Awards recognize recruiting, integrating and leveraging skilled immigrant talent

TORONTO, October 11, 2011 – The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) is pleased to announce the call for entries for the 6th Annual Immigrant Success (IS) Awards, sponsored by RBC. Each year, TRIEC presents the IS Awards to recognize innovation and leadership in integrating skilled immigrants into the Greater Toronto Region labour market.

To date, 25 trailblazers, employers and individuals, have been recognized. If you or your organization deserve to be recognized but aren’t yet among our alumni – don’t miss your chance this year. Employers and individuals are invited to apply or submit a nomination by Thursday, December 1, 2011 at www.isawards.ca.

There are four IS Awards:

RBC Immigrant Advantage Award

This award will recognize an organization that demonstrates the business impact of leveraging the skills of immigrants, yielding tangible results for both business and immigrants.

CBC Toronto Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion

This award will recognize a unique initiative that breaks down employment barriers for skilled immigrants and has the potential to affect change beyond one organization. This innovative practice has the potential for wider impact because of partnerships.

Toronto Star Award for Excellence in Workplace Integration

This award will recognize ONE practice or a suite of practices related to ONE of the following: sourcing, recruiting, onboarding, integration, inclusion or promotion of skilled immigrants. The practice or suite of practices must be innovative, and fully implemented and established with positive results that are transforming the organization.

Canadian HR Reporter Individual Achievement Award

This award will recognize an individual who has demonstrated leadership and innovation in HR practice in integrating skilled immigrants in the workplace.

“From our research, we know that one in five Toronto Region employers has hired a skilled immigrant to help them expand globally and locally, and feels that employees with international education and experience are effective in helping them meet these business goals,” says Elizabeth McIsaac, Executive Director of TRIEC. “We need to hear from those employers, so we can share their stories of success.”

Winners will be recognized in the media and by their peers as leaders in an area of increasing importance to the Canadian economy. Each will receive a hand crafted IS Awards sculpture. RBC will host a reception to honour the winners in spring 2012.

“RBC’s founding support of the IS Awards reflects our strong belief that diversity is a competitive advantage – and the winner stories prove it. The more employers tap the full range of capabilities of our workforce – to innovate, develop untapped markets and foster new relationships – the more competitive Canada will be in the global economy and the more prosperous we will be at home,” says Zabeen Hirji, Chief Human Resources Officer at RBC.

Since the awards launched five years ago, over 25 employers and individuals have been recognized. Previous winners include CH2M HILL Canada Limited, Deloitte, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, George Brown College, I3 International, Nytric Limited, Pitney Bowes, Samtack, St. Micheal’s Hospital, Steam Whistle Brewing, Thales Canada, Transportation, Toronto Foundation for Student Success and Xerox Research Centre of Canada, as well as individuals from American Express Technologies, CIBC, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Procter & Gamble and TD Bank Financial Group.

“With over 90 per cent of our 100-person staff comprised of immigrants, we’ve leveraged that talent to respond to changing needs of mass merchant customers; to increase market share with smaller, diverse retailers; and to purchase parts from overseas suppliers,” says Royson Ng, President at Samtack, past winner of the RBC Immigrant Advantage Award. “Winning an IS Award makes us proud of our company culture and has resulted in lots of welcome media coverage – something special for a small business like Samtack.”

Online applications can be completed in minutes. For full details, online entry forms and profiles of previous winners, visit www.isawards.ca.

A panel of senior human resource professionals, business executives and industry stakeholders will judge the IS Award submissions.

The IS Awards are a program of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), sponsored by RBC with media partners Canadian HR Reporter, CBC Toronto and The Toronto Star.

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 About TRIEC

The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) creates and champions solutions to better integrate skilled immigrants in the Greater Toronto Region labour market. www.triec.ca.

For further information, please contact:

Claire DeVeale-Blane at 416-944-1946 ext. 271, cdeveale@triec.ca