YMCA Mentoring for Employment Program

As part of our Community Connections initiatives, the YMCA Newcomer Information Centre provides a four-week mentoring support for professional immigrants in Toronto. The primary goal of this mentoring program is to equip you with the necessary skills to successfully navigate the job market and better prepare you to manage your ongoing careers in Canada.

To be eligible, you must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be a member of the YMCA Newcomer Information Centre
  2. Be a Permanent Resident, Convention Refugee, or Protected Person
  3. Have a high level of English proficiency (CLB 7/8 or equivalent)
  4. Have registered with an Employment Ontario agency, and ideally completed basic workshops in resume writing, networking, interviews, etc.
  5. Be committed to attending in-person sessions and preparing relevant materials as requested by the mentor

The sessions will takes place every Tuesday afternoon at 365 Bloor Street East.

Next Cohort: June 2024 **Registration is now open**

To express your interest, please fill out the form below:

PRE-SCREENING FORM

Potential candidates will be invited for a short virtual interview and be screened for:

  1. Language capability
  2. Preparation – registration with an Employment Ontario agency and completion of basic workshops
  3. Availability to attend all in-person sessions and commitment to prepare relevant materials and practice for sessions

What our Mentees Think About the Program

Jejy

Oct 2023 Participant
"I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support and guidance I received through the mentorship program. It is with great joy that I share the news that I have been offered the role of Personal Banker Trainee at one of the major Banks. This achievement would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of Chester. His extensive knowledge and experience played a pivotal role in my interview process. His insights and advice provided me with the clarity and confidence I needed to excel during the interview. I'm truly grateful for his support. Furthermore, I want to extend my gratitude to each one of you-Rudy, David, Theresa. Being part of the mentoring program has been an enriching experience for me. Your guidance, encouragement, and mentorship have been instrumental in my success. I am excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and I will always be grateful for the strong foundation that you all have helped me build. Once again thankyou for your unwavering support. I look forward to staying in touch and sharing my progress as I begin this exciting new chapter in my career."

S.D.

Oct 2023 Participant
"I would like to inform you that I have found a job and will be joining from the 1st of November. I would like to express my gratitude for all the help that the program has been able to offer me, I have gained invaluable information about Canada and the Canadian culture through the program."

Irene

Dec 2022 Participant
"As a newcomer I am greatly benefitted by the webinars you are hosting, especially the Mentoring program I had participated in the last four weeks.I am grateful to our mentors for their valuable guidance. Thank you once again for the services you are rendering for the newcomers."

Anonymous

Sep 2022 Participant
"I received great support and useful information from the mentors which helped me navigate the professional world as a newcomer in Canada. I learned a lot of new things especially how to network. It definitely built my confidence."

Koohzad

Nov 2022 Participant
"Dear David, Chester, and Theresa. I'm writing this email to thank you for the time you put in to help me prepare myself for the transition into the Canadian workforce. I'm happy to inform you that as of this week, I've started my new job as Category Marketing Manager. Your support and guidance helped me a lot in landing this job and for that, I will always be grateful to you. I also want to thank Rudy and YMCA for providing this opportunity."

Yogesh

May 2021 Participant
"Being a newcomer to Canada, I was having a hard time securing my first job, inspite of having 20 years experience in the field. I met Mr Chester Fedoruk through YMCA's Mentoring Program and I cannot thank him and the program enough. Armed with the sharpened resumes and elevator pitches, I was able to land a job of a Data Scientist in no time. I highly recommend the program and now look at YMCA not only as a fitness and hostel organization but as an important service to society at large."