TheStar Article: Developing employment solutions for underrepresented people

Today, employment involves so much more than just replying to a Help Wanted ad. And for newcomers to Canada, and people from marginalized communities in particular, finding employment becomes even more of a challenge.

Working in silos only makes that challenge even more insurmountable, but the United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT) has been steadily — and successfully — working on building an approach that connects corporations, agencies and government, creating solutions for employment.

It’s approach of looking at people, while also considering the wraparound services that are needed, is what Trisha Patrick, executive director of the Skills Upgrading Centre in York-Simcoe, has seen as being significantly beneficial for these under-represented jobseekers.

“The research and the work United Way does helps us be a better organization because we can better understand our communities through the programs that they provide support to,” said Patrick. “Newcomers or someone with a disability, for example, know that through the United Way, they can get additional help — it’s like a spider-web effect; we can help them define different things they need through the entire network of programs that the United Way provides.”

Trisha Patrick, executive director of the Skills Upgrading Centre in York-Simcoe, said an approach of helping people find employment by looking at individuals and the wraparound services needed to support them, has being significantly beneficial for these under-represented jobseekers. Credits ~ Daria Perevezentsev

Just last year, Skills Upgrading — which provides free programs for adults, from literacy to basic computer training — worked with 113 people in their Essential Skills Upgrading program and 89 moved onto the next stage of employment readiness with continued training.

By Karen Kwan, Special to the Star | Read the whole article