Celebrating the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership Awards
Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2019 23:51:22 +0000
Recent immigrants and skilled professionals, along with employers and employment service providers in the Greater Toronto Area came together on February 26 at the annual Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) Mentoring Partnership Awards at the Toronto Region Board of Trade to celebrate those who have gone the extra mile in mentoring in the past year.
TRIEC Mentoring Partnership matches recent immigrants to Canada with a mentor who shares their professional background. Immigrants who are mentored through the program gain insights into the local labour market and build vital professional networks in their field. In turn, mentors learn coaching and leadership skills, and build their intercultural competencies and knowledge of international business practices.
Awards were presented to mentors who have mentored newcomer mentees multiple times, as well as newcomers who, after being mentored, have chosen to give back by becoming mentors themselves.
TRIEC Mentorship Partnership Award winners
Among the people receiving awards is senior structural engineer Saunjay Duggal who has mentored more than 10 people. “I was in a similar position with the newcomers that I mentored,” he said. For Duggal, mentoring “is a win-win model for everyone involved. I learned how to understand the Canadian job market better. I learned from the candidates and from their experiences…Mentoring helped me with my career.”
TRIEC also presented awards to employer partners who have provided the highest overall numbers of mentors from among their staff. Award recipients this year include the City of Toronto and TD Bank, both of whom provided mentors for more than 1,500 immigrant professionals. Accenture and Rogers are also award winners for providing 100 mentors.
“The chance to be a mentor gives our employees opportunities for professional development through gaining or improving their leadership and coaching skills,” said Alicja Idzior, executive search and HR consultant for the City of Toronto, who acknowledged that mentoring opportunities offer a chance to connect with newcomer talent. “Hiring people from other countries diversifies the workforce, which allows the City of Toronto to meet its recruitment needs at a time of skill shortages. It has helped us fill a variety of positions that are historically difficult to fill.”
“I am a mentor and equally a mentee during each and every engagement,” said Michelle Chann, a longtime mentor who is head of client management, strategic execution and change delivery at TD Bank. “The exchange of professional and personal energies evolves prolifically throughout each relationship and challenge all parties to be humbled, embrace, adjust, learn, and grow. This is one of the best commitments one can have for professional and personal enrichment.”
“TD is proud to work with organizations like TRIEC to reach and develop some of the best —and brightest — talent. Our partnership with TRIEC provides an excellent opportunity for our colleagues to develop their inclusive leadership capabilities while giving back to the growing community of newcomers to Canada,” said Faisal Yousuf, AVP, Personal Banking Delivery Excellence and TRIEC Executive Champion.
Last year, TRIEC matched more than 1,800+ newcomers with mentors, and 77 per cent of mentees went on to find work in their field or a related field within six months of completing the program.