Employment & Settlement

The Faces of

Ambition

When a catastrophically dangerous war broke out in their home city of Aleppo, Syria, friends Nazo and Ohannes knew they would have to make the difficult decision to flee their homes to escape the violence.

“I didn’t have plans to leave the country, but things took a sharp turn,” said Nazo. “In a single day the city turned into a war zone.”

After arriving in Canada in December 2015, Nazo and Ohannes were faced with various challenges. The biggest one was finding suitable employment to earn enough money to support themselves. As internationally-trained professionals — both held undergraduate degrees earned in Syria and Master’s degrees earned in Lebanon — the two young men were unsure if their qualifications would even be recognized in Canada. After attending an employment resource event, Nazo and Ohannes were introduced to the wide variety of wrap-around services they could access at WoodGreen to help them settle successfully in Toronto.

Employment and Settlement GroupShot Image

This year, we served

6,692 NEWCOMERS

“I have a job that I like and I’ve connected with friends and family. I’ve started to feel like Canada is my home.”

Each year, WoodGreen assists thousands of newcomers of all ages to make a successful transition into Canadian society by offering a comprehensive approach to the complicated settlement process. Expert staff speak a combined 30 languages and provide help with employment searches, international credential assessment, language instruction and upgrading, and access to social/recreational programs. People who come into WoodGreen to access the newcomer services are also connected to the full basket of 75 programs and services across the agency, including housing help, mental health supports and social work, youth programming and much more.

“WoodGreen was able to answer any questions or concerns we had and provide the steps on how to do it professionally,” said Ohannes.

This year we helped approximately

3,000 CLIENTS AT OUR EMPLOYMENT RESOURCE CENTRES.

“I volunteered with WoodGreen to add to my Canadian experience and also to give back to the community that helped me.”

– Ohannes T.

Through WoodGreen’s Enhanced Language Training (ELT) program for internationally trained professionals, Nazo and Ohannes were successfully connected with permanent accounting jobs at major organizations in Toronto’s Financial District. The ELT program offers a combination of resources to help newcomers connect with opportunities in their career fields such as Finance and Accounting, Office Administration, Information Technology and Health Care. Services offered in the ELT program include professional development, resume building and interview skills, and creating connections with community employers through networking events. They were also encouraged by WoodGreen staff to further pursue their careers by enrolling in academic courses to get their Professional Accounting designation (CPA), which they expect to complete in the upcoming years. Ohannes now volunteers at WoodGreen. “It was a way to add experience to my resume, while also being able to give back to the community who helped me,” said Ohannes.

“I have a job that I like and I've connected with friends and family. I've started to feel like Canada is my home,” said Nazo. “I owe a lot of that to the dedicated and professional team at WoodGreen.”