Collective Interchange: Toolkit for Immigrant Women focused on Sustainability of Businesses and/or Employment

Collective Interchange: Toolkit for Immigrant Women focused on Sustainability of Businesses and/or Employment
There is a considerable gap between the needs of immigrant communities and the services that are offered. This gap sometimes stems from the non-inclusive structure of service providers. With respect to employability and business readiness factors, research shows that many people face barriers or challenges that can be incapacitating. Immigrant women facing significant challenges without assistance in handling them are likely to fail at work even if they are successful in getting a job. Many of these factors are due to unfamiliarity with the Canadian work environment, legal system, culture, etc. Lack of sufficient digital literacy skills in addition to language barriers are also factors that affect immigrant women’s accessibility to services. Unfamiliarity with immigrant context, in addition to gendered systemic barriers, will isolate immigrants from doing economic activities. When it comes to visible minority immigrant women, this systemic, non-inclusive structure is more prominent. Supporting community programs, through designing pilot projects which raise awareness about realities of minority groups will increase organizational capacity and inclusiveness to serve these groups and help them reach their goals to achieve a sustainable livelihood.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gordon Cooke

Student:

Partner:

Collective Interchange

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program: