Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre (DRUHC) is the lead agency for the Pickering Welcome Centre (PWC) and for more than 10 years has been the only Community Partner offering the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program in Durham region. DRUHC is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Our partnership with TRIEC and the Mentoring Partnership program is a significant feature of our long history of assisting unemployed and underemployed individuals to meet their employment goals and assisting employers in meeting their hiring and training needs.

Pam DeWilde & Naushin Moqueet

The TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program is one of several employment support programs available to immigrant professional job seekers through the Durham Welcome Centres in Pickering and Ajax. We also connect newcomers to DRUHC’s Employment Ontario (EO) services in Pickering and Oshawa or connect them to other EO service providers across the region.

The search for meaningful, commensurate employment in a positive and inclusive workplace can be a stressful and challenging experience for newcomers. In addition to the support of program staff, having the encouragement and insights of a professional mentor through the Mentoring Partnership program helps instill confidence and self-esteem in mentees, motivating them to keep moving forward, despite the challenges. Mentors help identify key strengths, set goals, develop a plan to achieve those goals, and make job search a less isolating experience for professional immigrants.

Shayan’s experience of coming to the Pickering Welcome Centre and participating in the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program illustrates the valuable role mentors play in helping immigrant professionals navigate the Canadian labour market and enhance their professional network.

Shayan, arrived from Turkey with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering. He believed it wouldn’t take long to find a job because he had the knowledge and experience required, but sadly, those things weren’t enough. “As the weeks and months went by, despite my numerous job applications, I didn’t even get an interview request,” Shayan says. Soon after, he joined the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program. Shayan registered as a mentee and within a couple of weeks he was matched with an Engineer working with the Ministry of Transportation. Shayan’s mentor, a professional engineer who was familiar with his type of work experience, gave him some valuable feedback on his resume, explained the requirements of various engineering jobs and shared resources to help him have a better understanding of engineering in Canada. In less than a month into the partnership, Shayan landed a job with a reputable engineering firm in Ontario. “I couldn’t believe the day I got the job offer,” Shayan says. Shayan believes TRIEC Mentoring Partnership is one of the best programs to help skilled immigrants find jobs and recommends it to other immigrant professionals who want to reconnect with their profession in Canada.

If your organization would like to become a community partner with TRIEC Mentoring Partnership like DRUHC, visit our Community Partner page to find out more, or email us to set up a time to talk – mentoring@triec.ca.

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