Moya MacKinnon
Vice President of Employment and Newcomer Services, Achēv
With a bright future ahead, newcomers to Canada can smoothly transition to their new lives with help from Achēv, a leading provider of employment, newcomer, language, and youth services.
New immigrants and refugees face numerous hurdles when acclimatizing to their new homes and finding employment. Accessing the right supports is key to their success. Trusted organizations like Achēv are crucial in helping newcomers achieve their settlement and employment goals.
Start off on the right foot
As the first stop for newcomers, Achēv connects new immigrants and refugees seamlessly with employment, newcomer, language, and youth services.
“At Achēv, our professional program staff provides free guidance and assistance for newcomers to navigate the settlement and employment system,” says Achēv’s Vice President of Employment and Newcomer Services Moya MacKinnon. “Many newcomers need assistance with evaluating their international credentials, learning English or French, and establishing personal and professional networks to create meaningful relationships for employment in their field.”
Achēv’s employment services assist job seekers in securing employment by providing access to job opportunities, current labour market information and trends, hiring events, information sessions, workshops, and professional one-on-one career support.
“Having the right tools including a customizable resume, well-developed self-marketing, and interview skills will increase employment opportunities,” says MacKinnon. “We help newcomers explore career goals, identify training needs, and acquire job search and retention skills. As a result of their participation in our services, 82 percent of our newcomer clients found employment this past year.”
Achēv’s language services provide assessments, training, and referrals to English or French language classes. Additionally, Achēv’s five Newcomer Information Centres provide settlement and employment information and referral services to newcomers virtually and in person.
Struggles turned into success
Achēv’s clients have seen incredible success. Over the past year, Achēv has assisted over 12,000 newcomers, one of whom is Kunle Ogundijo, who immigrated to Canada in 2019. Despite his enthusiasm, he struggled to find a job.
“The early positive feelings soon gave way to some level of disappointment and self-doubt,” says Ogundijo. When turning to Achēv for guidance, he was assigned a seasoned Career Specialist and Job Developer.
“They helped me expand my professional network by connecting me with mentors and employers. I had various career development sessions with them, including mock interviews where areas of improvement were highlighted, further increasing my confidence,” says Ogundijo.
When the next job opportunity arose, Ogundijo gave a confident interview and got hired in his chosen field as a financial analyst at GE. “The staff at Achēv encouraged me to keep focused and never give up. Together, we outlined objectives and set out action plans to achieve success,” he says.
Ask for help when you need it
Make the smooth transition to life in Canada by being prepared in every way possible. “Having the right settlement and employment support in place will ensure that newcomers’ social and economic needs are met,” says MacKinnon. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
