Canadian businesses and government capitalizing on business mentorship programs

Spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring Project, MENTOR, and the Corporation for National and Community Services, this US-based initiative now gaining momentum in Canada as more companies celebrate National Mentoring Month (NMM) this January.

NMM was first held in January 2002 and after five years of raising awareness about the value of business mentoring, a growing number of Canadian companies are now setting up or expanding mentoring programs in the workplace to enhance career development opportunities, to offer another attraction and retention tool to employees and to build stronger ties between different generations and departments.

This type of mentoring relationship gives something back to a new generation of employees after learning by trial and error, while creating another mechanism to achieve business goals. These programs help reduce the possibility of repeating the same mistakes that past generations have made, which ultimately boosts productivity and reduces barriers to career advancement.

A month-long outreach campaign focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits can work together to develop a national policy and/or framework which would provide a societal context for business mentoring programs for immigrants.

On the government side, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has also identified business mentoring as one strategy to address the complex issue of finding a job by newcomer to Canada for which he/she is trained and capable. CIC is interested in developing a model for business mentoring program, which can be offered through the Host Programs by Host program service providers. The suggested objectives of this model are (a) to build immigrants’ social capital and understanding of the Canadian labor market; and (b) to reduce barriers to employment by reducing racial stereotypes through increased cross-cultural understanding.

To achieve these goals and objectives, business mentorship or partnership programs will connect skilled immigrants (mentees) with established professionals in both the public and private sectors who share the same occupation (mentors). Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), Career Edge, Career Bridge, Association for New Canadians Mentoring Links, CARE for Nurses, Skills for Change, SUCCESS Job Mentoring Program, and Youth in Motion New Horizons Mentorship program are few examples of such community organizations whose programs may be applicable to business mentoring program for immigrants delivered through the Host program.

In Canada almost all mentoring programs are funded through local donations or community organizations, while very little funding is provided by federal or provincial jurisdictions. The YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services in Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge regions of Ontario, however, recently received a new funding of $1.4 million from CIC, which will be used to fund a business mentoring program for immigrants, developed and administered by YMCA.

In addition to the mentorship programs, Canadian government, in partnership with provinces, territories and settlement providers, delivers a number of other programs that help newcomers settle, adapt and integrate into Canadian society. Some of these programs include (a) the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP), which offers orientation and interpretation services as well as referrals to community resources, counselling, general information and employment-related services; (b) the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC), which provides basic language training; (c) the Host Program, which helps newcomers by connecting them to Canadian volunteers who help them learn about community services, practise English or French, participate in community activities, understand the Canadian labour market, and find job contacts in their field; (d) Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which help internationally trained individuals find the information and access the path-finding and referral services they need to put their skills to work when they arrive in Canada; and (e) The Enhanced Language Training (ELT) Initiative, which help immigrants improve their language, pronunciation and workplace skills, as well as improve their self-confidence through a variety of bridge-to-work activities and services.