<i>Immigrant Success Awards</i>, co-sponsored by <i>Canadian HR Reporter</i>, awarded to 3 employers, individual
Three organizations and one individual have been honoured with awards from the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and RBC, in partnership with Canadian HR Reporter.
Trinity Tech, SMTC, the Regional Municipality of York and André Goh, manager of the Diversity Management Unit at the Toronto Police Services were recognized for leading the way in integrating skilled immigrant talent in the Greater Toronto Area labour market at the annual Immigrant Success (IS) Awards.
“With our rich diversity, Toronto area business and organizations have a wonderful opportunity to become even more innovative. Our annual Immigrant Success Awards prove that great things can happen when immigrants and businesses come together,” said Margaret Eaton, executive director of the TRIEC. “Yet, the competition for skilled immigrant talent is increasing and other companies need to follow these winners’ leads in order to attract the best and the brightest to our region before it is too late.”
André Goh
Canadian HR Reporter Individual Achievement Award
André Goh, an immigrant from South East Asia, is responsible for the strategic direction, implementation and alignment of the Toronto Police Service’s integrated diversity initiative, working hard to propel the Service forward with progressive practices. Today, the service boasts a workforce that is 40 per cent diverse. He is also an active member of the LGBTQ community and helped establish Gay Asian Toronto.
Trinity Tech
RBC Immigrant Advantage Award for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
Engineering consulting firm, Trinity Tech knows that skilled immigrants have a direct impact on the success of the business: the firm attributes 40 per cent of its innovation to its immigrant workforce.. Of the approximate 120 Canadian employees, 60 per cent are newcomers. And with business expanding internationally, Spanish-speaking employees are critical to the growing success of the company’s Mexican operations
SMTC
CBC Toronto Immigrant Advantage Award
SMTC is a Markham-based manufacturer specializing in electronics. SMTC employs individuals from over 20 countries and across five continents. On the production floor, 95 per cent of employees are immigrants and one-third of the manufacturer’s senior management team are skilled immigrants. With business thriving and the necessary skilled employees in place, SMTC is transforming its Markham manufacturing plant into an intelligence centre.
The Regional Municipality of York
Toronto Star Award for Excellence in Workplace Integration
Recognition of foreign credentials and experience is often a major barrier for immigrants seeking employment. Created in 2010, the Regional Municipality of York developed an innovative tool to remove this barrier with its Foreign Credential Evaluation Process Guide — the only municipality with the process of its kind. This guide outlines an assessment process to recognize relevant international education and work experience as equivalent to comparable Canadian experience. The result? Twenty-seven per cent of the workforce is immigrants.
