Vancouver, BC – The Centre and its partners hosted an event today at the Century Plaza Hotel to celebrate BC employers who have demonstrated their commitment to inclusive employment by recruiting people with diverse abilities through the BC Partners in Workforce Innovation (BC WiN) Pilot Project.
This three-year pilot is evaluating the effectiveness of applying a business ‘demand-based’ approach, using a recruitment model to work directly with employers in specific industry sectors with high employment demand to match them with candidates who have the qualities, skillset, career interest and capabilities to do the job. This collaborative and innovative initiative is designed to meet the dual objectives of supporting the workforce needs of BC businesses and improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
To date, BC WiN has formed partnerships with over a dozen employer partners in the Greater Vancouver region, including London Drugs, Crew Management Ltd., Edgewater Casino, Canucks Sports and Entertainment, Canucks Autism Network, the Pacific Autism Family Centre, BC Lottery Corporation, ASTTBC, Seaspan and The Cleaning Solution, offering up hundreds of employment opportunities across a range of industry sectors since the project’s launch in June 2015. BC WiN’s Recruitment Specialist team has recommended over 80 candidates for employment with our partners, and of these, 25 candidates have secured employment and another 15 candidates are currently in the recruitment process.
The pilot is being managed and evaluated by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence on behalf of its partners on the Employment Action Committee, including Community Living BC, Open Door Group (representing the WorkBC Vancouver Leads Group), Neil Squire Society, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (representing the BC Employment Network) and Flaherty and Associates. MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners has been engaged to perform the Recruitment Specialist duties for the pilot. In addition to this group of industry leaders, the project partnership is working closely with local WorkBC Centres and other employment service agency partners across the Lower Mainland, while coordinating and collaborating with other disability inclusion efforts currently underway in BC.
Today’s event represented an opportunity for BC WiN to recognize our partners, showcase their accomplishments and launch a new video (linked below) that communicates the unique objectives of this innovative pilot and the benefits it can offer to employers who wish to engage a largely untapped pool of talent that is ready and committed to work.
To learn more about the BC Partners in Workforce Innovation pilot project, visit: www.bcpartnerswin.org.
For queries about this project or other research activities being undertaken by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence, please contact Shawn de Raaf, CfEE Research Coordinator.
