Newcomers Empowering Business

Demonstrate your talent to local employers.

Help employers recognize immigrant skills and experience.

Help Kingston become a more welcoming, prosperous place.

We know Newcomers bring valuable skills and experience to our workplaces. Help demonstrate that to local employers. Volunteer as an intercultural industry coach to show immigrant talent at work. Gain local experience, practice navigating Canadian culture, and make contacts in your field. Some positions offer financial stipends. Find out more about Intercultural Coaching, Collaborative Conversations, or Peer Group Mentorship.

 Support for participants available, including childcare or transportation subsidies.

 Collaborative Conversations

• Demonstrate your industry knowledge and specialized training
• Participate in a collaborative exchange with locals in your field
• Grow your professional network and industry connections

Collaborators will share expertise in your industry with a local business or organization. You’ll gain insights into how the industry operates in Kingston while offering fresh perspectives and demonstrating the strength of intercultural diversity to local businesses and organizations. 

Eligibility: Permanent residents or convention refugees with professional training and international experience and English level of CLB 5+.

 Intercultural Coaching 

• Strengthen your own intercultural intelligence
• Develop group presentation and workshop facilitation skills
• Deliver intercultural intelligence training to Kingston employers

After participating in our 10-hour training program, you’ll receive an Introduction to Intercultural Coaching Certificate, and be eligible to offer intercultural intelligence training to employers and community members, and one-to-one coaching for local employers about intercultural inclusion practices. These trainings come with a stipend.

Intercultural coaches will have ongoing support and supervision from KEYS staff. Sample curriculum that you might help deliver can be found here and could include:

• Understanding the benefits of workplace diversity
• Newcomer recruitment strategies
• Employee retention in intercultural workplaces
• Intercultural awareness/team building
• Intercultural communication and conflict resolution
• Countering implicit bias

Eligibility: Permanent residents or convention refugees with CLB 5 or higher, with professional training and experience as a job-seeker or employee in Kingston.

Are you an Employer who is interested in participating in this program? Click here for more information.

Peer-to-Peer mentoring 

• Learn to navigate “Canadian” cultural norms and workplace communication
• Share experiences with other newcomers and more established immigrants
• Further develop your intercultural intelligence

We connect recent newcomers together with those with more experience navigating the local job market to share frustrations and success stories, and learn tips and tricks to gaining and maintaining meaningful employment in Kingston.

Eligibility: Open to all newcomers with CLB 5+.

If you are an experienced newcomer who would like to share your story, please contact us to volunteer.