by Tetyana Khramova, Career Mentorship Program Director
Today we continue the series of publications about the Annual Global Talent Conference which ERIEC hosted on February 27, 2014. Over 150 internationally trained professionals and employer leaders from Edmonton region attended the conference.
The ERIEC team was very proud to share some interesting statistics with the audience. Since we launched the Career Mentorship Program back in 2009, more than 80 companies have worked with us. More than 200 mentors have dedicated over 5700 volunteering hours to support our mentees on their journey towards a fruitful career here in the Edmonton region.
At the conference, the ERIEC team was also very pleased to present a new award – the MENTORING STAR AWARD. 15 former mentors were awarded The Mentoring Star award to recognize their exceptional dedication and outstanding performance as a mentor in supporting internationally trained professionals to succeed in the Canadian labour market.
The TWO STARS award was presented to mentors who have helped two mentees. They were:
- Abdul Bhimani, Dresser-Rand Canada Inc.
- Andrew Lee, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
- Caterina Vaduva, TELUS
- Henry Nnoli, ATB Financial
- Ishpreet Lamba, Exel Canada Ltd.
- Jason Fleming, All Weather Windows
- Leo Campos, The Community Networks Group
- Maureen Halldorson, RBC Royal Bank
- Karen Link, Critical LINK Management Group
- Randall Kahrim, Enbridge Pipelines Inc.
- Sasan Samsami, TELUS.
The following mentors were recognized by the THREE STARS award for assisting three mentees in their career journeys:
- Ashish Mehta, Enbridge Pipelines Inc.
- Felix Amenaghawon, City of Edmonton
- John Ennis, Edmonton Economic Development Corp.
We were very pleased to announce that one very special person, Vivien Wong from Grant Thornton LLP, who has mentored four mentees since 2010, and was granted by FOUR STARS MENTORING AWARD.
“To be recognized as a mentor is very nice, and for me, the real reward comes from the satisfaction of helping a person that is new to our city, and the friendship or relationship that is built from this experience,” John Ennis said about the award. “There is a strong need to welcome the world to see Edmonton as a great place to live – a great community, “ John continued, “There are many more people in Edmonton who will find it a rewarding and meaningful experience to be a mentor for immigrant professionals looking to apply their experience and knowledge here – to help them build a network, and quickly integrate into our community through their chosen field.”
At the conference, ERIEC team also presented the NETWORKING STAR AWARD. Three great mentors were recognised for exceptional dedication and outstanding performance as a mentor in supporting internationally trained professionals to establish professional networks in Edmonton region:
- Ashraf El-Assaly, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
- Evgueni Tormantovski, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
- Wendy Rabel, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
ERIEC plans to continue recognizing individuals and businesses for their support and giving back to community. So, stay tuned with us in the coming months as we will announce a new award for businesses and other partners.