Canadian Career Pathways for Newcomer Women is an employment & entrepreneurship training program for visible minority newcomer cis and trans women and gender-diverse individuals with a focus on building computer and digital literacy skills, Canadian employment skills and starting your own business for the Canadian market.

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Eligibility:

• Permanent residents of Canada;
• Protected persons as defined in section 95 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
• Individuals who have been selected, inside or outside Canada, to become permanent residents ( pending verifications) and who have been informed by a letter from IRCC;
• Convention refugees and protected persons outside Canada who have been selected for resettlement to Canada by IRCC;
• Temporary foreign workers who hold or received approval of a work permit under section 112 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), or receive initial approval for permanent residence under section 113 of the IRPRl; and
• Have not yet received citizenship.
• •  

Program Details:

Beginner and advanced programs are available. Each program runs for 8 weeks. Typically, in-person programming takes place in work space located at the YW Thrift Boutique at 102 King Street West, Kitchener, however programs are currently operating virtually due to the pandemic.

Fall session begins September 11, 2023

Winter begins November 13, 2023

Winter II begins January 29, 2023

Beginner

• Program runs Monday- Friday 9:30 am- 2:00 pm
• Learn digital skills by using technology and software
• Learn business skills such as, social media marketing, product development, website descriptions, photography, and basic graphic design
• Employment training including point of sale systems, employability skills, customer service, retail skills, sales, communication, leadership and teamwork
• Build and launch your business idea online
• Access to 1:1 mentorship post-graduation from the program
• •  

Advanced 

• Participants must have a product they already actively selling, have basic computer skills and knowledge of social media platforms
• Program runs Tuesday- Thursday 9:30 am- 2:00 pm
• Build your business, and make more sales with 1:1 support
• Assistance in developing a business website on a selling platform of your choosing (ex. Shopify, Etsy, Ebay, etc.)
• Social media audit of our business pages with recommendations and assistance developing a social media strategy to boost followers, engagement and sales
• Development of a three-year business plan
• Branding and graphic design using online software
• Development of a business media package (letterhead, labels, invoice templates, social media templates, business cards, etc.)
• Access to 1:1 mentorship post-graduation from the program

Registration Information:

Six participants will be selected to participate during each intake period, three in the beginner program and three in the advanced program. To apply for the program please complete the following two steps:

Step 1: Complete our online registration form.

Step 2: Once your registration form has been received you will be contacted to schedule a follow up meeting to talk further about your application and receive a tour of the YW Thrift Boutique retail store and work space.