Job Search Workshops

In 1997, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) issued a Request for Proposals, for an organization to implement, administer and manage the delivery of JSW. COSTI and OCASI responded to the request and won the bid.

The delivery of the JSW workshops Program began in 1998 through subcontracting arrangements with a variety of service-providers in selected regions across Ontario to provide pre-employment information to recent immigrants and to guide them through the job-search process in Canada, in a culturally appropriate way.

In 2007 COSTI coordinated the JSW Program review and evaluation, which was conducted by the RealWorld Systems Inc. consulting firm. As a result of this process, the JSW Program has undergone major reucturing. The new JSW Program was officially rolled-out across the province in May of 2010.

At present there are 47 agencies delivering the JSW Program across Ontario from 62 sites. The program is offered in all major cities, including Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Windsor, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Kingston, Guelph, and London.

Year 2013 marks 15 years of COSTI’s involvement with the JSW Program development and co-ordination, under the Community Development and Capacity Building activity streams.COSTI works in close partnership with OCASI in providing support to JSW agencies.

COSTI has been providing support to JSW agencies across Ontario, including agency management and direct service delivery staff. The role of COSTI encompasses:

• JSW Program development and management - JSW curriculum and resource guides development - Training of new JSW facilitator and assessors - Organizing JSW professional development events
• Development of the JSW quarterly newsletter aimed at professional
• Management of the JSW Program staff and public websites
• Organizing regional coordination meetings with JSW agencies across
• Coordination of program promotional materials of the JSW Program
• Preparing provincial JSW statistical reports -
• Organizing and facilitating JSW Advisory Committee meetings, etc.

The goal of the new JSW Program is to provide newcomers with the knowledge and skills to better understand the strategies, business perspective and next steps of their job search process.

Eligible clients are internationally-educated individuals, new to Canada, who are ready, willing and able to work and have a clear occupational goal; able to communicate in the English language; permanent residents, convention refugees or live-in-caregivers.

The new JSW Program incorporates:

• Thorough needs assessment by trained Assessors - 1-on-1 job search coaching
• Pre-employment workshops conducted in computerized environment
• Specialists who understand the job search needs of people new to
• Personalized action plan
• An environment to learn about job search strategies and Canadian Canada business perspectives

For more information about the Job Search Workshops program, or to find a participating agency, visit www.jswontario.org, or view our JSW brochures, available in English (front / back) and French [Adobe PDF]