Sister2Sister Advanced Leadership Program

Applications for Sister2Sister ALP are currently closed! Register in the waitlist below to be notified when applications reopen.

About Sister2Sister ALP

The Sister2Sister Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) is a skills and leadership development training plan directed to bridge the gap between employer needs and newcomer women's skills through intensive training in soft and hard skills capped by experiential learning opportunities. This program is offered in partnership with several universities and colleges as well as skills development training partners. The Sister2Sister Advanced Leadership program aims to build leadership capacity for racialized newcomer women and refugee women while supporting their upskilling, upward mobility, and economic integration and advancement.

This is a FREE leadership and skills training program where participants receive skills and professional development training, employment readiness, and wrap-around support, followed by an experiential learning opportunity including but not limited to paid job placement opportunities.

The program offers a curriculum tailored to newcomer women’s needs and aspirations and includes education and training in soft and hard skills, leadership development, and employment human rights.

Our program offers two micro-credentials:

1. A “Not for Profit Management” - This micro-credential is offered through the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, which is ranked first in Canada among the top 25 universities globally. This course will equip participants with the knowledge and insight to make strategic and operational decisions in any industry.

2. A “Digital Fluency in the Workforce” micro-credential delivered through Humber College, that allows participants to use digital tools effectively, communicate professionally in digital spaces, manage digital information safely, and solve problems collaboratively using a critical lens. This micro-credential equips participants with the core digital competencies required by employers across multiple industry segments in Canada and; 

Not for Profit Management

• 3 full days in-person program delivered at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

• Focuses on Not-for-Profit advocacy and Government Relations

• Defines advocacy and demonstrates how essential such efforts are to ensure policymakers and the public understand the NFP's mandate, and why the NFP is essential to achieving that mandate

• Describes best practices for boards of directors, leadership teams, and volunteers

• Offers the opportunity to articulate the Strategy and how it is embedded within the organization

• Dives into the use of budgeting and performance measures for NFP .

• Allows you to understand how to undertake a formal analysis of the effectiveness of any given initiative

• Teaches you how to craft a winning grant proposal while communicating

  your vision effectively

To graduate from the program and receive your certificate, participants must complete the 2 micro-credentials. Participation in all skills development training components is mandatory, and skipping more than 2 classes would disqualify you from the program.

Register for the waitlist to be notified when applications reopen.

The program offers a go-to-market strategic plan, employment readiness, career coaching and a paid placement through a strategic partner network. Employment readiness includes soft and hard skills training such as conflict resolution and team building, digital literacy, cross-cultural communication, business writing and presentations, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness. The program also hosts sessions focused on anti-oppression training and equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Canadian workplace.

Participants are provided with a suite of counseling services including resume writing, profile building, job interview rehearsals and self-advocacy training.

Why Join This Program?

• PROPEL your leadership skills

• ACE your next career move

• RECEIVE coaching, and mentorship

Learn more about the program’s impact and success stories from previous Sister2Sister Graduates. Check out our recent feature in the Globe and Mail.

Eligibility Criteria

MUST BE A RACIALIZED NEWCOMER AND/OR REFUGEE WOMAN

Please note that this program is only open to racialized newcomer women and refugee women who meet one of the following criteria:

• Identify as a racialized newcomer and/or refugee woman to Canada (individuals who immigrated to Canada within the last 5 years, including permanent residents, protected persons, and those in Canada under an emergency travel measure enacted by the federal government. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group)

• Newcomer women who have Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), with a 900-series Social Insurance Number (SIN) and an open work permit

• International students with a 900-series Social Insurance Number (SIN) and an open work permit

• Refugee claimants with a 900-series Social Insurance Number (SIN) and an open work permit

• Individuals with a 900-series Social Insurance Number (SIN) and an open work permit, who have received preliminary approval from the federal government and are waiting for their permanent residence status to be finalized

  AND who:

• Are 18+

• Have an undergraduate degree

• Have 3 years of experience in their respective of study

• Are currently unemployed

• Not enrolled/registered in an Employment Ontario Program

• Have proficient English language skills, both verbal and written

• Not currently attending full-time school or training

• Reside in Ontario

• Are willing and able to commit 10 hours per week to the program

• Are able and willing to attend both in-person and virtual sessions

Applications for Sister2Sister ALP are currently closed! Register in the waitlist below to be notified when applications reopen.

Program Details

Please note that the program orientation session is scheduled for  September 13, 2024 from 5:00 PM- 7:00 PM Eastern Time. Attendance is mandatory.

Program Duration and Sample of Skills Development Training

This is a free program where participants will receive skills and professional development training, employment readiness, and wrap-around support (mental/emotional/social well-being), followed by an experiential learning opportunity.

The program duration varies depending on the participant's experiential learning component. The skills training portion of the program is 12 weeks. Classes usually run on Saturdays between 10 am - 4:30 pm. The learning and delivery modes of these skills training are a blended model of synchronous and asynchronous.

After successfully completing the skills development training, participants will engage in an experiential learning component for a period between 4 - 16 weeks depending on the experiential learning, which for some will include paid job placements.

Sample of the skills and professional development training will include:

Technical skills 

• Not for Profit Management

• Business Writing 

• Digital Fluency training 

Soft skills

• Cross-cultural communications

• Emotional intelligence

• Team building and conflict resolution 

Program Mode of Delivery:

All training will be delivered/offered in-person, virtually via Zoom, or asynchronously. However, experiential learning opportunities might be offered in person, hybrid or virtual depending on employers’ needs and requirements.

Employer Partners

Where have Sister2Sister ALP graduates been placed?

Where our graduates work now:

Want to hire from our Talent Pool? We’re looking for Employer Partners!

Are you an employer who wants to support immigrant women's economic empowerment and resilience? Then you should join our Sister2Sister community as an employer partner!

The program offers a series of seminars on leadership, equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace as well as education and training in soft and hard skills including project management, cross-cultural communications, conflict resolution and team building. We offer diverse skill-enhancing workshops that provide our students with the tools and resources required to add value to your organization from their 1st day at the internship. The students will participate in career-readiness programs, go through a needs assessment as well as leadership and strength assessments. They will also be matched with a leadership coach and an employment counsellor to ensure their success in the internship.

Employers hiring from our Talent Pool may receive up to 50% of the wages (to a maximum of $5000) for each new hire!

How will you benefit? What is the Return on Investment?

1. Position your organization at the forefront of innovative social impact, and apply Corporate Social Responsibility and EDI principles into your organization.

2. Support immigrant and refugee women’s economic resilience, and help remove employment barriers for this segment.

3. Engage YOUR employees as mentors for internship oversight

4. Have a potential new employee

5. Receive a program-end evaluation that measures impact

6. Get an invitation to our program-end Gala

7. Receive recognition alongside our other prestigious partners. Your organization name and logo will be featured in the final impact report and other program materials

8. An opportunity to win “an employer of the year” award given to ONE employer partner

   who is committed to hiring immigrant women and supporting their economic integration

   and advancement

Have any questions about the program? Please contact us at +1 (416) 540-5195 or email us at sister2sister@newcomerwomen.org

This Employment Ontario program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.