Updates from Seneca Works | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Sheila Bruce, Seneca Works

in the June 2021 issue

Celebrating Career Development Month
Seneca and Humber collaborated for Career Development Month in March 2021. It included an exciting Career Conversation Panel for equity deserving groups and BIPOC learners.

The purpose of the panel was to acknowledge inequities and systemic barriers that BIPOC learners face entering the job market. Guest panelists shared their career journeys and insights of navigating the workplace, giving students hope and encouragement to know their self-worth, own their identity, and show their strengths as they transition and advance in their careers.

Seneca’s own WIL Coordinator Charmaine Johnson moderated the panel, taking students, staff, and faculty of both colleges on a well-engaged and informative discussion. Seneca's planning committee also included Sheila Bruce, Manager Career-Ready Programming, and Hana El Kaissi, Career Development Coordinator. For those who were not able to attend please feel free to view the event here:

Virtual Career Launch Day
Career Development celebrated Graduating Students with a series of sessions, panels, workshops and a Virtual Career Launch Day. A variety of information sessions were hosted throughout the month to allow employers such as CBI Health, Toronto Community Housing, CBRE, and more to network with students and share many opportunities. Five Alumni panels were also hosted in collaboration with Seneca Alumni and program areas to facilitate candid conversations about the labour market and the sharing of insight and advice by Alumni professionals working in a variety of industries. These sessions and events were welcomed by over 500 students who are eager to start their careers.

Career and Employment Supports for Students with Disabilities
The Transition to Work Event

compiled by Loretta Gilbert and Juliet Kaye, Seneca Works

This year, Seneca Works (formerly the Career Development and Work Integrated Learning departments) collaborated with Humber College to organize the Transition to Work event for people with disabilities. The virtual event took place on May 4, 2021 and offered employment preparation workshops and a resource fair. Registration was very high, indicating keen interest especially from Seneca students and graduates. There was a record turnout for all three sessions with participants exceeding 140 at each session.

The sessions were very empowering and included topics such as how to disclose a disability using a strengths-based approach and how to ask for accommodations in the workplace. At the resource fair, there were 11 community organizations that support people with disabilities. Each organization presented information about their services which ranged from career exploration, employment counseling, mentoring, job development and matching, job retention support, paid placement opportunities, apprenticeships in the trades, soft skills training, job boards with job postings from diversity and inclusive employers, arranging interviews with disability-friendly employers, and self-employment supports that include business training, mentoring, and access to funding. Services offered by the community organizations cover a wide range of disabilities.

All the presentation materials by the guest speakers and the community organizations are available and can be found on Humber’s Transition to Work website. We invite you to share these useful resources with students.

The event was sponsored and organized by Humber College Advising and Career Services, Accessible Learning, University of Guelph-Humber Career Service, Humber College Employment Services, and Seneca Works at Seneca College.

View the June 2021 issue of the Academic Newsletter.