“A lot of newcomers have never had to look for work in the same way you look for a job here,” says Astarte, who researched, developed, and launched this new program in September, 2008. “Sometimes you would be looking at making a whole different career choice. If you’re a doctor, the chances of you working as a doctor are very, very slim and very costly and time-consuming… There’s a lot of barriers in terms of what Canadian employers want. The people have arrived, they’ve got skills, and they’re led to believe they will find work – but Canadian employers are reluctant to hire anybody without Canadian experience.”

At first my intention was to write a post about Astarte and her work for my Super Citizen Showcase blog. Yet the more I heard about the program, the more curious I was about the newcomers and mentors. I spoke with some of these folks and then decided to write a story for MOSAIC to use as they wished. Instead of volunteering as a mentor, I volunteered my writing services – and now the full story about Workplace Connections is published in HRVoice.com.

If you want to be a mentor – or you are a newcomer – call MOSAIC at 604-254-9626 or leave a comment below.