Mentoring more than doubles a newcomer’s chances of securing a ‘good quality job’: New evaluation report

 Toronto, ON (June 15, 2020) – Mentoring enhances job search skills and expands the networks of newcomer professionals – ultimately doubling their chances to find good quality jobs, as revealed in a recent evaluation of TRIEC Mentoring Partnership.

The evaluation study was funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and aimed to determine the impact of mentoring on the career success of newcomers and the level of demand for mentoring within the Greater Toronto Area and in other cities across Canada. The results show that mentoring makes a key positive contribution to the careers of newcomer professionals. Current challenges include securing enough mentors and expanding existing infrastructure to keep up with growing demand.

The evaluation, conducted by Blueprint ADE and part of the overarching evaluation framework set by Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), found that skilled newcomers who participated in TRIEC Mentoring Partnership are:

• Around 2.5x more likely to be in ‘good quality jobs’ (full time, permanent jobs with benefits and opportunities for advancement)
• Almost 4x more likely to expand their network

…after three months of program completion than those who did not participate. [The control group members were sourced by World Education Services (WES).] The program also had the greatest impact on female newcomers and for those who were unemployed.

“TRIEC Mentoring Partnership has been an incredible help in my professional journey in Canada,” says Pavit Kaur, a mentee with an IT background who found a job in her field after participating to the program. “I am definitely going to recommend it to newcomers. Eventually, I also want to become a mentor myself.”

Since 2004, TRIEC has been coordinating TRIEC Mentoring Partnership in collaboration with 27 employer and 12 community partners across the Greater Toronto Area.[1] Job-ready newcomers are matched with volunteer mentors, who share a similar professional background, for a period of three months. The mentors help the newcomer mentees to navigate the local job market and build their professional networks.

“We are proud to have supported over 18,000 newcomers in the last 15 years” says Debroy Chan, Interim Executive Director of TRIEC. “The recent evaluation validates the impact generated. This would not be possible without the incredible commitment of our mentors, community and employer partners.”

Helping more newcomer professionals transition to the workforce through mentoring is beneficial for everyone involved – not just newcomers. The evaluation study reveals that employers who are already committed to mentoring see it as a way to enhance cross-cultural and leadership skills of their employees as well as a means to attract diverse talent.

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MEDIA CONTACT
For additional information, please contact:
Daniel Kim, Communications Specialist, Media and Public Affairs
dkim@triec.ca
416-931-5803

About TRIEC
Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) champions the talent and experience that immigrants bring to the Greater Toronto Area. We support organizations to become more inclusive, and help newcomers expand their professional networks and understand the local labour market. We collaborate with leaders and organizations to build a GTA where immigrant professionals can contribute to their fullest potential.

[1] funded by the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade.