Finding employment tops priorities for newcomers to Canada

TORONTO, July 18, 2018 - For newcomers arriving in Canada, finding employment is amongst their top prioritieswith 64% ranking it in the top five*. When starting a new life in a new country, newcomers generally worry about where they're going to live, adjusting to a new life and settling in to all of the nuances that come with immigrating. Getting a head start is the key to success - to alleviate stress and start day one in control. To help newcomers adjust to their new life, ACCES Employment and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) today announce a partnership to assist newcomers find employment.

For the past several years, ACCES Employment and RBC have been working together to help new Canadians navigate the job search with support that includes advice before you arrive, résumé building tips and interview preparation. Recognizing the need for advice before newcomers land in Canada, the partnership will now extend to include a series of online webinars directed at newly-arrived or soon-to-arrive newcomer jobseekers. The series - facilitated by RBC recruiters and banking professionals - will include job-search education and financial literacy topics to improve the journey to Canada.

'Helping newcomers to prepare for the Canadian job market while they are still overseas is critical to their success. Our pre-arrival programs and services ensure that newcomers are able to receive the support they need to integrate into the local labour market much more effectively,' says ACCES Employment President and CEO Allison Pond. 'In addition, the online delivery model allows easy access to jobseekers across the world. As a result, we are able to provide an important continuum of services from the pre-arrival stage to when newcomers settle in the country. We are thankful for RBC's continuing partnership and their support of this webinar event series. RBC's support has helped thousands of jobseekers coming to Canada to learn about the Canadian job market and to find meaningful employment upon arrival.'

With more than 750,000 newcomers arriving in Canada every year (including permanent residents, temporary foreign workers and international students), ACCES and RBC understand the need to help newcomers settle into their new life in Canada quickly and that they play an important role in our economic workforce and beyond.

'Newcomers are an invaluable part of our diverse communities and we know settling in a new country can be challenging,' says John McNain, VP, Personal Lending & Newcomer Segment, RBC. 'By assisting during the pre-arrival stage, we're taking one thing off their to-do list and helping newcomers arrive confidently as they get ready to settle into their new home. Partnering with ACCES Employment allows us to bring our expertise together with the common goal of helping newcomers find meaningful employment through engaging two-way dialogue. Our role extends far beyond banking as we continue to work with partners such as ACCES Employment in making our communities a welcoming place where newcomers can thrive.'

The webinar series is already proving to add value for skilled job seekers, many of whom completed the webinars before arriving in Canada. For Oluwatosin Otakoya, a newly arrived IT professional from Nigeria, the webinars provided him the key information he needed for his job search in Canada.

'I found the ACCES and RBC webinars a great and informative resource - helpful advice before I even boarded the plane! They are a must for any newcomer jobseeker, no matter what their industry or expertise, as they provide you with very helpful information for a successful job search in Canada,' says Oluwatosin Otakoya, newcomer from Nigeria.

For more information about the RBC Webinar Event Series, please visit www.accesemployment.ca/online-event-series/rbc-webinars.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 81,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.‎

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-sustainability.

About ACCES Employment
ACCES Employment is a leader in connecting employers with qualified employees from diverse backgrounds. More than 32,000 job seekers are served annually locations across the Greater Toronto Area and virtually and pre-arrival through our online services. As a not-for-profit corporation, ACCES receives funding from all levels of government, corporate sponsors, various supporters and the United Way Toronto and York Region. For more information about services and programs at ACCES, please visit www.accesemployment.ca

*Boston Consulting Group Survey of Newcomers to Canada (2017)

For more information about this initiative, please contact:
Sophie Connor, Senior Communications Manager
RBC
Sophie.connor@rbc.com
647-823-4790

Ada Wong
VP, Marketing, Communications and Digital Strategies
ACCES Employment
awong@accesemployment.ca
437-688-1274

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RBC - Royal Bank of Canada published this content on 18 July 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 18 July 2018 13:56:08 UTC