 2. Addressing a shortage of qualified staff to fill positions in the tourism and hospitality sector

THE PROGRAM TO PREPARE PARTICIPANTS FOR TOURISM BASED CAREERS IN:The 10-week Ready-to-Work (RTW)program provides participants with Accommodationsvaluable skills, certifications, Food and Beverageknowledge and confidence to Transportationprepare for a career in the tourism Traveland hospitality sector. In addition, Recreationany new hire from the RTW Entertainmentprogram continues to receivesupport from Employment Ontario The program nurtures confidence,Employment Service Providers motivation and skills necessary to(EOES) through job coaching and become a marketable job candidate.mentoring to ensure job retention, Once participants complete thewhich benefits all involved. program, Employment Ontario Employment Services match them“The Ready-to-Work program with an employer and offer incentivesnot only provides work relevant to secure employment. After beingtraining, soft skills and hired and to ensure job retention,certification to the clients, it also new hires from the program continuenurtures confidence, motivation to receive support, one-on-one joband enthusiasm in the individual coaching and mentoring from the UHCand provides the proper skills program facilitator.and tools necessary to develop Not only does the program benefita positive work attitude participants, but employers gainwhich enhances experienced and knowledgeablegraduates’ staff who have achieved theiremployability.” industry certifications and are ready to work in the tourism and– Ella Radovan hospitality sector. Facilitator, UHC 22

ABOUT READY-TO-WORK10WEEK PROGRAM WITH 6 MAJOR COMPONENTS:Enhanced language Workplace communication Computer skills; MS Office training training skills and internet browsing Industry-specific Cash handling skills; covers retail Hands-on cashierclassroom training math, counterfeit and common experience, hands-on currencies, refunds, discounts, culinary skills in UHC’s credit and debit card transaction state-of-the-art Community Kitchen (with the support of two Red Seal Chefs) PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE 5INDUSTRYSPECIFIC CERTIFICATES National emerit Workplace Essentials EMPLOYERS Service Excellence Employers have identified a need forNational Food Safety Training Program (NFSTP) professional development opportunities Smart Serve for those who are working within the tourism and hospitality sector including, but not limited to, Customer Service Representatives, Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers, and related occupations, Food Service Supervisors, Retail Trade Supervisors, Bartenders, Hosts and Hostesses and more. The RTW program has addressed these needs and as a result, EOES employers have hired newcomers from the RTW program in this sector. The UHC has an employer database of over 2,500 employers in the Windsor area.WHMIS 3

THE AUDIENCEThe Ready-to-Work program provides newcomers to Canada with the opportunity todevelop and enhance their tourism and hospitality skills, English vocabulary andknowledge of Canadian workplace culture. These newcomers now live in the WindsorEssex region, but have previously resided all over the globe – including Asia, Europe,Africa and South America.Countries of Origin Ghana Lebanon SerbiaAlbania Great Britain Liberia SingaporeBangladesh Greece Libya Slovak RepublicBelarus Guatemala Macedonia SomaliaBhutan Haiti Morocco Sri LankaBrazil Honduras Mexico SudanBulgaria Hungary Nepal SyriaBurundi India Nigeria ThailandCameroon Iran Pakistan United StatesChina Iraq Palestine United Arab EmiratesColombia Israel Panama UzbekistanCongo Italy Peru VietnamCosta Rica Ivory Coast Philippines ZimbabweCuba Jordan PolandEgypt Kenya Romania 4El Salvador Korea (North) RussiaEritrea Kuwait RwandaEthiopia

THE RESULTS“The Ready-to-Work program gave me confidence in myself and myabilities. It helped me to improve my customer service skills like cashhandling and workplace communication. I now work in the tourism andhospitality industry as a front desk agent at the Howard Johnson.”– Program ParticipantSince 2013, UHC has delivered over 14 AWARD-Ready-to-Work sessions. There have been WINNINGover 100 newcomer participants who havecompleted the program. Of that, 87% of EMPLOYMENT ONTARIO LEADERSHIPgraduates have successfully found viable AWARD IN COLLABORATIONemployment or registered for additional In June 2016, the Ready-to-Work programtraining to further their skills. received the reputable “Employment Ontario Leadership Award in Collaboration”. DavidThe RTW program has provided participants with Fulford, Assistant Deputy Minister, Employmentvaluable training and certifications, as well as and Training Division, Ministry of Training,nurturing confidence, motivation and enthusiasm Colleges and Universities and Sheldon Levy,needed to work in this sector. Employers gain Deputy Minister of Training, Colleges andexperienced and knowledgeable staff who have Universities presented this award to the UHC forachieved certifications, experienced the Canadian the outstanding success of the Ready-to-Workworkplace and are ready and able to work in the Program. The EO Leadership award wastourism and hospitality sector. Job Matching created to recognize the 330 service providersPlacement and Incentives offered through EOES in Ontario who have demonstrated exceptionalhelps employers offset training costs needed to leadership in the areas of innovation,allow more time to train the newcomer in Canadian collaboration and customer service.workplace norms. 5Success of the program is due to the collaborationof partners working together, making it possible forlow level newcomers and refugees who have littleskills, with no Canadian work experience orrecognized credentials to secure employment.

SUCCESS STORIESMEET HELEN MEET CARINA“I moved over to Canada from Syria with my “I applied to the Ready-to-Work programfamily and began working in a fashion store; because I needed help finding work. I hadselling clothes and accessories, opening and previously worked in the US hospitalityclosing the store, and reorganizing shelves. industry as a server, front-desk agent,Back in Syria I owned my own shop and housekeeper, gardener… but my experiencewanted that again. When Ella described the didn’t seem to be enough to help me secureReady-to-Work program to me, I knew that it a job once I moved to Canada. Thewould be a great benefit to me. As a Ready-to-Work program gave me confidencenewcomer to Canada, looking for a job is in myself and my abilities. It helped me tohard. The program really interested me improve my customer service skills like cashbecause all the information seemed relevant handling and workplace communication, andfor any industry, not just for tourism and provided me with great certifications likehospitality, like computer skills, WHMIS, emerit Workplace Essentials and WHMIS.emerit Workplace Essentials, OTEC’s Not only have I gained relevant certificationsService Excellence and Workplace and experience but the Service ExcellenceCommunication training. program equipped me to better handleThanks to this program I now have my own everyday conflict and ensure the guest alwaysbusiness, Ellena’s Sweets, where we serve feels happy.Mediterranean sweets and crepes. I’m using The Ready-to-Work program provided meall the skills that I learned because, in my with great credentials and also allowed me tosituation,I have to deal with food, customers, work with great people who presentedand workplace hazards, so I have to be excellent job coaching and connections. I nowknowledgeable about the food safety, and work in the tourism and hospitality industry ashow to deal with all different types of people. a front-desk agent at the Howard Johnson.”This program helped me to achieve my firstgoal, and it felt great! I use all of the 6information I’ve learned every day to provideexceptional service and grow my business.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT Employment Ontario Employment Service Providers (EOES)PARTNERSHIPS This partnership is critical because EOES has experienced Job Developers/CounsellorsOntario Tourism Education that are able to secure job placements in theCorporation (OTEC) tourism and hospitality industry and offerOTEC is an Ontario-based independent, supports and incentives when required.not-for-profit training, consulting & workforce Additionally, after being hired and to ensuredevelopment organization that delivers high job retention, new hires from the programquality, creative and branded solutions for the continue to receive support, one-on-one jobdevelopment and growth of a professional, coaching and mentoring from the UHCskilled workforce. It is the leading source program facilitator. Without EOES, thesupport for communities to build workforce newcomers who graduated from the RTWcapacity and for companies to attract, retain, program would not have access to theand develop high performing employees and needed support that they require to bebecome Employer of Choice organizations. successful. The RTW program needs EOES toOTEC is the premier source for Customer address this need in the Windsor community,Service training and strategy development; which had a positive impact for theLeadership skills training; certifications and newcomer clients who were hired throughprofessional development services for tourism, EOES employers.hospitality and service oriented organizationsin a wide range of industry sectors both Immigration, Refugees andnationally and internationally. Citizenship Canada (IRCC)Collaborating with OTEC was critical Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canadaas it provided a unique opportunity coordinates the arrival of newcomers tofor the participants of the RTW Canada, provides protection to refugees andprogram to obtain five industry- offers programming to help newcomers settle inspecific certifications (emerit, Canada. The IRCC also is responsible forWorkplace Essentials (WOE), Service granting citizenship, issuing travel documents toExcellence, National Food Safety Canadians and promoting multiculturalismTraining Program (NFSTP), Smart throughout the nation. The UHC has been aServe, and WHMIS). Service Provider Organization with funding from IRCC since 2011. 7

“The success of this project Workforce WindsorEssex (WWE) &and the partnerships involved Windsor Essex Local Immigrationis truly a testament to the Partnership (WE LIP)leadership, innovation and Foreseeing the need to educate EOEScommitment to partnerships employers on the benefits of hiring theby our teams.” newcomers, the UHC and OTEC collaborated with Workforce WindsorEssex and Windsor– Victoria Behune Essex Local Immigration Partnership to offer a President & CEO workshop on “Maximizing Diversity in the OTEC Workplace”. The workshop provided local statistics on cultural diversity, the benefits of hiring newcomers, and how employers could adapt their workplace to meet the needs of the changing marketplace. In 2015, the results of the survey revealed that employers who would not consider hiring a newcomer prior to the workshop would now consider hiring a newcomer. WE LIP is a dynamic coalition of private, public, and non-profit organizations working together to create a welcoming environment where newcomers can reach their full potential. The WE LIP acts as a catalyst for community planning, enhanced communication and collaboration across all sectors including healthcare, settlement, housing, and employment. WWE is one of 26 workforce development boards across the province of Ontario that are primarily funded by MAESD. 8

WORKING “This program helped me toWITH LOCAL achieve my first goal, and it feltEMPLOYERS great. I use all of the information I’ve learned every day to“We had the need for a housekeeper and provide exceptionalcontacted UHC. A Ready-to-Work service and growgraduate, Carina, came to us with some my business.”background in the hospitality industry. Weunderstood that the Ready-to-Work – Program Participanttraining emphasized customer service –which is very important to our industryand organization. Carina jumped into therole without any hesitation and was ableto work successfully. Starting as ahousekeeper, Carina now works full timeas a front desk agent at our organization.The Ready-to-Work program has such avaluable source and pool of talent. Youalmost want to keep it for yourself.”- Manager, Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Windsor For more information about the Ready-to-Work program, please contact: Ella Radovan at 519.944.4900 ext. 113 or [email protected] Morrison, Vice President, Projects and Partnerships at 416.622.1975 ext. 236 or [email protected] www.uhca.ca 9