Many employers have committed to creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. To help employers strengthen their diversity initiatives, this information sheet explains and suggests strategies to counter tokenism in the workplace.
To help employers better support and retain Indigenous employees in the workplace, Indigenous students from UVic’s Native Students Union (NSU) offered a number of questions on workplace cultures, hiring, and retention.
This worksheet presents Work Integrated Learning (WIL) employers an opportunity to reflect on their active commitments to equity, diversity, inclusion, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. We encourage employers to share their reflections, concerns, and questions with WIL practitioners.
This information sheet looks to support employers that are reflecting and acting on commitments to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on employment disparity. This short explainer clarifies the language of special hiring programs and offers strategies to connect with Indigenous applicants.
A new delivery partner for the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening Canada’s cultural workforce. Their new SWPP is specifically focused on helping arts and culture organizations bring students on board with a wage subsidy of up to $7,500 per student hired.
Between July 2020 and July 2021, the BC WIL Council conducted research to better understand the labour market’s ability to engage WIL students and the evolving impacts of COVID-19 on employers and community partners who hire students through work-integrated learning (WIL) programs. The project featured three stages, including two surveys and a series of focus groups and interviews.
Mentoring Women in Trades at College of the Rockies is a way to help more women enter and stay in the trades. Currently, less than 5% of tradespeople in B.C. are women. There are skilled trades labor shortages and the women that can access training and resources can fill these positions. Through equity, diversity and inclusion awareness, along with opportunities to encourage tradeswomen to build a network with other tradeswomen, we can lessen the feeling of isolation some women encounter on job sites and in school. Ultimately, the mentorship program offers support and guidance to address concerns and overcome challenges or barriers women face in the trades.
Disparities in educational attainment and work experiences are especially pronounced in the case of Indigenous student participation in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and Co-op programming. In partnership with ACE-WIL BC/Yukon and advisory groups, University of Victoria has created an Indigenous Co-op/WIL Resource Hub. Accessible to all BC Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs), the virtual Hub offers resources and strategies to increase Indigenous student access, retention, and success in Co-op/WIL programs. The IRH project responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action on employment and education disparity, curriculum development, intercultural understanding, and anti-racism workplace training.
Service Canada’s Canada Summer Jobs program is an initiative of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy which aims to provide quality work experiences for youth to develop skills and paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market. Canada Summer Jobs supports non-profits, small businesses (50 or fewer employees), and public sector employers to provide quality summer work experiences for youth aged 15 to 30 years old.
This is an info session featuring two SWPP delivery partners: Cheryl Serpanchy, the Regional Coordinator at ICTC WIL Digital and Peter Greenall, a Senior Programs Manager at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce which administers the Talent Opportunities Program. They review student positions their programs can fund, employer and student eligibility criteria, and how to apply.The SWPP offers a wage subsidy of up to $7,000 towards hiring a student. Now, with recently changed eligibility criteria, more organizations can access funding! Plus, the SWPP funding allows for student placements any time of year.
