Apprenticeship Training Available
LIUNA Local 183 Training Centre
Application will include a covering letter and resume indicating specific skills and characteristics. VCCS Employment Services can help you with that. Contact us at 705-328-0180
CLICK HERE to view full training details
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Apprenticeship: Get Paid While You Train
Apprenticeship is an excellent way to gain hands on workplace experience while you work towards recognition of that training (Certification of Qualification). Usually, when we hear apprenticeship we think of trades in the construction and industrial sectors, but the truth is there are over 150 occupations that are recognized as a trade. The "Service Sector" is one that is quickly developing and includes occupations like Early Childhood Educator, Social Service Worker, Cook, and many more.
VCCS Employment Services offers General Apprenticeship Orientation at no cost. The next session will run Fri Aug 27, 11am to 12pm. Call 705-328-0180 to reserve your seat.
Apprenticeship is an excellent way to gain hands on workplace experience while you work towards recognition of that training (Certification of Qualification). Usually, when we hear apprenticeship we think of trades in the construction and industrial sectors, but the truth is there are over 150 occupations that are recognized as a trade. The "Service Sector" is one that is quickly developing and includes occupations like Early Childhood Educator, Social Service Worker, Cook, and many more.
VCCS Employment Services offers General Apprenticeship Orientation at no cost. The next session will run Fri Aug 27, 11am to 12pm. Call 705-328-0180 to reserve your seat.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
JOB FAIR
Active Green and Ross
July 27: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Hiring Locations include:
Active Green and Ross
July 27: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Hiring Locations include:
- Pickering
- Ajax
- Whitby
Positions Available include:
- Tire and Lube Technicians
- Office Assistant
- Customer Service Advisors
For full details CLICK HERE
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Stars 50 Best GTA Employers
Toronto Star: June 18, 2010
For the best employers in the Greater Toronto Area, it all comes down to say, stay and strive.
It’s about having employees who love their company so much that they recommend it to others, rarely think of leaving and strive to do their best.“Our whole point of view is that it’s really employees who know whether they’re working at a good place or not,” says Neil Crawford, principal with Hewitt Associates in Toronto and leader for the annual Best Employers in Canada survey.
About 250 to 300 private and public sector companies from all major industries, sectors and regions register for the study, which is conducted alongside the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing at the Queen’s School of Business.The Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada study is for organizations with 50 to 399 permanent employees, while the Best Employers in Canada study is for those with 400 or more permanent employees.Companies that have been open for business for three years or more are eligible.
There are three elements: a survey that goes out to either all employees or a random sampling; a slightly different survey for the chief executive and his or her direct reports; and information provided by the company about their industry, benefits and compensation packages.There is no cost to participate and all companies get valuable feedback. The top ones gain national exposure through the best employers ranking, such as the Toronto Star’s Best 50 GTA Employers. Those that don’t make the list are not publicly identified.For the Greater Toronto ranking, Hewitt culls the national survey looking for companies with a local presence.
Ultimately, the study gauges how much of the company’s workforce can be described as engaged, Crawford says. That refers to employees speaking positively about their company, their eagerness to be part of the organization and the degree to which they are inspired by leadership, the culture and what the company is doing for stakeholders and customers.“The bottom line is that when you have high engagement, good things happen in an organization,” Crawford said.
He likens engagement to the difference between a functional and a dysfunctional family. “For a dysfunctional family to move to some higher level of functioning, they have to bear their soul or go through a transformation in terms of thinking and relating to one another, and that’s hard,” he says.
By contrast, organizations that make the list “seem to have it factored into their DNA. But when you get out there and start talking to them, you see that they work really hard at it. But it’s much easier to continue to work at something when you know what it looks like and what the benefits are.”Across the entire study, engagement levels range from 25 to 90 per cent, with the average running at about 60 per cent. The best employers come in at about 70 to 90 per cent.
More than a decade of research into what makes companies tick shows that size does not affect engagement levels, Crawford says.“We see low and high (engagement scores) in the small study and the large study,” he said.
“Large employers say, ‘Oh well, if you’re smaller it’s easier to have higher engagement.’ And small employers say, ‘If you’re large you have the money and the resources to help people have high engagement.’ Both are wrong, and both are right at the same time.”
In fact, engagement starts at the top. “It’s really about what the leadership is doing. Are they effective? Are managers showing people why their work is valuable and talking to them about their future in the organization? Are the ways that work gets done effective?” Crawford says. “It can certainly help to have lots of flexibility in rewards and benefits programs, but it’s not just about the pool tables and shade-grown coffee. That doesn’t create engagement.”
During the recession, companies with already-high engagement levels typically saw an increase, and vice versa.“It’s kind of what you expect,” Crawford says. “The organizations that went into the recession with strength in engagement, they had their people with them. Employees trusted their leaders, the communication is working and there’s a greater sense of teamwork. If they did have to restructure and terminate employees, they did it in the best way they possibly could.”
Click here to view the list.
Toronto Star: June 18, 2010
For the best employers in the Greater Toronto Area, it all comes down to say, stay and strive.
It’s about having employees who love their company so much that they recommend it to others, rarely think of leaving and strive to do their best.“Our whole point of view is that it’s really employees who know whether they’re working at a good place or not,” says Neil Crawford, principal with Hewitt Associates in Toronto and leader for the annual Best Employers in Canada survey.
About 250 to 300 private and public sector companies from all major industries, sectors and regions register for the study, which is conducted alongside the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing at the Queen’s School of Business.The Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada study is for organizations with 50 to 399 permanent employees, while the Best Employers in Canada study is for those with 400 or more permanent employees.Companies that have been open for business for three years or more are eligible.
There are three elements: a survey that goes out to either all employees or a random sampling; a slightly different survey for the chief executive and his or her direct reports; and information provided by the company about their industry, benefits and compensation packages.There is no cost to participate and all companies get valuable feedback. The top ones gain national exposure through the best employers ranking, such as the Toronto Star’s Best 50 GTA Employers. Those that don’t make the list are not publicly identified.For the Greater Toronto ranking, Hewitt culls the national survey looking for companies with a local presence.
Ultimately, the study gauges how much of the company’s workforce can be described as engaged, Crawford says. That refers to employees speaking positively about their company, their eagerness to be part of the organization and the degree to which they are inspired by leadership, the culture and what the company is doing for stakeholders and customers.“The bottom line is that when you have high engagement, good things happen in an organization,” Crawford said.
He likens engagement to the difference between a functional and a dysfunctional family. “For a dysfunctional family to move to some higher level of functioning, they have to bear their soul or go through a transformation in terms of thinking and relating to one another, and that’s hard,” he says.
By contrast, organizations that make the list “seem to have it factored into their DNA. But when you get out there and start talking to them, you see that they work really hard at it. But it’s much easier to continue to work at something when you know what it looks like and what the benefits are.”Across the entire study, engagement levels range from 25 to 90 per cent, with the average running at about 60 per cent. The best employers come in at about 70 to 90 per cent.
More than a decade of research into what makes companies tick shows that size does not affect engagement levels, Crawford says.“We see low and high (engagement scores) in the small study and the large study,” he said.
“Large employers say, ‘Oh well, if you’re smaller it’s easier to have higher engagement.’ And small employers say, ‘If you’re large you have the money and the resources to help people have high engagement.’ Both are wrong, and both are right at the same time.”
In fact, engagement starts at the top. “It’s really about what the leadership is doing. Are they effective? Are managers showing people why their work is valuable and talking to them about their future in the organization? Are the ways that work gets done effective?” Crawford says. “It can certainly help to have lots of flexibility in rewards and benefits programs, but it’s not just about the pool tables and shade-grown coffee. That doesn’t create engagement.”
During the recession, companies with already-high engagement levels typically saw an increase, and vice versa.“It’s kind of what you expect,” Crawford says. “The organizations that went into the recession with strength in engagement, they had their people with them. Employees trusted their leaders, the communication is working and there’s a greater sense of teamwork. If they did have to restructure and terminate employees, they did it in the best way they possibly could.”
Click here to view the list.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Personality Dimensions
Friday, July 15th, 2010
9am to 12pm
Personality Dimensions is a new, dynamic tool based on leading-edge research into human motivation and behaviour in people. This fun, interactive workshop can help you understand yourself and others better.
All are welcome, students and adults.
This workshop is free.
Limited seating is available and registration required.
Call 705-328-0180 to reserve your seat.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
FREE Student Workshop: Success at Work
Registration is required. Please contact VCCS Employment Services at 705-328-0180
July 14th
1pm-4pm 370 Kent Street West, Lindsay ON
This workshop will look at shining in the interview process, how to make a winning first impression and methods of accessing job opportunities beyond the posting board.Registration is required. Please contact VCCS Employment Services at 705-328-0180
Toronto Star: Job growth tops forecast
Sharon Singleton
Canada's economy added about five times as many jobs as expected in June, suggesting the recovery hasn't lost its momentum despite recent disappointing growth data.
Employers hired 93,000 workers in the month, with the jobless rate falling to 7.9%, Statistics Canada said. It was the first time the unemployment rate has dropped below 8% since January 2009. Economists had been looking for a gain of about 18,000 jobs. The rosy job data boosted expectations for another hike in interest rates later this month, sending the Canadian dollar up by about 1% against its U.S. counterpart.
Canada has now recouped nearly all of the jobs that were lost during the recession, unlike south of the border, where the recovery is failing to bring down the unemployment rate. Adjusting for population, Canada has created 4 million jobs since July 2009 compared with 176,000 in the U.S., according to TD Bank Financial. "There's no arguing with this strong report," said BMO Capital Markets economist Benjamin Reitzes. "The jobs picture clearly shows that the Canadian recovery hasn't stalled yet, despite signs of slowing momentum in the U.S. and other economies."
Ontario and Quebec accounted for nearly all the gains, with 90,000 jobs created in the two provinces, it said. Reitzes said some of the Ontario gains may have been due to hiring for the G8 and G20 summits held last month. There were also healthy gains in percentage terms in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, while jobs declined in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, it said. The job gains in June were split between full and part-time workers with big increases in sectors such as the service industries, retail, business, health care and automotive repair, StatsCan said.
The private sector added 51,900 new jobs, taking the total created by businesses to 246,200 in the past four months. The health of private sector hiring bodes well for Canada's economic recovery as the impact of government stimulus spending begins to wane, economists said.
That said, job growth may slow in the second half in line with the slowing economy, TD Bank economist Diana Petramala said in a note. "Leading indicators suggest economic momentum is starting to cool to a pace of 2.5-3.5%, down from the 5-6% growth rates in the previous quarters," she said.
Sharon Singleton
Canada's economy added about five times as many jobs as expected in June, suggesting the recovery hasn't lost its momentum despite recent disappointing growth data.
Employers hired 93,000 workers in the month, with the jobless rate falling to 7.9%, Statistics Canada said. It was the first time the unemployment rate has dropped below 8% since January 2009. Economists had been looking for a gain of about 18,000 jobs. The rosy job data boosted expectations for another hike in interest rates later this month, sending the Canadian dollar up by about 1% against its U.S. counterpart.
Canada has now recouped nearly all of the jobs that were lost during the recession, unlike south of the border, where the recovery is failing to bring down the unemployment rate. Adjusting for population, Canada has created 4 million jobs since July 2009 compared with 176,000 in the U.S., according to TD Bank Financial. "There's no arguing with this strong report," said BMO Capital Markets economist Benjamin Reitzes. "The jobs picture clearly shows that the Canadian recovery hasn't stalled yet, despite signs of slowing momentum in the U.S. and other economies."
Ontario and Quebec accounted for nearly all the gains, with 90,000 jobs created in the two provinces, it said. Reitzes said some of the Ontario gains may have been due to hiring for the G8 and G20 summits held last month. There were also healthy gains in percentage terms in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, while jobs declined in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, it said. The job gains in June were split between full and part-time workers with big increases in sectors such as the service industries, retail, business, health care and automotive repair, StatsCan said.
The private sector added 51,900 new jobs, taking the total created by businesses to 246,200 in the past four months. The health of private sector hiring bodes well for Canada's economic recovery as the impact of government stimulus spending begins to wane, economists said.
That said, job growth may slow in the second half in line with the slowing economy, TD Bank economist Diana Petramala said in a note. "Leading indicators suggest economic momentum is starting to cool to a pace of 2.5-3.5%, down from the 5-6% growth rates in the previous quarters," she said.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Local Economic News
Office building planned for empty corner lot
GALEN EAGLE, EXAMINER
A local developer has plans to build a three-storey office building in the vacant lot at the corner of Stewart and Charlotte streets.
The building, which would be about 9,000 square feet, would house retail stores on the ground level and office space in the upper two storeys, city land-use planner Caroline Kimble said.
Parking lots would be built along the side and back of the building, she added.
Suncor Energy Inc. owns the empty lot, which was once a gas station, and Seven Hills Developments has applied for rezoning of the property.
The city has accepted the application, which now moves onto the public consultation phase and will require a public meeting in the future.
Tourism gets a boost
The Province is spending nearly $2.5 million on regional tourism over the next two years
(PETERBOROUGH) To develop a regional tourism organization for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland, the Province is going to spend nearly $2.5 million over the next two years.
The money is part of $65 million being distributed across the province.
MPP Jeff Leal says, in a media release, the money will help spur economic activity, investments, and development in the community.
An interim group of tourism industry operators, regional tourism professionals, and regional economic development professionals will manage the money and lead tourism marketing and development projects. The new organization should be in place in 2011.
The Province is also giving $440,000 to the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation, in partnership with the Peterborough Destination Association, to increase marketing for Peterborough and the Kawartha's Tourism.
Office building planned for empty corner lot
GALEN EAGLE, EXAMINER
A local developer has plans to build a three-storey office building in the vacant lot at the corner of Stewart and Charlotte streets.
The building, which would be about 9,000 square feet, would house retail stores on the ground level and office space in the upper two storeys, city land-use planner Caroline Kimble said.
Parking lots would be built along the side and back of the building, she added.
Suncor Energy Inc. owns the empty lot, which was once a gas station, and Seven Hills Developments has applied for rezoning of the property.
The city has accepted the application, which now moves onto the public consultation phase and will require a public meeting in the future.
Tourism gets a boost
The Province is spending nearly $2.5 million on regional tourism over the next two years
(PETERBOROUGH) To develop a regional tourism organization for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland, the Province is going to spend nearly $2.5 million over the next two years.
The money is part of $65 million being distributed across the province.
MPP Jeff Leal says, in a media release, the money will help spur economic activity, investments, and development in the community.
An interim group of tourism industry operators, regional tourism professionals, and regional economic development professionals will manage the money and lead tourism marketing and development projects. The new organization should be in place in 2011.
The Province is also giving $440,000 to the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation, in partnership with the Peterborough Destination Association, to increase marketing for Peterborough and the Kawartha's Tourism.
Free Student Workshops are Gearing Up at VCCS
Exams are over and the sun is shining… and now is the time to get a head start on your summer job search. The good news is, VCCS is here to help.
We offer many services to students, and beginning July 12 we are adding Student Workshops to the mix.
July 12th:
Start Your Summer Job Search (1-4pm)
July 13th:
Student Smart Serve (9-12pm) $25 certification fee
Student Resume Development (1-4pm)
July 14th:
Exams are over and the sun is shining… and now is the time to get a head start on your summer job search. The good news is, VCCS is here to help.
We offer many services to students, and beginning July 12 we are adding Student Workshops to the mix.
July 12th:
Start Your Summer Job Search (1-4pm)
July 13th:
Student Smart Serve (9-12pm) $25 certification fee
Student Resume Development (1-4pm)
July 14th:
Student Success at Work (9-3pm)
Workshops are FREE. Registration is required and seats are limited. Call to register or ask questions at 705-328-0180.
Workshops are FREE. Registration is required and seats are limited. Call to register or ask questions at 705-328-0180.
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