Practical Project Experience Opens Doors to Career Opportunities for Newcomers in Canada
Karan Dube landed in Canada with eight years of experience in Sales and Marketing and a professional focus on Project Management. Looking for an opportunity to find a job in his field, he joined the Sales and Marketing Connections program at ACCES Employment, a bridging program that supports internationally-trained professionals with entering the job market by mobilizing their experience and providing them with a Canadian context for their skills.
As a part of the launch of ACCES Employment’s Talent Connections initiative, Karan and his classmates were challenged to solve a real world business problem put forward by an employer. This experiential learning opportunity gave them the space they needed to showcase their skills and experience for potential employers and to build their professional networks and resumes. Their collaboration was facilitated through Riipen, an innovative online platform that allows learners, employers and academic institutions to connect and learn with each other. The project Karan worked on involved developing a roadmap for the launch, promotion and market establishment of a specialty bread imported from Brazil to Canada.
“I gained first-hand insight into working in Canada in a collaborative team environment. The “live” project gave me the opportunity to interact with an employer and I gained knowledge and experience with Canadian business practices,” shared Karan.
Real world business problems are key to the success of experiential learning, and employers play an integral role in the initiative. They get a chance to preview potential hires and explore solutions to their business problems that have been developed by internationally trained professionals with strong skills and experience.
For Karan Dube, starting his job search with this experience makes him feel more prepared for the journey to come. “I feel like this project has strengthened my positioning in the job market. It adds to my resume and I feel like I’m ready to start my job search and meet with employers.”
If you are an employer interested in participating in this initiative, please click here for more information.