Empowering Refugees and Addressing Regina’s Labor Needs Through Strategic Employer Partnerships
Regina, SK – Regina is hosting its first Refugee Hiring Event on November 7th, 2024. Facilitated by the Regina Region Local Immigration Partnership (RRLIP), this landmark event matches five local employers seeking workers with refugees and forcibly displaced people seeking jobs. The Regina convening was organized with the support of Jumpstart Refugee Talent, the Regina Work Preparation Centre, Inc and World Education Services (WES) and is based on a Hiring Event model developed by the Refugee Jobs Agenda Roundtable, a network of 150 employers and community leaders who are committed to increasing refugees’ access to meaningful employment opportunities and employer’s access to needed talent.
RRLIP coordinated the Refugee Hiring Event as part of a strategy to boost the local economy by providing employers with access to this talent.
“The Regina Region Local Immigration Partnership is proud to support this unique event,” said Mussarat Parveen of the RRLIP. “By fostering collaboration with WES, Jumpstart Refugee Talent, and the RRLIP’s Labour Market Working Group (LMWG), we are creating an effective pathway to employment for refugees and other displaced individuals.”
The event occurs at a moment when Regina, like many other rural communities across Canada, is experiencing a worker shortage. In 2023, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce sounded an alarm, noting that “the province’s employers are grappling with a daunting challenge – a severe shortage of skilled and experienced workers” which are “impacting the broader Saskatchewan economy.” Meanwhile, immigrants comprise 20 percent of Regina’s population and are a ready and often under-utilized source of labour.
“Connecting talent has never been more important, especially considering the opportunity refugees represent for rural communities in Saskatchewan and beyond,” said the Honourable Ratna Omidvar, co-chair of the Refugee Jobs Agenda Roundtable, “I am so inspired by the initiative taken by the Regina Region Local Immigrant Partnership to convene this event, and I can’t wait to see similar events of varying scale and scope continue across the country.”
Five Regina employers will be attending the Regina Refugee Hiring Event, including Booster Juice, D&G Logistics, NGIT Services, Scotiabank, and Sunlife. Forty-one refugees and displaced job-seekers, selected from 140 applications, will be attending the event, where they will be able to access professional interview and job-seeking guidance in addition to valuable networking opportunities.
“The Food Truck is proud to collaborate with the Regina Region Local Immigration Partnership and is looking forward to meeting all of the applicants,” said a representative from Booster Juice. “By mentoring newcomers in Canada, we can help shape our city, province, and country.”
The Regina Refugee Hiring Event is built on a proven model—piloted in 2019 in Toronto and implemented in other communities, including, Moncton and Winnipeg—that is uniquely successful in pairing employers and job seekers. The 2023 Refugee Hiring Events, for instance, resulted in on-the-spot job offers or second interviews for 55% – 85% of job seekers who attended. Other Hiring Events have been similarly successful.
“Our aim is to achieve tangible results, with job seekers receiving on-the-spot job offers or progressing to the next round,” said Ashley Belsey Lead Agency Team Coordinator at the Regina Work Preparation Centre, Inc. “We have been eager to explore and execute this highly effective Refugee Hiring Event model. I have truly valued the collaboration with numerous agencies to bring this impactful event to Regina.”
Refugee Hiring Events are a project of the Refugee Jobs Agenda Roundtable, which designed its hiring event model to be replicated in both urban and rural communities. The Roundtable offers online training, coaching and other resources to enable cities and provinces across Canada to host their own hiring events.
For more information, please visit www.welcomingeconomy.ca.
Regina Region Local Immigration Partnership (RRLIP)
RRLIP supports and strengthens the community’s capacity to welcome, settle and integrate newcomers in Regina. The project is guided by a multi-sectoral Partnership Council, informed by an Immigrant Advisory Table, and regularly convenes working groups/committees aligned with key priorities: employment, housing education, mental and emotional wellness, social connections, cultural bridging etc. To address these priorities, RRLIP sits on several local community advisory tables with various community partners and facilitates working groups and committees such as Canadian Housing Advisory Committee (CHAC), Labour Market Working Group (LMWG), Mental and Emotional Wellness Working Group (MEWWG), Antiracism and Discrimination Working (AR/DWG), and private sponsorship group of refugees.
Regina Work Preparation Centre, Inc.
Throughout its 50 years and various changes, Regina Work Preparation Centre has consistently responded to the community’s needs by offering valuable programs and services that help individuals overcome barriers to entering the job market. Our mission is to provide services that recognize individual strengths, build capacity, and create opportunities for each vocational journey. Together we are building Saskatchewan’s workforce. One person at a time.
World Education Services
World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students. From evaluating academic credentials to shaping policy, designing programs, and providing philanthropic funding, we partner with a diverse set of organizations, leaders, and networks to uplift individuals and drive systems change.
Jumpstart Refugee Talent
Jumpstart Refugee Talent is an international, refugee-led charitable organization, headquartered in Toronto, Canada with a network of offices throughout Canada and around the world. Our work is dedicated to supporting the economic inclusion of refugees, refugee claimants, and forcibly displaced individuals, by connecting them with meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. We are also committed to assisting displaced people in finding durable solutions by leveraging labour mobility pathways and ensuring their relocation and successful integration into new communities.
Media Contact: Amanda Fortier, Communications Manager, Jumpstart Refugee Talent
[email protected] (888)997-3384 x (728)