The Toronto PearsonAirport supports in the community by investing in specific projects and organizations. The funding activities for the projects take place through the ‘Uplift Fund’ platform and the objective is to work with organizations that provide support to job seekers, promote engagement between employer and employee and overall holistic employment practices. The airport has announced that nine local organisations that have qualified, will share a total sum of $770,000 in financing and the initiative is focused at removing barriers that are of concern, to employment and for also creating opportunities for communities that are surrounding the airport.
While the beneficiaries who receive the funding can vary in size and sophistication, they consistently execute programmes that are engaging and also promote workforce development in the communities, which is a critial factor for generating income and stimulates overall growth . More precisely, that objective is that these organisations work to offer innovative and effective ways for a wide range of job searchers to find better and more meaningful work and also encourage businesses to recruit and retain people who are local residents in the community.
There are nine organisations that are the fund recipients:
Achēv: The Job Action Club (JAC) is a job search support programme for Ontario Works beneficiaries. It provides an online learning portal and a two-week in-person training programme that covers job hunting, interview preparation, and coaching.
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community assistance: The Thrive Under the Rainbow (TURN) project seeks to enable workforce entry through pre-employment programmes at the West Toronto community centre by providing employment assistance to mostly African refugees who identify as 2SLGBTQI.
Black Physicians Association of Ontario: The HELP- Health Equity Leadership Professionals Project is a new programme that helps globally qualified Black physicians into the medical industry in Canada. The project will focus on providing mentorship and exam preparation to participants.
YWCA Toronto: The Digital Awareness Ready for Employment (DARE) project will teach digital literacy in the workplace. This course, aimed mostly at women and people of other genders, will teach them how to comprehend and use important digital technologies in the workplace.
Rexdale Women’s Centre: The Women’s jobs and Labour Integration Training Programme (WELITP) assists immigrant and newcomer women in securing jobs in sales and service occupations in Etobicoke. Participants will go through six weeks of in-person instruction followed by four weeks of work experience.
Windmill Microlending’s Empowering New Canadians: Tailored Career Coaching and Coaching Supports programme will provide newcomers receiving microloans with additional services such as career coaching, financial literacy training, mentorship, personalised loan management, and access to job opportunities in the communities surrounding Toronto Pearson.
TMU’s Brampton Venture Zone: The BReady Talent Programme will expand into Mississauga as well as the Peel Region. This website helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) find and hire local professionals. This portal will help newcomers and other professionals from racialized and marginalised groups find their first full-time jobs in Canada.
Blk Owned: The Black Youth Entrepreneurship Hub (BYEH) Community Platform will function as an online learning portal with training courses to help Black youth pursue entrepreneurship as an alternative career option. The programme will be given in two cohorts, combining online and in-person learning.
MABELLEarts: This grant will support the MABELLEworks job support programme, which focuses on youth, women, and newcomer people in Etobicoke’s Mabelle Avenue area and offers one-on-one assistance, group training, and experiential work opportunities.
The noble cause has made a positive impact on the communities and since 2018, Toronto Pearson’s Uplift Fund has invested and collaborated in programmes that lead to advocacy and research that led to assisting local individuals in acquiring the skills-in-demand, the impactful connections, and opportunities that they need to find meaningful employment and fullfilment.
It is remarkable that in 2022 alone, the airport invested $387,000 in the community to provide employment training and skills to local individuals and this initiative has helped fill hundreds of positions. This year, Toronto Pearson has taken the lead and is happy to nearly double the amount of money donated to local organisations and this act of generosity will provide help to nearly 1,100 people and lead them to have access to meaningful employment opportunities.
This is the largest of their contributions since 2019. It’s simply amazing that the airport recognizes and values the people living in the communities nearby and they are comitted to serve and make those communities stronger. The contributions are for breaking down the barriers to employment opportunities for the residents who are living in the communities nearby.
For additional information on the Uplift Fund and the 2023 funding recipients, please visit torontopearson.com/propellerproject.
About Toronto Pearson
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority manages Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest airport and a crucial transportation hub for people, businesses and goods.
Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade group of the world’s airports, has named Toronto Pearson the “Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million passengers” for the fifth consecutive year. ACI has recognised Toronto Pearson’s Healthy Airport programme with the “Best hygiene measures in North America” award for three years in a row, and the airport was the first in Canada to receive ACI’s global health accreditation for its response to COVID-19.
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