The Mentoring Partnership Celebrates nearly 3,000 Matches

Program for Skilled Immigrants Honours Those Who Went Above & Beyond

TORONTO - The Mentoring Partnership, a program of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) that matches skilled immigrants with established professionals who share the same occupation, will celebrate the dedication of its mentors, mentees and partners this week during a special celebration event - Above & Beyond.


The Mentoring Partnership is a collaboration of community and corporate partners that bring together skilled immigrants and established professionals in occupation-specific mentoring relationships. The program is delivered by a coalition of partner organizations in the City of Toronto and the regions of Halton, Peel and York.

Successful employment is an important aspect of settlement for new immigrants, and mentoring has been proven an effective aid. For the immigrant it provides an important professional network that did not exist before. It helps to close knowledge gaps, it creates links and relationships, and it supports immigrants so both they and Canada's labour market can benefit from their immense talent.

Around 70 per cent of the immigrants who go through the program find professional employment either during or three months after the mentoring relationship ends.

Mentors also gain from the mentoring relationship. In fact, a number of corporate partners promote the program to their staff as a way to build leadership and cross-cultural communication skills. The event, Above & Beyond, is a way for The Mentoring Partnership to say thank you to those who volunteer their time, many as repeat mentors.

Currently the top organizations with the most mentor volunteers include, in order, TD Bank Financial Group, The City of Toronto, Deloitte, KPMG, Toronto Community Housing Corporation and Manulife Financial.

A complete list of mentoring corporate partners, participating community agencies, and other program information can be found at www.thementoringpartnership.com.
Top Corporate Partners (in descending order of number of mentors):

TD Bank Financial Group
The City of Toronto
Deloitte LLP
KPMG LLP
Toronto Community Housing Corporation (tie)
Manulife Financial (tie)
CIBC
Ernst & Young LLP
Ryerson University
Indian Institute of Technology Alumni Canada

All Corporate Partners (alphabetical):

Air Canada Jazz
AMEX Canada
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
Boston Consulting Group
Brampton Board of Trade
Canadian Information Processing Society Toronto
Centennial College
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants Canada
CIBC
City of Brampton
City of Mississauga
City of Toronto
Deloitte LLP
Ernst & Young LLP
Franklin Templeton Investments
GE Canada
Hewitt Associates Canada
Housing Services Inc.
Humber College
Indian Institute of Technology Alumni Canada
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
KPMG LLP
Lucent Technologies Canada Corp
Mackenzie Financial
Manulife Financial
Markham Board of Trade
Microsoft Canada
Mississauga Board of Trade
Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities
Ontario Power Generation
Pepsi QTG
Pitney Bowes Canada
PricewaterhouseCoopers
RBC Financial Group
Region of Peel
Ryerson University
Scotiabank
Seneca College
Sheridan College
TD Bank Financial Group
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Toronto Board of Trade
Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Toronto Transit Commission
Town of Markham
United Way of Greater Toronto
United Way of Peel Region
University of Toronto
York Region Newspaper Group
York Technology Association

Community Agency Partners:

In the City of Toronto mentoring services are delivered through members of the Consortium of Agencies Serving Internationally-trained Persons (CASIP), including:

<<
- A.C.C.E.S.
- COSTI
- Humber College
- JobStart
- JVS
- Seneca College
- Skills for Change

In Halton Region mentoring services are delivered through:

- Sheridan College

In Peel Region mentoring services are delivered through the lead agency:

- Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre
In partnership with
- A.C.C.E.S. (Brampton)
- Malton Neighbourhood Services

In York Region mentoring services are delivered through:

- COSTI
>>

Launched in November 2004, The Mentoring Partnership is a collaboration of community organizations and corporate partners that bring together skilled immigrants and established professionals in occupation-specific mentoring relationships. The program is delivered by a coalition of community organizations in the City of Toronto, and the regions of Halton, Peel and York.
Through the program mentors give 24 hours of their time over a four-month period. Mentors contribute knowledge, experience and professional networks. Meanwhile, mentors develop coaching and leadership skills, become more aware of the issues immigrants face and help to support new immigrants as they find their way in the Canadian economy and society. For more information visit www.thementoringpartnership.com.

The Mentoring Partnership celebration event, Above & Beyond
Matt Galloway of CBC Radio One 99.1's 'Here and Now' Mentors and Mentees from The Mentoring Partnership Corporate Partners of The Mentoring Partnership (see below)
Thursday, March 27, 2008 5:30 to 7:30 pm
The Dominion Club 1 King Street West (at Yonge Street), second floor, Toronto