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You can get free help to search for a job to earn money and build a life here. There are services that can help you learn about the job market in Norfolk County, look for jobs in person or online, write a Canadian style resume, and get ready for an interview. Once hired, it’s important to know your rights as a worker such as the right to work safely, to get paid your wages, to get a vacation, and more.Â
Fanshawe Community Career and Employment Services
Fanshawe helps Norfolk residents search for jobs, put together a resume, prepare for job interviews, and learn about the local job market. They have computers, photocopiers, and phones that people looking for work can use. They can refer people to other community services and programs. They also help businesses looking to hire workers. All services are free.
Note:Â Permanent residents, newcomers with refugee status, and newcomers with open work permits can register as a client. This includes meeting with an employment consultant. Migrant workers and international students can use the resource centre, see job postings, and use computers.
Address: 5 Queensway East, Unit #2, Simcoe
Norfolk Community Help Centre
The Help Centre provides a wide variety of newcomer settlement services, including job search, filling in government paperwork, family support, mental health support, referrals to community agencies, and interpretation services. It also offers services for the Low German Mennonite population, including a Moms and Tots program.
Address: Houghton Public School, 505 Fairground Side Road, Langton
Simcoe Office – Catholic Community Services of York Region
The Simcoe office provides in-person and online services mainly for international agricultural workers and international students. Staff do help other newcomers and can refer you to other local services. They provides settlement services, counselling, referrals to health care and other services, and offers English classes.
Address: 191 Queensway West, Simcoe
Migrant Workers Support Centre – The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO)
A Simcoe office of this Toronto-based organization provides supports to international foreign workers, including those working in agriculture, construction, tourism and hospitality, and food and beverage businesses.
Address: 150 West Street, Unit 101, Simcoe Town Centre
Norfolk Association for Community Living (NACL)
NACL provides employment supports, including job coaching, job search, and resume writing to people with developmental disabilities who want to be active in the community.
Address:Â 644 Ireland Road, Simcoe
Working for Norfolk County
Our local government is the largest employer in Norfolk. Full-time, part-time, seasonal, and summer student jobs are posted on our website.
Grand Erie Jobs
This online job board lists jobs advertised by businesses in Norfolk and the nearby area. Users can set up free user accounts to get job alerts.
Grand Erie Jobs – Job Map
Most of the jobs on Grand Erie Jobs can also be seen on a map of Norfolk and the nearby area, so you can see where the employer is located.
Job Bank – Government of Canada
The Job Bank has the largest number of job listings in Canada. People can search for jobs by keywords, employers, occupation, or their location.
Work from Home Job Board
This job board shows jobs available across Ontario where an employee can work from home, either all the time or part of the time.
Norfolk’s economy is diverse, offering numerous types of jobs in many different fields.Â
The largest number of workers work in retail stores, health care and social services, manufacturing plants, restaurants and food services, and agriculture. But there’s a wide variety of employers and occupations. Major employers include: Norfolk County government, Toyotetsu Canada (TTCA), Norfolk General Hospital, Unilever Ice Cream, Titan Trailers, and the public and Catholic school boards. There are a number of large farms that grow a variety of crops. There are many large businesses within a 30-minute commute of Simcoe, including Stelco, Ferrero Canada, and Tigercat Industries. Â
Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie
A community organization that is the expert about the job markets in Norfolk and nearby cities and towns.Â
Workforce Gateway
An easy-to-use online tool from the Workforce Planning Board that helps people find local information and resources.
Newcomers Gateway
Similar to the Workforce Gateway but more focused on helping newcomers learn about job searching and where to turn to for help
Career Quizzes
There’s a number of quizzes you can take to help plan your career. There are also multiple personality tests to help judge what careers may best suit you.
Career Quiz
A 10-minute online quiz that can help you determine your strengths. The quiz will give you a list 10 jobs you may be suited for. They are just suggestions.
Settlement.org
This Ontario website has information about finding a job, working in Canada, your rights at work, professions and trades, career planning, and more.
Ontario – Work in your profession or trade
Learn about services in Ontario to help you to continue to work in your profession or trade if you’ve trained in another country.
Ontario – Ontario’s labour market
Learn more about Ontario’s labour market. Look up information on the labour market in different regions and learn more about 500+ occupations
Explore Canada’s labour market
An online tool from the Government of Canada’s Job Bank. Learn about different occupations, how in demand the jobs are, wages, and more
When you work for someone as an employee, you have rights. This includes the right to be paid, the right to work in a safe environment, and the right to work without facing discrimination. These and other rights are spelled out in laws created by the Canadian and Ontario governments.
People may feel reluctant, even scared, to stand up for their rights, worried their employer may fire them or get them deported – which are both illegal. It is your decision to stand up for your rights.
There are organizations that can help if your rights as an employee are violated. But even if you decide not to seek help, it’s still important to know your rights.
International Agri-Food Workers
Information is available from the Ontario government on the rights of International Agri-Food Workers and the laws in place to protect them. This includes information on worker rights, workplace health and safety, health care, and many links to other information. Some information has been translated into Spanish.
Temporary Foreign Workers
If you’ve been hired and brought into Canada to work under the Temporary Foreign Workers Program you have rights under Canadian law. An employer is required to pay you according to your Employment Agreement. Employers can’t take away your passport or work permit, force you to work in unsafe conditions, nor force you to work if you are sick or injured. For a fuller description of your rights click on the website link below. The Government of Canada suggests phoning its confidential tip line if your employer is abusing your rights or the rights of someone you know.
International Students
International students are allowed to work for up to 24 hours per week off campus without a work permit. Students and their employers are responsible for checking prior to starting work that the student is eligible to do so.
My Rights at Work
The website Settlement.org has several webpages that provide information and advice for newcomers about their rights as workers in Ontario.
Steps to Justice
Legal information about the rights of temporary foreign workers, including agricultural workers, live-in caregivers, and others.
Migrant and Temporary Agricultural Workers
Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) has a number of infographics and videos about occupational health and safety topics.
Getting prior education earned in your home country recognized in Canada can be a challenge. This can be true for various professional occupations, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and engineers. It can also be a challenge for people with previous education and training in the skilled trades. Although many of these occupations are in-demand in Canada, there are usually multiple steps to have a newcomer’s international credentials recognized as equivalent to Canadian credentials. Sometimes a newcomer is required to take further education here.
Why is this important?
Having international credentials recognized here can be important for employment and to improve your chances of getting the job you want. It can also be necessary if you plan to take further education in Canada.
Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials
Provides information for people looking to come to Canada as new immigrants, refugees, and those looking to study or work here.
Settlement.org
This Ontario website for newcomers talks about international credentials and where newcomers can start.
In Canada, there are several organizations approved by the government to assess international credentials. There are fees for these services. Several professions have their own international credential assessment such as the Medical Council of Canada, the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, and the Canadian Architectural Certification Board.
World Education Services (WES)
WES has a contract with the Ontario Government to assess the secondary school and post-secondary diplomas and degrees you earned in another country.Â
Comparative Education ServiceÂ
This service from the University of Toronto assesses the secondary and post-secondary education credentials earned outside of Canada by newcomers.
International Credential Assessment Service
The ICSA evaluates secondary school and post-secondary education earned elsewhere to see how it compares to education offered by Canadian schools.