Enhancing Newcomer Services Through Technology - The NewTO and Kibbi Partnership

Introduction

Kibbi Technologies is proud to partner with JVS Toronto, a leading non-profit employment agency, to revitalize the NewTO app.  Leveraging Kibbi's expertise in workforce development technology, this collaboration aims to support the integration process for immigrants by providing a digital hub that connects newcomers to essential social services and community programs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). 

Background

Kibbi Technologies is dedicated to connecting new Canadians with local employment opportunities through innovative technology solutions. By partnering with employment agencies to support their workforce development projects, we have helped over 25,000 job seekers and facilitated more than 84,000 job applications to date.

JVS Toronto, a cornerstone in employment services and community development, leads the Toronto North Local Immigration Partnership (TNLIP), a multi-sectoral planning table focused on supporting immigrant settlement and integration.

The Challenge

The initial NewTO app, while innovative, required significant updates in terms of user interface, functionality, and the accuracy of real-time resource searches. There was a need for an improved platform that could provide newcomers with quick, reliable access to a wide range of services, ensuring a smoother integration into their new community.

The Solution

The collaboration with Kibbi led to substantial enhancements in the NewTO app, making it a vital tool for newcomers in the GTA. 

The improved app now features:

"Our collaboration with JVS Toronto aligns perfectly with our vision of supporting newcomers in their journey towards integration and success. The NewTO app represents a significant step forward in utilizing technology to connect people with the resources they need to thrive." 

— HP Nguyen, the Founder & CEO of Kibbi Technologies

The revitalization of the NewTO app has had a profound impact on the newcomer community in the GTA. Key benefits include:

“Our collaboration with Kibbi Technologies has been a pivotal step in enhancing the support available to newcomers.  The NewTO app will play a crucial role in helping newcomers navigate their new environment and access necessary services to build a strong foundation for their future in the GTA”

– Irene Vaksman, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement at JVS Toronto

The partnership between Kibbi Technologies and JVS Toronto demonstrates the power of technology in transforming newcomer services. The NewTO app's success highlights the capabilities of technological innovation in improving service delivery and enhancing user experience and serves as a testament to Kibbi's potential to support other cities and agencies across Canada in their efforts to integrate newcomers efficiently.

Kibbi and Devant Join Forces with guard.me to Enhance Career Outcomes for International Students

Exciting News! We are thrilled to share that Kibbi and Devant have partnered with guard.me International Insurance, aiming to enhance career outcomes for international students all across Canada.

This partnership marks a significant milestone in our commitment to supporting international students as they navigate their career journeys. By combining our expertise with guard.me's unparalleled resources and support, we are confident that this collaboration will bring immense benefits to our job seekers.

At Kibbi, we understand the unique challenges that international students face when seeking career opportunities in a new country. Our goal has always been to provide the guidance and resources needed to help them succeed. Through this collaboration, we are committed to providing comprehensive support to international students, helping them navigate their career journeys with confidence. guard.me, a leading provider of health and wellness services for students, will bring unparalleled resources and support, ensuring our job seekers have the best tools at their disposal. Together, we are paving the way for a brighter future, offering tailored guidance, resources, and opportunities to empower international students in achieving their career goals.

Read more about this partnership here.

Join us in celebrating this milestone as we continue to support international students in their career journeys! Together, we can create a future full of opportunities and success.

Kibbi x Devant: Collaboration with Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre

We are delighted to highlight the ongoing partnership between Devant and Kibbi, which offers job seekers access to pre-employment tools and an innovative mobile job search app to prepare them for the Canadian job market.

By bridging job seekers with employers, this initiative not only matches eager talent to local businesses but also enhances employment opportunities and economic growth within the local community.

Businesses can now benefit from Kibbi's extensive suite of recruitment tools at no cost. With features ranging from AI-assisted job postings to translation services and the ability to view local candidates on a map, Kibbi empowers employers to streamline their hiring process, expediting the fulfillment of roles.

"By removing barriers to employment for newcomers in our community, we aim to support local businesses in finding the talent they need to thrive while also providing newcomers with access to meaningful employment opportunities." HP Nguyen, Founder of Kibbi Technologies.

Additionally, our partnership with the Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre (DRUHC), a non-profit organization with over 40 years of experience in assisting unemployed or underemployed individuals in meeting their employment goals, ensures that job-seekers in the community have access to valuable job opportunities through the Kibbi platform.

"We are thrilled to partner with Kibbi and Devant to offer job seekers pre-employment career development tools and a new channel to find and apply for local jobs for free in the community," said Lina Zakaria, Executive Director at DRUHC.

Kibbi’s collaboration with DRUHC underscores its commitment to driving economic growth and fostering inclusivity in local communities like Durham. By leveraging innovative technology and strategic partnerships, Kibbi and Devant are poised to make a lasting impact on the local job market.

Local businesses are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by signing up for Kibbi’s free services today.

To learn more and register, visit www.kibbi.ca or https://unemployedhelp.on.ca/

For more information, contact us at partnerships@mykibbi.com.

Employer Spotlight: Success Stories

ABOUT MINDFIELD

Mindfield, one of Canada's leading Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) organizations, has led full-cycle recruitment programs for the country's largest retail, professional service and hospitality businesses. The company recruits for positions with a full spectrum of requirements. Some require deep experience and professional-level English or French fluency, but many do not. With that knowledge, as well as an understanding that newcomers are the fastest-growing talent segment in Canada, Mindfield wanted to find a way to reach more newcomers and promote their jobs in a way that this audience could easily find and engage with.

WHY NEWCOMERS?

Employers want their employees to represent the communities they operate in, but local labour shortages negatively impact their ability to grow and prosper. Mindfield is committed to presenting its customers with diverse and qualified candidates quickly but struggles to engage newcomers due to challenges with language and lack of reach from traditional job marketing channels like career sites or job boards. 

WHY KIBBI?

With an initial focus on entry-level jobs promoted on Kibbi, Mindfield quickly discovered a wealth of talent. Not only were they receiving qualified applicants, but in fact, they discovered candidates with a wide range of experiences and seniority.

"Some of the positions we are recruiting for require a base-level skill set. For those jobs, we have seen the quality; it has been really strong overall. Not only do these individuals have the necessary expertise, but also a life experience that makes them excellent candidates for our jobs."

- Heather Pysklywec, Chief Operating Officer

Kibbi is unique because of the focus on newcomers. With tools like multilingual chat, job description translations and local map-based job search, the team at Mindfield quickly found that Kibbi has incredible reach into newcomer communities. It is the most effective tool they have to engage the newcomer communities in the markets they serve, and the candidates they source provide incredible value to their customers because they are local, motivated and ready to work.

"There are two things that stood out to me the most. Firstly, there is not necessarily a piece of technology that enables newcomers to Canada to interact with recruiting organizations like ours, as we recruit locally but on a national scale. Historically, that has been done through word of mouth and grassroots partnerships. So, the Kibbi platform is innovative as it enables newcomers to network directly with our organizations. That scale and the ability to tap into one of Canada’s largest pools of qualified candidates makes Kibbi stand out in our experience."

- Heather Pysklywec, Chief Operating Officer

The team has also expressed their satisfaction with candidates' ability to self-disclose how comfortable they are communicating and performing specific job responsibilities in English or French. This allowed for a different level of sourcing for a recruiter to find candidates with the required skills by leveraging the extensive filters and accessing relevant talent.

WORKING WITH KIBBI

Mindfield found Kibbi to be a responsive and agile partner. Their unique recruitment and client service approach requires Kibbi to manage an automated flow of candidates for all their jobs nationally.

"Kibbi has been nothing but flexible and super down-to-earth. We've worked with a variety of different partners, which required multiple steps to get the right information. Kibbi has a great technology communication flow, and we've been able to create an incredibly seamless flow with our ATS and Kibbi. The cost structure has been really positive, and anytime we had a question, we've been able to reach out, and there has been a high degree of responsiveness."

- Heather Pysklywec, Chief Operating Officer

Living and working in Canada: What is WorkSafeBC and why you should care

Are you a worker in British Columbia (BC)? Wondering what WorkSafeBC is? or what rights you have as an employee? Do you know how to make a claim if something happens while you're on the job? Don't worry, because we've got all the information you need. Let's dive into WorkSafeBC and find out everything there is to know about making a claim, your rights as a worker, and more.

What is WorkSafeBC?

WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial agency that provides health and safety services across British Columbia. They provide no-fault insurance to workers in case of injury or death while they are at work. They also provide employers with resources such as safety plans, accident prevention programs, and more to help reduce the risk of workplace injury or death. This ensures that employers understand their responsibilities when it comes to keeping their employees safe at work.

Making a claim with WorkSafeBC

In the event of an injury or illness due to work-related activities, workers can make a claim with WorkSafeBC for compensation for lost wages, medical treatment costs, rehabilitation costs, and other costs associated with the incident. Workers can make claims either online or through the mail. Once a claim has been made, it will be reviewed by an adjudicator who will decide whether or not the worker is eligible for compensation from WorkSafeBC.

Rights as a worker in BC

As a worker in BC, it is important to know your rights when it comes to workplace safety. According to provincial law, employees have the right to refuse unsafe work without fear of reprisal from their employer; they also have the right to access any health and safety information that relates specifically to them; they must be informed of any hazards in their workplace; they must be provided with any protective clothing necessary for their role; and they must be given adequate training in how best to perform their job safely.

Learning about WorksafeBC is essential for everyone living in British Columbia who works for someone else or owns a business themselves. Knowing what rights you have as an employee can help keep you safe at work; understanding how making claims works means you are prepared should something go wrong; and having access to resources like safety plans helps create a safer working environment overall. It's always important to stay up-to-date on your knowledge around WorkSafeBC so that everyone remains safe while working!

Job search 101: How to get recruiters to approach you

If you're looking to make your job search experience more effective and efficient, there are a few things you can do to get ahead in your job search journey and appear as an attractive candidate for a position.

5 ways to get recruiters to approach you for jobs

  1. Optimize your resume with keywords

Make sure that your resume is optimized according to the recruiter's preferences. This will ensure that your information stands out from the competition and gets an interview invitation.

  1. Use job boards

A job board like Kibbi can be extremely helpful in getting your first job in Canada, which can add to your Canadian experience. Kibbi makes it easier to find jobs locally, allowing you to reach more recruiters in less time. With Kibbi's advanced search capabilities, you can target specific recruiter roles that are most relevant to your career objectives.

  1. Be proactive

Make sure to contact recruiters even if there are no postings listed on the job board, as they may still be looking to fill positions.‍

  1. Follow up regularly

A recruiter may not be able to get back to you straight away, so make sure you keep your resume and contact details updated, and follow up on applications regularly.‍

  1. Be flexible

Keep an open mind about the types of positions you're willing to consider, as this may make it easier for recruiters to match you with suitable openings.

Tips to make your resume more searchable by recruiters

  1. Use keywords related to the job description

When you're writing your resume, be sure to use keywords that are relevant to the job you're applying for. These keywords will help your resume appear in search results when potential employers are looking for candidates with your skills and experience. To find the right keywords to use, look at the job listing and identify the key qualifications and requirements.

  1. Keep the formatting simple

When it comes to resumes, simpler is often better. Stick to a clean, straightforward format that is easy for employers to scan. Include essential information such as your name, contact information, education, and work experience. Avoid adding unnecessary details or fluff.

  1. Use an online resume builder

If you're not sure how to create a resume that is keyword-optimized and easy to read, consider using an online resume builder. Resume builders can help you create a professional-looking resume in minutes, with no need for design or formatting expertise. Simply enter your information into the builder and let it do the rest!

By following these tips, you can get recruiters to reach out to you which will help boost your chances of finding a job that's right for you!