Employer Resource Corner

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Welcome to the Employer Resource Corner!

Recruitment and Retention are two major challenges currently facing local employers in Waterloo Wellington Dufferin. There are resources out there, but they can take some time to find. We hope this page will serve as a one-stop shop of recruitment and retention resources for you!

This resource page is new. If you have feedback or additional resources, please email: [email protected].

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Active Job Searchers

Staffing Agencies

Also known as employment agencies, placement agencies, or recruiting firms. These are businesses that act as a middleman between employers and workers, helping to match qualified candidates with companies that have job openings. Some agencies may offer additional business support services. There is a fee charged to the employer.

Map of local Staffing / Employment Agencies
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Youth

School Boards & Programs

The School Boards in Waterloo, Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin have many programs that link their students to employers.

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP): OYAP provides students with the opportunity to complete studies towards a high school diploma while beginning an apprenticeship program. Connect to the OYAP coordinator in your region via the OYAP Employers page.

The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program offers students in Grades 11 & 12 the opportunity to explore a specific community, or economic and/or industrial sector in preparation for apprenticeship, college, university or the workplace. Students select a major as their focus in their senior years and complete three components (Certifications, Courses & Co-op) to earn their designation on their high school diploma.

Co-op: Cooperative Education allows students to earn secondary school credits while completing a work placement. The program consists of a co-op course monitored by a cooperative education teacher, a related curriculum course in any subject and a work placement.

Local Organizations

Post-Secondary Schools

Local Colleges

Conestoga College

• Connect to Conestoga’s Employer Services for assistance with your recruiting, employee assessment and training needs.

Georgian College

• Georgian’s Employers and Partners link includes resources for accessing talent, building and growing your business, investing in innovation, and information on using Georgian’s event spaces and services.

Private Career Colleges

• Private career colleges that are recognized by the Province of Ontario can be found here:
  https://www.ontario.ca/page/search-private-career-college-ontario

Local Universities

University of Guelph

• Employer Account Login/Registration

University of Waterloo

• Employer Resources
• WaterlooWorks Login/Registration – post jobs, review applications, schedule interviews, rank candidates and more

Wilfrid Laurier University

• Information for Employers and Community Partners
• Co-op Recruiting Dates and Process

Immigrant Workforce

Government Resources

• The Employer’s Roadmap to hiring and retaining internationally trained workers
• Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada: How to access global talent
• Hire a Foreign Worker
• Help Centre: Hiring a foreign worker
• Services for employers to help attract global talent (Outreach officers & info sessions)

Local Employment & Mentorship Programs

The organizations below are working directly with newcomers that want to find work! Employment programs provide job search assistance, and mentorship programs help internationally trained professionals widen their local network.

Online Tools

Settlement Services

Have you recently hired a New Canadian? Settlement services can help them find the things they need to feel settled in their new community.

Local Immigration Partnerships

Local Immigration Partnerships are made up of businesses, community agencies, current residents, governments and investors. They plan together how to attract newcomers to their area and improve their experience in the community.

Translation / Interpretation

Trained professional interpreters should be used for all legal, medical, and other situations that require informed consent, confidentiality, specialized terminology or impartiality. Trained interpreters are covered by Errors and Omission insurance and adhere to a strict code of conduct and industry approved Standards of Practice.

Local Professional Interpreters & Document Translators

On-Demand Remote Professional Interpretation

• RIO (Remote Interpretation Ontario) Phone Network (CAN$ fees; Toronto based) – 180+ languages
• Language Line: On Demand Interpreting Services (USD$ fees) – 240+ languages

Informal Interpretation

• Google Translate
• Tarjimly Phone App: Connect live with volunteer interpreters

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The Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin (WPB) identifies local labour market needs, trends, and priorities and works with the community to develop actions to address these issues.

The resources below provide data and insight on the local workforce that you can use for future planning of your business and workforce.

Local Labour Market

• Local Labour Market Snapshot for Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin:
  • Unemployment rate
  • Participation rate
  • Top Jobs in demand locally

Local Labour Market Plan (LLMP)

Local Employer Survey

Custom Labour Market Information

• Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin
  • Able to provide custom labour market data that includes demand-side and supply-side data such as salary information, candidate supply by region, and job posting details
  • Business Hub: business supports and videos relating to key workforce issues

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Government Supports

Federal

• Government of Canada – Business Benefits Finder
• Business grants and financing
• Support for technology innovation
• Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev)
  • delivers programs and services to support innovation and economic growth in southern Ontario
  • FedDev Small Business Services

Hiring Incentives

• Funding programs and grants for jobs, training, and social development projects
• Canada Summer Jobs
  • wage subsidies to create summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30
• CLAC Apprenticeship Support Program (CASP)
  • grants for hiring a new first-year apprentice, funded in part by the Government of Canada. Also offers assistance with recruiting, onboarding, and retaining apprentices
• Science and Technology (S&T) Internship Program – Green Jobs
  • funding to hire and mentor youth in the natural resources sector, including in energy, forestry, mining, earth science, and clean technology.
• Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) – Funding programs
  • helps young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the skills, work experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market

Tax Incentives

• Ontario co-op education tax credit
  • if you provided a work placement for a student in a post-secondary co-op program
• Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentives
  • encourages businesses of all sizes and in all sectors to conduct research and development (R&D) in Canada

Provincial – Ontario

• Hiring and training incentives for employers
• Business, workplace, and economy
• Entrepreneurship funds and resources for people under 30

Local

Municipal Supports & Economic Development

Services offered by the City or Townships to support their local businesses.

Economic Development services may be offered by the municipality and/or additional local organizations. Services include programs, policies, and activities to improve the economic well-being of their communities.

Chambers of Commerce & Community Futures

Chambers of Commerce advocate on behalf of the business community, and serve as a local business network.

Community Futures organizations provide small business services to people living in rural and remote communities. Each office delivers small business loans, tools, training and events for people wanting to start, expand, franchise or sell a business.

Business Improvement Areas (BIAs)

The mission of a BIA is to make the area a better place to do business. It is an association of local businesses and commercial property owners who join together to promote the economic development of the district through various marketing, beautification, safety and advocacy initiatives.

Business Centres & Local Organizations

More Business Supports

• Communitech
  • Helps tech employers start and grow their company
• MaRS
  • Seed stage investor in Ontario, investing in IT, health and cleantech companies
• Digital Main Street
  • Grants and services including digital how-to guide and program to help you grow your business
• Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP)
  • Grants, loans, and expert advice to help small and medium-sized enterprises adopt digital technologies to increase their competitiveness
• HelloHire
  • Online speed-hiring platform
  • Received government funding to offer some industries free access to the platform until Mar 2023

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This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.