2019-2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, with COVID-19 and the rapidly changing global situation. However, in spite of the challenges, we continued implementing the 2017-2020 strategic plan in 2019-2020 and were able to partner with more employers, and grow the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program. Thanks to the contributions of our amazing partners and team - your support was vital to this success.

TRIEC Mentoring Partnership continued to grow, achieving an all-time high record number of 2,277 matches! This reflects the consistent growth trajectory the program has experienced in the past few years and marks a 26% increase in matches over the last three years. We are also excited about the findings from the recent ESDC-funded Program Evaluation study for TRIEC Mentoring Partnership, which shows what a vital contribution mentoring makes in helping newcomer professionals find career success.

We increased our employer engagement efforts this year, with 30 new employers partnering with TRIEC 47 organizations changed their practices to be more inclusive by leveraging the various resources we have to offer, such as the Inclusive Workplace Competencies and the Certificate in Inclusive Leadership. We currently have over 800 participants in these programs and 84% reported they have increased their inclusive capabilities.

To celebrate our successes and those of our partners, we hosted the TRIEC Annual Inclusion Summit in November 2019. In addition to recognizing our amazing employer partners, community partners, and PINs associations, we also released the Building a Corporate Ladder for All report, which focuses on career advancement for immigrant professionals with an intersectional lens. The event earned TRIEC’s work greater visibility in the media and led to thought leadership opportunities where we were able to promote our message more widely.

We know there’s still a lot of work to be done. The Building a Corporate Ladder for All report highlights that gaps still exist in employment, and particularly, the representation of immigrants in corporate leadership positions compared to their Canada-born counterparts. This gap is even bigger for immigrant women, especially racialized women.

To address some of these gaps, we are excited to announce the launch of our newest program – Career Advancement for Immigrant Professionals. This program will support the upward mobility of immigrant professionals in organizations, empowering them to showcase their expertise and potential.

Like many other organizations, we’ve adapted to the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our in-person networking events and mentoring events have been moved online and will continue to be delivered in that format. We’ve encouraged mentors and mentees in the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program to continue to meet virtually, and are providing continuous online support. This digital integration of our programs and services means that our programs and support will be accessible to even more professionals since they can be remotely accessed.

We want to thank all of our partners and champions for their contributions and support in helping us achieve our goals. We’ll continue to work hard, with them, to create even more inclusive workplaces and make sure the Greater Toronto Area is fully leveraging the skills and talents of its newcomer populations.