In 2021-22, ACCES continued to deliver on our mission of assisting jobseekers facing barriers to employment to integrate into the Canadian labour market. We relied on our ability to adapt and innovate, as world events and demographic trends collided, transforming our world in complex ways. The year marked the beginning of our recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic, we saw hundreds of thousands of individuals flee war and violence in their home countries of Afghanistan and Ukraine, and Canada experienced the greatest demand for employees since 1970. ACCES was ready to respond immediately to these transformative world events by customizing our services to the emerging needs in our communities.
ACCES began working with our community partners to help in the settlement of thousands of Afghan refugees and Ukrainian nationals who have sought refuge and a new home in Canada. We developed and launched two new programs tailored to support Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers to connect with good jobs as they settled in Canada. These programs are funded by our federal government through IRCC and offer targeted services, such as hiring events, networking and mentoring events, to help build professional networks, language coaching, upskilling, and post-hire supports.
As workplaces began to open during the recovery from the pandemic, we launched important new programs and redesigned others in order to connect our newcomer clients with workplaces in high-demand sectors, including Community Healthcare, Construction Trades, IT (Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity), Engineering and Finance, to name only a few. In addition, we expanded and enhanced our programs to the specific needs of underrepresented groups most impacted by the pandemic including women, youth, and racialized individuals.
Finally, we increased our pre-arrival services that prepare newcomers for employment in advance of their arrival to Canada. This year, we initiated the Connecting to Canada: Employer Engagement Driving Settlement in Smaller Communities project, where we work with smaller urban and rural centres, local employers and stakeholders, to help pre-arrival immigrants learn about the wide range of communities in which they could choose to settle and the local services available to them.
Of course, to deliver all of these services, we depend heavily on the engagement of our employer partners. We help our employers to meet the demand for talent in their workplaces by creating a pipeline of newcomer talent with in-demand skills, across almost all sectors in the Canadian labour market. At the same time, our employer partners contribute their time, their financial and human resources, and their expertise to ensure the success of our clients. A special thank you to Ikea Canada, Starbucks Canada, TD Bank and Accenture, companies that immediately stepped up to support our work with Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers, and who continue to hire many of our newcomer and refugee clients.
Strong employer partnerships like these are critical for us to achieve our mission. We are therefore especially pleased to announce the formation of the ACCES Stakeholder Advisory Council. This council will enhance the engagement of our employer partners and their input into our programs and services. Our thanks to the members of the Council—leaders from influential and dedicated organizations who want to help ACCES build a more inclusive and sustainable future for Canada.
Of course, the new programming and the positive outcomes for the thousands of clients and employers we serve would not be possible without the support of our funders, including the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD); WCG and Employment Ontario (EO); Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC); Ministry of Education; Canadian Heritage; United Way Greater Toronto; and the City of Toronto. We want to thank you for your ongoing commitment and your confidence in ACCES.
We also wish to thank all our employer partners, sponsors, our donors, and our volunteers for their generous support this past year. Together, we can take pride in the work we do in rebuilding our workforce for a better future.
It is both an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to contribute to our communities and to help improve the lives of all those we serve. We proudly offer this, our 2021-2022 Annual Report, as a reflection on our impact and as a commitment to stay agile and innovative so we can continue to make a world of difference going forward.
Thank you,
Allison Pond, President and CEO, ACCES Employment
Brian G. Bachand, Chair of the Board, ACCES Employment