Restaurants Canada is committed to providing information and services to help members address the labour shortage in many communities across the country. This article gives restaurateurs information on settlement organizations that can connect them with refugees and newcomers who are looking to gain Canadian experience.
Connecting members with immigrant job-seekers
Restaurants Canada is committed to providing information and services to help members address the labour shortage in many communities across the country. This article gives restaurateurs information on settlement organizations that can connect them with refugees and newcomers who are looking to gain Canadian experience.
Atlantic Canada Immigration Assitance Information
Regional Immigrant Employment Councils
Regional Immigrant Employment Councils (IECs) connect employers to sources of newcomer and refugee talent at various educational and skill levels. These organizations also refer employers to learning tools and solutions that facilitate cross-cultural teamwork, promote talent management, and encourage successful worker retention:
- Immigrant Employment Council of BC
- Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC)
- Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC)
- Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)
- London Middlesex IEC
- Niagara Immigrant Employment Council
- Hire Immigrants Ottawa (HIO)
- Alliés Montréal
- Greater Halifax Partnership (GHP)
Service Provider Organizations
Local Service Provider Organizations (SPOs), funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), are already working with restaurateurs to address labour shortages. For example:
- The Centre for Newcomers Society of Calgary’s EthniCity Catering Program offers a 10-week program where successful applicants are hired as temporary staff of the EthniCity Catering business. Program activities mirror those of a typical Canadian workplace, but with support and feedback to ensure participants are preparing to meet the expectations of a typical employer.
- The Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association Low Literacy Modular Employment Training Stream provides training to immigrant women with low literacy levels and has established partnerships with several foodservice employers.
- The Saskatoon Open Door Society’s Labour Market Participation Program includes referrals to basic training for work in the foodservice industry, as well as partnerships with local employers that will provide related job opportunities.
- The YMCA JUMP Program in Toronto (Scarborough and Etobicoke) provides skills training to support young newcomer women and girls, aged 13 and up, in finding employment.
Members who wish to link to a particular SPO in their respective city can go to CIC’s website.
Provincial organizations
Alternatively, members can contact their provincial umbrella organization for help determining which SPO is best suited for their hiring needs:
- Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
- Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA)
- Saskatchewan Association of Immigrant and Settlement and Integration Agencies (SAISIA)
- Manitoba Immigrant and Refugee Settlement Sector Association (MIRSSA)
- Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
- Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI)
- Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (ARAISA)