Making Connections

A new LEDC program called Global Talent helps workers and employers adjust.

Diversity promoted on job

When he walks the floor of his business every morning, Paul Hogendoorn says good morning in 10 languages.

NORMAN DE BONO
[ 2007-03-28 ]

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Greater cultural diversity is marking the plant floors and offices of London businesses and yesterday the London Economic Development Corp. unveiled a program to help workers and businesses cope with the changing face of the workplace.

"This is going to clarify a lot of issues," Hogendoorn, president of OES Inc., said yesterday at an LEDC breakfast meeting where the program was launched.

"It will help people go through this process a lot faster than we did."

The LEDC unveiled Global Talent, a program that will see booklets distributed and a website launched -- www.globaltalent.ca -- assisting new Canadians looking for work and businesses looking to hire them.


The booklet for workers spells out what resources are offered new Canadians and how to access them, covering everything from what a Canadian resume and cover letter should include to tapping into resources for a job search.

For businesses, it lays out the benefits of hiring foreign workers, where to get information about hiring, how to keep good workers and how to create an inclusive workplace.

Though OES, a manufacturer of sports scoreboards, built a diverse workforce through "serendipity," not planning, it was a case of trial and error, Hogendoorn said.

The Global Talent initiative will help other businesses avoid the pitfalls, he said.

"They are a tremendous resource," said Hogendoorn, who also chairs the London Region Manufacturing Council.

Statistics Canada recently reported that by 2030, Canada will be entirely dependent on new immigrants to sustain and grow its population. Now, about 20 per cent of London residents are foreign-born.

"This is another aspect of developing our workforce," said Jeny Wallace director of workforce development for the LEDC.

"We needed to address the issue of getting migrants into the workforce and make the best possible connection with employers. This is critical to future business growth."

But it is also critical to new Canadians, who arrive here overwhelmed by language and culture, often not knowing where to turn for help, said Edgar Marquez, a law clerk at Lerners law firm who came to London three years ago from Colombia.

He received assistance from the Cross Cultural Learner Centre, the Latin Centre and WIL Employment Connections. Marquez volunteered at social agencies, a seniors' home and restaurant before landing a job.

"People need a place to go, they need a point to start. "When we came here, we did not have that," he said of the Global Talent program.

"We did not have language, it was very hard for us, but we found help. The Canadian people are so kind. London is a good place to live, we are so happy."



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