Community Impact: Building solutions for immigrant employment and assessing impact. IMPACT: 2011...

TORONTO REGION IMMIGRATION EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL (TRIEC) |

Community Impact: Building solutions for immigrant employment and assessing impactToronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)

Joan Atlin, Director of Programs, TRIEC

IMPACT: 2011 United Way Agency ConferenceDecember 9, 2011

NEW REALITIES. NEW OPPORTUNITIES.


What is the problem we want to impact?

NEW REALITIES. NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Skilled immigrants settling in Canada, and in the GTA, face persistently poor and worsening outcomes in terms of unemployment, underemployment relative to their skills and education, and income.

The gap between immigrants and Canadian-born on all of these indicators is growing.


Source: Mark Cabaj

The nature of complex problems



Close to Certainty The links between cause and effect are simple, clear, consistent and known. Feasibility and likely outcome of prospective solutions is clear.

Far from Certainty The root causes underlying the issue are multiple, inter-related, dynamic and difficult to grasp. The impact and feasibility of possible solutions are not well understood.

Close to Agreement

People agree that the issue is important and worth pursuing, agree on the root causes of the issue, and that the possible solutions are worth pursuing.

Far from Agreement

People disagree that the issue is important and worth pursuing, on the root causes of the issue, and possible solutions and that they are worth pursuing.

The nature of complex problems

Source: Mark Cabaj



What are the levers for change?

Who do we need to impact/involve to make those levers move?

Which levers can we act on directly?

Which levers do we need act on others to impact? Who?

What levels do we need to make change at to have the desired impact?

What’s the mechanism/the methodology?

Complex problems require a theory of change



Vision: A Greater Toronto Region that prospers by fully engaging the contributions of skilled immigrants.

Leadership council

What is TRIEC?



1. Make connections. Convene and collaborate with partners, creating opportunities for skilled immigrants to connect to the local labour market.

2. Build awareness and capacity. Work with key stakeholders, particularly employers, building their awareness and capacity to better integrate skilled immigrants into the workforce.

3. Shape public policy. Work with all levels of government, enhancing coordination and effecting more responsive policy and programs for skilled immigrant employment.

Objectives

What does TRIEC do?



Making connections

• Occupation-specific mentoring relationships

• Paid internships

• Connecting employers to immigrant talent pools

• Professional Immigrant Networks



• Media and public relations

• Recognizing employer excellence and innovation

• HR tools and resources @ hireimmigrants.ca

• Workshops and training for employers/ TRIEC Campus

Building awareness & capacity

Immigrant Success Awards



• Intergovernmental Relations Committee

• Participation and leadership in collaborative policy projects/tables

Impacting public policy

• Local Immigration Partnerships• Peel Human Services Board• Toronto Immigrant Employment Data

Initiative (TIEDI)• Civic Action • Parliamentary Committees

• Federal: CIC , Industry Canada, Service Canada

• Provincial: MCI, MTCU, CSS• Municipal: Toronto, Peel, Halton,

York



Assessing impact: how do we know we’re making progress

Program level: Are our programs working?

Strategic Level: Are our strategies - implemented through our programs - the right ones

Fundamental Approach:

• Does our theory of change still hold?• Do our assumptions hold?• Has the landscape changed?• Are we trying to affect the right levers; are we engaging the right players?



• What are the short term, easy, individual level outcomes we expect to see in the stakeholders we are “acting on” ?

• What are the medium term, more complex, organizational level changes we would like to see?

• What are the long term, complex, systems level changes we would hope to see?

Mapping outcomes

Exploring tools to measure our impact

Network mapping: tracking the ripple effect of relationships and connections

What is the most significant change: from each stakeholder’s point of view

Contribution analysis: if change happened, to what extent did our work contribute to the change



Achieving change through employer engagement



Increasing employer awareness of the value of immigrant skills, education and experience

Indicators:• The message• Media coverage• Employer awareness (issue)• Employer awareness (TRIEC)

Challenge:• How do we know if the message

made a difference?

Awareness



Moving the message



Increasing employer capacity to explore solutions and opportunities

Indicators:• Participation in learning • Internal leaders and

champions• Readiness for action

Challenge:• Process of change is a long

cycle

Capacity



Enabling employers to take action and engage in solutions that result in immigrant employment

Indicators• Program participation• New ideas and solutions• Networks / partnerships• External leaders and

champions

Challenges• Attribution• Telling the story

Action


http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/index.php

TORONTO REGION IMMIGRATION EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL (TRIEC) | NEW REALITIES. NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

Tracking the ripple effect

TORONTO REGION IMMIGRATION EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL (TRIEC) | NEW REALITIES. NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

Questions for discussion

What elements of the TRIEC model resonate with you?

Have you considered using a theory of change approach or framework in your organization’s work? If you have used this approach, how have you engaged your staff and various stakeholders?

What are some of the challenges that you’re presently experiencing in measuring the impact of your work beyond program outcomes? How are you overcoming these challenges?

What would your organization find helpful in building its capacity to measure community impact?

Community Impact: Building solutions for immigrant employment and assessing impact. IMPACT: 2011...

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