SfC Magazine - February 2018

Vol. 2
Feb 2018
Helping Youth to Thrive
SfC gives an inside look into the many
ways we’re supporting youth in the
GTA and Southwestern Ontario.
Ticket to Success
Ontario College of Trades’ Trade
Equivalency Assessment provides access
to skilled trades careers.
CPA Ontario Update
Rolling out the welcome mat for
internationally trained professionals
based in Ontario.
www.skillsforchange.org
1

Building Welcoming and Equitable Communities
REFER A
FRIEND
AND GET REWARDS!
Know anyone:
• looking for a job?
• looking for a mentor?
• want to upgrade their skills?
If so refer them to us today
and receive:
www.skillsforchange.org/refer
Ask our receptionist for more information!
Rules and restrictions may apply
2 Volume 2 - Feb 2018

Leadership Team
Surranna Sandy,
Chief Executive
Officer
Skills for Changing
TIMES
04. A Message From Our CEO
• Black History Month celebration
Kwame Brown,
Associate Vice
President
06. Helping Youth to Thrive
• An inside look into the many ways we’re supporting
youth in the GTA and Southwestern Ontario
Roland Rhooms,
Director, Programs
and Services
Sampada Kukade,
Associate Director,
Outreach, Events and
Program Marketing
08. CPA Ontario Update
• Welcoming internationally trained professionals
10. Upcoming Events
• Job Fairs, Information Sessions, and much more
11. Ticket to Success
• Equivalency Assessment & access to skilled trades
Board of Directors
13. 26th Annual Pioneers for Change
• Our fundraiser gala is coming in June!
Azim Lila, Chair
Alex Petrovic, Vice-Chair
Diana Wielgus, Treasurer
Janice Charko, Member
Victor Tung, Member
Francisco Arcaya, Member
Rishabh Khamesra, Member
Skills for Changing
TIMES
Vol. 2
Feb 2018
Editor
Sampada Kukade
skukade@skillsforchange.org
Editorial Design & Digital Media Producer
Debora Jesus
djesus@skillsforchange.org
General Inquiries
info@skillsforchange.org
Skills for Change | Tel: 416-658-3101
791 St. Clair West, Toronto, Ontario M6C 1B7
All content in this magazine is © 2018. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
www.skillsforchange.org
3

A Message from Our CEO
Celebrating Youth, Women and Black History
Welcome to the second volume of Skills for Changing Times!
Surranna Sandy,
Chief Executive Officer
In her leadership role as the Chief
Executive Officer of Skills for
Change, Surranna brings passion
and dedication to ensure that
immigrants and Canadians are
provided with tools and resources
to successfully enter the labour
market in their chosen profession.
Surranna has a Master’s of Arts
in Management and Leadership,
an MBA in Human Resources
Management (HRM) and a Hons.
BA in Business.
Surranna brings 16+ years of
experience in the private and
nonprofit sector. She currently
serves as the Board Chair for the
Toronto Workforce Innovation
Group (TWIG), and is a Board
Member and Director-at-Large
for First Work (youth employment
network).
As we approach the end of the fiscal year, it is a good time to reflect on all
the initiatives we developed in the past months. In this volume you will learn
more about the many ways in which Skills for Change has been supporting
youth through different programs and services. I invite you to not only read
our featured article on Helping Youth to Thrive, but also the Q &A session with
one of the Jane-Finch Community Impact Hub program’s participants to get
an insider’s perspective on the impact of our work with these communities.
Every February, Canadians are invited to participate in Black History Month
festivities and events that honour the legacy of Black Canadians, past and
present. It is a month to celebrate and remember all the ways that black
Canadians have contributed to Canada. Skills for Change is one of the charity
organizations that held some community conversations about Anti-Black
Racism for the City of Toronto last year. We look forward to the contributions
these conversations had to developing the City of Toronto Anti-Black Racism
Strategy and its implementation.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Skills for Change’s staff member
Iman Mohammed for taking the initiative to create posters with important
members of the Black community to educate staff and clients about the
importance of this month’s celebration.
I am also very excited to share with you a new program that we will be
launching soon called Women Connecting with Women. The program will
provide newcomer women with tools and resources to reduce social isolation,
increase self-esteem, develop their networks, and build confidence. You can
find more details about it on page 10.
We encourage you to read the information in this magazine. Please continue
to provide your feedback to communications@skillsforchange.org.
About Skills for Change
Skills for Change is known for pioneering programs that respond to shifting
immigration and workplace trends and lead to employment. The first
program, in 1982, was an office training program that successfully led all
its first graduates, a group of women from Southeast Asia, into full-time
employment.
We take pride in our track record and the recognition of our agency within
and outside the Greater Toronto Area and province as a leader in services
to internationally trained immigrants.
We serve 14,000 people annually.
Vision
Mission
We envision a Canada where every immigrant succeeds.
We provide learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees
to access and fully participate in the workplace and wider community.
Locations and Service Areas
• Toronto Central
•
• Toronto East
•
• Toronto West
•
• Jane and Finch
•
• Markham - York Region
•
• Brampton - Peel Region
•
• Brantford - Southwest Region
•
• Hamilton and Guelph
www.skillsforchange.org
4 Volume 2 - Feb 2018

Canada 150 Celebration
Outstanding Neighbour Awards
On November 26th 2017, Skills for Change’s CEO Surranna Sandy received
the Canada 150 Outstanding Neighbour award by the Honorable Carolyn
Bennett, Member of Parliament for Toronto-St. Paul’s. As part of Canada
150 celebration, the Outstanding Neighbour Awards intended to celebrate
those who are setting an example for all Canadians through their work and
engagement with the community.
“As the Member of Parliament for Toronto-St. Paul’s, I am honoured to have
an opportunity to recognize the important contributions you have made to our
community. On behalf of your neighbours, I would like to thank you for your
remarkable actions that are making a difference to those around you.”
The Honourable
Carolyn Bennett, M.D.
Member of Parliament for Toronto-St. Paul’s
In Conversation...
Reia Tariq
Reia Tariq,
Participant in the Jane-Finch
Community Impact Hub program.
York University Student.
were an amazing bunch of super dedicated folks with
amazing ideas and goals!
How will you take these skills with you as you
move on with your education and career path?
With everything I gained, the biggest being confidence
in myself and my skills (alongside improving them), I
feel better prepped and ready for whatever happens
next for me, thanks to Skills for Change!
Reia Tariq is a participant in the Jane-Finch Community
Impact Hub program. Last September, Reia and other
participants in the program had the chance to pitch
a social innovation / business project during their
graduation. Reia is currently in the last year of her
bachelor’s degree at York University.
How do you think the Jane-Finch Community Impact
Hub program advanced your education and career
planning?
I feel that the Impact Hub gave a better understanding
of a variety of skills from proper coaching skills,
speaking, planning and much more, and that has been
a great asset when it comes to my education/future
career plans.
Do you feel like you have a better grasp of financial
literacy and entrepreneurship/job skills?
I do feel like I do, especially since many of our speakers
focused on that area, really helped me out with
understanding both basic concepts but also gaining a
more in depth knowledge of those areas and more.
Do you feel better prepared as a leader and a
mentor in the Jane-Finch community?
I do, thanks to all that I learned from not only our
speakers, but also from my fellow participants who
Reia Tariq at the Jane-Finch Community Impact Hub program graduation.
www.skillsforchange.org
5

Helping
Youth to
THRIVE
SfC gives an inside look
into the many ways we’re
supporting youth in the GTA
and Southwestern Ontario
Over the last several years, Skills for Change has been successfully
supporting and guiding youths of all ages through a wide range
of programming and initiatives. The Jane-Finch community
was selected as the area of focus through much research and
community conversations.
“I’m honestly so glad I found
out about this program…Since we’ve
started I’ve learned so much on how to
become a better leader and person and much
more, and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned
and gained with my community as well! Through
the program, I managed to not only learn but
also grow as both a person while reflecting on the
various skills we learned each week. I wish it
had gone on longer because it was truly a life
changing program!”
Reia Tariq, Jane-Finch Community
Impact Hub participant
As one of the most marginalized communities in the City of
Toronto, the Jane-Finch community faces a range of social issues
related to poverty, social isolation, and lack of services. The atrisk
youth residing in Jane-Finch are part of an overall trend in
Canada towards increased spatial segregation according to race
and class. Jane-Finch experiences higher than average rates
of single parent households, unemployment and participation
rates, the lowest neighbourhood equity
scores in the city, low high school
graduation rates, and percentage of
low-income residents and those on
social assistance, compared to the
City of Toronto as a whole (City
of Toronto, 2011a, 2011b, 2014;
Ramchad et al., 2012). The abovementioned
barriers encountered
by youth in this area lead to social
and economic alienation, feelings
of detachment from school, lack of
safe recreational spaces, as well as peer
delinquency and violence. While many
youths struggle to complete high school, others find difficulty
locating sustainable, well-paying employment and become more
susceptible to negative influences such as gangs, drugs, and
other punishable activities.
At Skills for Change, we believe these barriers are significant
but not intractable, and more importantly, that they can be
changed for the better by informed, directed, and community-
6 Volume 2 - Feb 2018

ased frontline services that offer youth a
path forward. Based on recent literature
on marginalized and racialized youth
facing barriers to employment and
education in Toronto, the need for access
to training, mentors, role models, and
leadership opportunities for youth has
been consistently recommended (Houwer,
2013; Ollner et al., 2011; Tewelde and
Olawoye, 2013).
In response to these needs, we delivered
the following youth programs in the Jane-
Finch community:
PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS: provided 25
at-risk youths, 14-18 years of age with
training focusing on job skills, guidance
and support through capable mentors,
and leadership opportunities. Outcomes:
19 youths developed personal roadmaps,
and 18 youths developed entrepreneurship
plans.
STEP AHEAD I: provided 24 at-risk
youths, 14-18 years of age with dance,
leadership and entrepreneurship skills to
access summer employment, business and
meaningful volunteering opportunities.
Outcomes: 24 business plans developed,
and 14 youths employed/volunteered for
2 months.
STEP AHEAD II: provided 62 at-risk
youths, 12-18 years of age with sports,
recreation, leadership, financial literacy
and entrepreneurship skills to access
local placement, summer employment
and post-secondary education options
and plans. Outcomes: 6 neighbourhood
wide youth-led recreation events.
KIDS GREENING TORONTO: provided
25 youths, 10-16 years of age with
opportunities to learn more about
environmental stewardship, and how
to be active in their communities by
developing their own “greening” projects
at local schools and community centers.
Outcomes: 20 trees planted in public
areas.
YOUTH GREENING: provided 22 youths,
10-16 years of age with opportunities
to learn more about the environment,
community leadership, urban gardening,
healthy living skills, and creative arts and
recreation. Youths led the development
of their own “greening” projects in the
community. Outcomes: 20 trees planted
and 7 green spaces created.
JANE-FINCH COMMUNITY IMPACT
HUB: provided 14 youths, 18-29 years of
age with leadership, social innovation,
community development and financial
literacy skills to become community
leaders, mentors and entrepreneurs in
the community. Outcomes: 10 business/
volunteering plans developed and 5
community initiatives developed and
applied for start-up funding.
A new program we will be starting in
the coming months is the “Building
Welcoming and Equitable Communities”
initiative through which we will bring
together service providers, higher
education institutions, and youth in order
to address community needs facing atrisk
youth in the Jane-Finch community,
including the following: 1.) Barriers to
educational attainment; 2.) Barriers to
entrance into the skilled trades, and; 3.)
Lack of community-driven solutions to
local issues.
Most recently, we have
extended our reach of
youth programming to the
Southwest Ontario region
as well. The Experience
Ontario program
provided youths ages
17-21 (15 in Brantford
and 11 in Guelph)
with employment
and academic
coaching and up to 9
months of placement
opportunities.
Through
continued
y o u t h
programming and initiatives, Skills for
Change is dedicated to working with
and supporting at-risk youths, especially
in these geographical areas, and will
continue to invest in securing a healthier,
equitable and successful futures for our
youth.
References
City of Toronto. 2011a, 2011b, 2014. Neighbourhood
Improvement Area Profiles. Retrieved from: https://
www.toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/
neighbourhoods-communities/nia-profiles/
Houwer, 2013. Changing Leaders, Leading Change: A
Leadership Development Model for Youth in Marginalized
Communities. The Assets Coming Together for Youth Project.
Ollner, A. et al. 2011. Jane-Finch Youth Speak Out: Turf,
Violence, Wellbeing. The Assets Coming Together for Youth
Project.
Ramchand, K. et al. Addressing Barriers for Marginalized
Youth in the Jane-Finch Community. University of Windsor:
Faculty of Law.
Tewelde and Olawoye. 2013. From Analysis to Action: A
Collective Appraisal to Youth Violence. The Assets Coming
Together for Youth Project.
Toronto Community Foundation. 2012. Toronto Vital Signs:
Not Too Bad. Toronto: Toronto Community Foundation.
www.skillsforchange.org
7

Skills for Change’s clients learn about the advantages of becoming a CPA.
CPA Ontario: Rolling out the welcome mat for the
internationally trained
There’s an interesting English language phrase – “rolling
out the welcome mat” – that means to welcome someone
with a special display of hospitality. It dates back to times
when some friendly people literally had a mat with the word
“welcome” on it at the front door of their home – a tradition
that continues for some Canadians today.
CPA Ontario and the Canadian accounting profession have
made a concerted effort to welcome and help internationally
trained accountants for a number of very sound
reasons.
“Obviously, we think our society and
our economy benefits when skilled
newcomers can use their knowledge and
experience in Canadian workplaces,”
said Vicki Liederman, CPA Ontario’s
Director of Student Recruitment. “Our
profession is almost uniquely equipped
to welcome internationally trained
accountants and very eager to help people
earn their Chartered Professional Accountant
designation.”
CPAs are in great demand as organizations of all types and
sizes need qualified accounting and finance professionals
to compete in today’s ever more challenging business
environment. Whether it’s in government, public practice,
the private sector or academe, CPAs are filling leadership
roles and enjoying successful careers.
The need for CPAs will continue to rise in the coming years
spurred by demographic factors that would see Canada’s
aging workforce shrink without the addition of talented
immigrants. But, of course, employers don’t just want warm
bodies; they want fully qualified professionals who they can
count on to make a positive impact from day one on.
“The great thing about the Canadian CPA designation, and
I’d say this is especially true for newcomers to the Canadian
job market, is that having it gives you instant credibility with
8 Volume 2 - Feb 2018
“Whether
it’s in government,
public practice, the
private sector or academe,
CPAs are filling leadership
roles and enjoying
successful careers.”
potential employers or clients, “said Liederman. “They know
that earning the CPA requires a solid mix of education and
experience, coupled with examinations that test all of our
members for the competencies needed to succeed.
“They also know that becoming a CPA is not a one-time thing.
As professionals, CPAs are committed to live-long learning
via continuing professional development standards and
they are regulated to ensure that they live up to our high
standards for ethics and behavior.”
While qualification standards are
appropriately high, CPA Ontario has put
into place a number of strategies to help
people successfully enter the profession.
The Canadian profession has mutual
recognition agreements (MRAs) and
memorandums of understanding (MOUs)
with many of the leading international
accounting bodies, smoothing the way into
the Canadian profession for these bodies’
members.
Even if there is no formal agreement in place, CPA
Ontario can assess the qualifications of an internationally
trained accountant to see how the organization can help the
individual through the CPA program.
“We provide a full range of help for students,” said Liederman,
“everything from information sessions and one-on-one
career counselling, to access to mentors, online information
and more. We partner with top organizations helping new
Canadians, like Skills for Change, to ensure that the word
gets out to internationally trained accountants and other
internationally educated professionals that there is a place
for them in the membership of CPA Ontario.”
More information about how to become a CPA is available
at online at our website or at CPA Ontario’s information
sessions (see https://www.cpaontario.ca/become-a-cpa/
events/information-sessions).

Inside SfC Events
3rd Annual Trades Expo
On November 15th Skills for Change held our 3rd annual Trades Expo at Metro Hall. Once again, we had overwhelming
success, with over 200 job seekers and 200 students in attendance, and 35 employers looking to fill various roles within
their companies. We were pleased to have representation from multiple trades, including Plumbers, Brick & Stone Mason,
Construction, Cement Finisher, Carpentry, Sheet Metal, Roofer, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Mechanics, Welding, and
more. We’d like to thank the Ontario College of Trades, our lead sponsor for this year’s event. We’d also like to thank our staff
and all of our volunteers for all of your hard work at the event.
To find out more information on opportunities to engage with employers in the skilled trades sector and/or internationally
educated skilled trades professionals, please contact Tanya Lauder at tlauder@skillsforchange.org.
Skills for Change and CPA Ontario Speed Mentoring Event
On December 13, Skills for Change & CPA Ontario held a Speed Mentoring. Despite the cold weather, it was quite well
received, with 30 attendees and 5 CPA mentors who discussed resume building, developing skill sets, and job searching. We’d
like to thank CPA Ontario, our lead corporate sponsor, for their continued support!
Skills for Change continually hosts mentoring, networking, and information sessions with CPA Ontario. Visit our website’s
events calendar at skillsforchange.org/events and sing up for the next events!
www.skillsforchange.org
9

Inside SfC
Programs & Services
Women Connecting with Women Program
In 2013, Skills for Change conducted a Gender-Based
Research Analysis to identify and take action on the
systemic and domestic barriers immigrant women
face in accessing services, and review the programs
available and what can be created to address these
barriers. A link to the analysis can be found here (http://
skillsforchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/
Gender-Based-Analysis-Report-2013.pdf).
Skills for Change has created women-specific
programming for new immigrants to assist them in
settling and providing them with the right tools they
need to socially integrate and have successful careers
in Canada.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new
program called Women Connecting with Women. The
program will address the systemic issues of newcomer
women who face multiple barriers. The program will
provide newcomer women with tools and resources to
reduce social isolation, increase self-esteem, increase
their networks and build confidence. They will have
access to one on one counselling/crisis counselling,
support groups, mentoring, language enhancement
and life-skills training. The end goal is for these women
to feel empowered and gain confidence to achieve
social and economic integration in the Canadian
Society.
We are going to have a launch of this program in mid-
April to engage community partners and corporations
in the work that we are doing around women’s
programming.
To find out more about this upcoming program and/or
the launch, contact gryu@skillsforchange.org.
26th Pioneers for Change
We are pleased to announce our Pioneers for Change
(PfC) fundraiser gala to be held on Wednesday, June
20th, 2018 at St. James Cathedral Centre. PfC is Skills
for Change’s annual awards gala to raise funds and
awareness around the issues that newcomers face when
arriving in Canada.
PfC represents the vision of a diverse & inclusive Canada.
It is an ongoing commitment to identify the achievements
of immigrants as well as break down barriers so that
newcomers not only succeed, but thrive.
For more information, go to www.pioneersforchange.ca
or contact skukade@skillsforchange.org.
Upcoming Events
Employer Engagement 2018
In the upcoming year, Skills for Change will work
with current and existing partners to refine their
Talent Management strategies in order to help
those partners meet their organizational goals. We
will also be planning and executing a wide range of
events that engage our partners and bring value
to their business operations. Stay tuned for more
details of these exciting new initiatives!
EMPLOYMENT EVENTS
March 6 - Public Legal Education Workshop
Join this workshop presented by Toronto East
Employment and Immigration Law Services to
understand your rights as a worker in Ontario and to
learn more about the new changes to the Employment
Standards Act.
March 8 - CPA Ontario Information Session
A CPA designation is your passport to success. It
provides you with the toolkit of skills and knowledge
that are in high demand by top organizations around
the world.
March 21 - How to Apply for Government Jobs
Learn how to apply for the Federal Internship for
Newcomers (FIN) Program; Federal Jobs; Provincial
Jobs; and Municipal Jobs.
March 27 - Building Your Confidence in your Job Search
Topics include: Steps to improving confidence and
self-esteem; What can affect your confidence and
self-esteem; and How to remain confident when
looking for a job/in interviews.
April 10 - How to be Assertive in your Job Search
Topics include: The different types of communication
styles; How to be assertive in relationships, in
interviews and on the job; Boundaries: what are they,
what types are there, and how to set them.
See all our future events at www.skillsforchange.org/
events
March Break Camp
Your March Break at Skills for Change is all about
learning and growing while exploring the city and
having fun. We will be hosting a week long Youth Camp
featuring life skills and leadership program.
Contact settlement@skillsforchange.org for more
information.
10 Volume 2 - Feb 2018

Ticket to Success
Ontario College of Trades’ Trade Equivalency Assessment provides access to
skilled trades careers
With Ontario’s aging workforce, a career in the trades is not
only possible, but is needed to help Ontario renew its skilled
trades workforce and build a stronger economy.
The Ontario College of Trades (College), Ontario’s regulatory
body for the skilled trades, helps make sure Ontario has
the skilled workforce it needs to grow and prosper—both
by helping those transition their existing skills to one of
Ontario’s 156 skilled trades, and by encouraging people to
become an apprentice and learn a trade.
Recently, College staff went to Brockville, Ontario to
help employees who will soon lose their job due
to the pending closing of a Proctor & Gamble
(P&G) manufacturing plant. The College
talked to these employees about how they
could transition to skilled trades careers
through the Trade Equivalency Assessment
(TEA) process, or through the apprenticeship
pathway.
The College’s TEA process assesses a
tradesperson’s skills and prior work experience,
regardless of the province or country they were
obtained, through a fair and straight-forward
process, helping them gain access to Ontario’s skilled
trades industry.
For those with little to no trades experience, an apprenticeship
teaches people a skilled trade on the job. Apprentices work
under the direction of experienced workers, and get paid
while they learn their trade. Opportunities in the skilled
trades are widely shared through the College’s outreach and
education activities.
Following the cancellation of a usual night shift at the plant,
employees were told that the 40-year-old facility would be
permanently closing by 2020 and moving to West Virginia.
Many of the 500 employees anticipated changes, but never
expected the plant to permanently close. Some expressed
concern for families who had generations working at the
“The
apprenticeship
pathway provides access
to well-paying jobs that
demand a high level of
skill, judgement and
creativity.”
Trade Equivalency Analysts, Tanya Luc and Mawlika Siva.
plant and whose entire income is reliant on P&G.
College analysts Tanya Luc and Mawlika Siva conducted onsite
workshops with P&G plant employees to help them in
their career transition.
“Despite the trying circumstances, we were happy to be able
to offer these workers some hope and show them potential
career options,” said TEA analyst Mawlika Siva. “In one-onone
sessions, we walked them through the TEA process and
the apprenticeship pathway, providing information on how
they could access Training Delivery Agents in order to
upgrade their skills and explore second career
paths.”
TEA applicants are required to submit the
necessary paperwork to see if they are
eligible to gain certification in their trade.
Approved TEA applicants become eligible
to attempt the Certificate of Qualification
exam, giving them better job prospects in
Ontario’s skilled trades.
Similarly, the apprenticeship pathway provides
access to well-paying jobs that demand a high
level of skill, judgement and creativity.
“Assisting individuals in navigating the trades system and
gaining their certifications is one of the many services we
offer,” said Dale Richardson, manager of member records &
data at the College.
Along with assessing thousands of TEA applications each year
and guiding those through the apprenticeship pathway, the
College protects the public interest by regulating the skilled
trades, and promotes opportunities in the skilled trades to
youth and underrepresented groups—including women,
Indigenous people and new Canadians.
For more information on the College’s TEA process,
apprenticeship and working in the skilled trades, visit www.
collegeoftrades.ca.
www.skillsforchange.org
11

Become a Sponsor
and help a newcomer in need
• Partner on a Program-specific Initiative.
• Employer Benefits Available.
• Get access to our Corporate Diversity Training Centre.
• Sponsor our annual June Gala event.
All corporate partnerships include promotions at Skills for Change’s resource centres, regular digital
media exposure, features in quarterly magazine and online blog, and much more!
12 Volume 2 - Feb 2018

Career Skills
Effective and affordable way to build your
business, technical and administrative skills
Course Categories:
Accounting and Finance
Microsoft Office
Quality Assurance
Project Management
Business Skills
Information Technology
Register today at
skillsforchange.org/career
www.skillsforchange.org
13

Electricians
Millwrights
HVAC Mechanics
Plumbers
Get a RED SEAL
and find work
in your field.
Trades Win
SUPPORT PROGRAM
Job development
Work Experience
Placement
Mentoring
Test to Hire
RED Seal License
Exam Preparation
Training
Peel Region
21 Nelson Street West, Unit 1A
Brampton, ON L6X 1B6
14 Volume 2 - Feb 2018
Call 905-595-1679
York Region
344 John Street
Markham, ON L3T 5W5
Call 905-764-0202 x101
tradeswin@skillsforchange.org
skillsforchange.org/skilledtrades

www.skillsforchange.org
15

1982-83
formed in 1982;
incorporated as a
1988
changed to SKILLS FOR
CHANGE OF METRO
TORONTO.
1993
to Canada (LINC).
- First New Pioneers Awards
gala event is held.
- Becomes a United Way of
Greater Toronto member
agency.
2010
Agency expands to add
two Employment Ontario
and Flemingdon Park.
2008
funds JSW in 2000 and
ELT in 2008.
- Trades Win Support
Program (TWSP) in
Brampton is launched.
1998
program is launched,
which served as the
bridging programs in
Ontario.
1996-97
is updated.
- Agency is restructured
into four units.
2011
- A ground breaking
Immigrant Women in
Leadership
Gender-based analysis
project is developed.
- TWSP expands to York
region.
2013
- Seniors and Youth
Entrepreneurship
programs are
introduced.
- Programming in the
Jane-Finch area is
launched.
2014
Entrepreneurship Hub
for immigrant women
and youth starts.
2015-Present
- Agency develops Theory
of Change.
- Services are expanded to
Southwestern Ontario
Thank you for your support
over the last 35 years!
16 Volume 2 - Feb 2018
www.skillsforchange.org