Canadian Career Pathways for Newcomer Women

Canadian Career Pathways for Newcomer Women (CCPNW) 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.

Eligibility:
  • Must not have Canadian citizenship status;
  • 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 verification) 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
  • Ukrainian temporary residents and their dependents
  • The above eligiability requirements are determined by the program funder Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
Program Details:
  • Employment-focused Program Time:   Monday to Friday- 10:30 am- 2:30 pm
  • Small Business-focused Program Time:   Tuesday to Thursday- 10:30 am- 2:30 pm
  • Program Duration: Each session runs for 8 weeks at a time
  • Program Location: 102 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario
Two streams are available:
Employment Stream: 
  • Program runs Monday- Friday 10:30 am- 2:30 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.

 

Small Business Stream:
  • Program runs Tuesday- Thursday 10:30 am- 2:30 pm online 
  • 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.
  • Participants must come with a product that you are already actively selling and have a basic knowledge of social media platforms (Facebook as an example) and using a computer.

 

Session Dates:
  • Fall Session: September 2024
  • Winter I Session: November 2024
  • Winter II Session: January 2025

 

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Registration Information:

Six to eight participants will be selected to participate during each intake period, three in the employment program and three in the small business 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 and work space.

 

For questions or assistance, contact:

226-339-0517 or 226-751-6898

CCPNW@ywkw.ca

Kiran Aslam, Employment & Entrepreneurship Coordinator
Emily Dyck, Social Enterprise Coordinator