By IEC BC | Link to Article
By IEC BC | Link to Article
Thirteen individuals and organizations making a difference in helping skilled new Canadians integrate into BC workplaces were recently honoured at the inaugural IEC-BC Leadership Recognition Awards event.
The awards recognized the innovation, leadership and commitment of IEC-BC partners, employers, professional member organizations and immigrant-serving organizations in advancing the employment of skilled immigrants in BC.
“Tapping into the expertise of skilled immigrants is critical to the province’s economic growth and to the successful settlement of new Canadians who make BC their new home,” said Philip Steenkamp, IEC-BC Board Chair and Vice-President, External Relations, Simon Fraser University who announced the awards. “It takes many people and organizations to facilitate the integration of skilled immigrants into BC workplaces and the individuals and organizations we recognized today are doing that.”
Individual Leadership awards were presented to Peter Judd, General Manager, City of Vancouver Engineering Department and Heather Oland, CEO, Initiatives Prince George for their commitment to immigrant employment integration. Judd and city staff have been mentoring skilled immigrants since 2011. Oland has led initiatives to promote Prince George as a city of opportunity for skilled immigrants.
The City of Vancouver and TELUS were both recognized with Organization Leadership awards for their commitment to MentorConnect, IEC-BC’s mentoring program for skilled immigrants. The City of Vancouver was also the first employer to join IEC-BC’s newest program, Connector, which helps to expand the professional networks and employment options of job-ready immigrants.
Member Association Leadership awards recognizing best practices and solutions in immigrant employment were presented to the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC, the BC Construction Association, the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce and HRMA (Human Resources Management Association).