New website to help immigrant professionals seek Toronto jobs

As reported by IT Business, a new website with the goal of linking up immigrants with jobs will be launching, says the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). Financed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as well as Scotiabank, the networking site will highlight already-existing groups of skilled immigrants, and present them to Greater Toronto Area (GTA) firms.

Located at NetworksForImmigrants.ca, the new website is a way for employers to seek out a broader talent pool, says Racquel Sevilla, who is TRIEC’s program development manager. Raising awareness of immigrants offering professional skills, the website will collaborate with the numerous immigrant networks in the GTA already doing the same work along industry and cultural lines.

Immigrant networks are usually volunteer-run associations that seek to help unite newcomers with quality jobs. The International Doctors Network, the Association of Filipino Canadian Accountants and Hispanotech are three prominent examples in the Greater Toronto Area.

According to a 2009 survey of immigrant job networks, there were 70 such groups operating in the GTA. The website is being broadcast with over 30 of these using a searchable directory. Employers will be able to search through a list of associations by alphabetical order, profession, or cultural group. There will also be featured news stories and success stories.