I’m thrilled to announce that Community MicroSkills Development Centre is honouring Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) and its Wired Woman Mentorship Program with its MicroSkills Partnership Excellence Award. MicroSkills, a multi-cultural,non-profit, community-based organization committed to assisting the unemployed, 
is recognizing Wired Woman members for their dedication to mentoring women in its Information Technology programs and sustainable results. The Award will be presented at the MicroSkills AGM today on June 26.
“This award recognizes the dedication of Wired Woman in providing high quality, culturally sensitive mentoring services to immigrant women in our MicroSkills Information Technology programs,” announced Kay Blair, Executive Director, Microskills. “Through your efforts, women have developed the knowledge and skills to build professional networks and conduct effective job search strategies within Canadian workplace culture.”
Having worked with the members at Wired Woman Society and seen this program evolve, I know how much this praise and recognition means. It’s a pleasure to share this news with them.
As some of you may know ,CWC and Wired Woman Society joined forces last year , with CWC welcoming all Wired Woman members into its organization and taking stewardship of the successful Wired Woman Mentorship Program.
I was eager to see this amazing program survive and thrive and it has, with a successful modified version running this past year. Our genuine and long-standing partnership with MicroSkills allows us to provide mentoring relationships for newcomers to Canada and/or for women of diversity who are in transition to careers related to IT.
The majority of mentees in the program are recent immigrants to Canada. They come from all over the world: Libya, China, Thailand, India, Nigeria, Turkey, Bolivia, Ukraine, Taiwan, Nepal, Russia, Brazil, Bangladesh, USA, Romania, Ethiopia, Iran, and Ukraine.
They are highly educated and qualified, holding degrees such as Masters in Computer Application, Masters in Economics, Masters in Biochemistry, Masters in Applied Chemistry, and MBAs; as well as undergraduate degrees in Business Management, Computer Engineering, Engineering, Business Operations Management and other distinguished fields.
The program is structured around Group Mentoring Sessions and Networking Events & runs for seven months. We focus on imparting Canadian perspectives in business acumen, improved job search strategies, including interviewing, presentation and negotiation skills. We do all this through our one-of-a-kind professional and personal development program.
Mentors, as well as role models, are critical to a woman’s decision to enter the technology sector . Their input helps build the skills women need to succeed in tech careers. I credit the success of the CWC Wired Woman mentorship program to the mentors who generously share their insight, experience and knowledge to help mentees overcome certain challenges and gain a broader perspective of the tech industry.
Congratulations to all Wired Women mentors and the members who have supported this initiative. This recognition is truly an acknowledgement of your dedication and hard work. I look forward to watching the program continue to embrace new challenges in partnership with MicroSkills and the broader community.
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Wired women has been an extremely helpful program in helping women be properly informed about the real issues when it comes to work placement. It has shown the growth, success and barriers that our mentors faced when finding, losing or hiring work.
It has helped us (Microskills) extremely in our job growth and I would like to thank them for their support and open arms through this difficult time for any woman.
Well deserved! Kudos Yasmin!
Congratulations. What a wonderful way to spread the word on such a great program. It has been such a pleasure to be part of this program. I have really enjoyed being a mentor and helping such talented women progress in their careers.
How delighted I am to know that CWC and its Wired Woman Mentorship Program has been awarded the MicroSkills Partnership Excellence Award! Please accept my heartiest congratulations for this great achievement. It’s through everyone’s selfless dedication to the cause of mentoring that has earned you this worthy recognition. One cannot underestimate the importance of mentoring and its positive outcomes. You are raising the bar, grooming the next generation of leaders and serving as advocates for mentoring excellence. My best wishes for continued success!
Congratulations – this is very well deserved and a great achievement. I have worked as a mentor in the past and have had the opportunity to connect with so many talented women!
Congratulations to Wired Women and all mentors and mentees who have helped made the program such a success! It is so wonderful to have WW recognized for such a strong mentorship program. I am so honoured to be part of such a great group of women. As a WW mentor, I have connected with many newcomers of various backgrounds – I have been so humbled by their vast knowledge, experiences, education, and exceptional qualifications. It is with great pleasure and deep passion that I continue to be part of this program in hopes that I can help make a difference to the professional lives of these women – I hope that every mentee may find eventual success in all that they aspire to.
As a trainee at Microskills and a mentee of wired woman, I met and interacted with very intelligent and knowledgeable women who created a path and insight to what to expect as a new immigrant and a new comer to canadian work culture. Thank you to all the mentors I met in my path to find what I really wanted to be as a career woman in canada and to Yasmin for never missing a mentoring session at MS.
I am really grateful for your input in my life and mentoring does work.
Congratulations WW! Well deserved.
As a mentee, I have received valuable information,knowledge and encouragement in my new career path into IT. It was the result of a meeting with Sandra, a WW mentor, who introduced me to her colleague, whO hired me into a 4 month contract with a Major Financial Institution, my first role after completing the ITTW program at Micro Skills. Now I have some good recognizable experience to attract other great positions.
I am grateful to have benefited from Wired Women and hope to continue a long and successful relationship.
Mentorship works!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. Anyone who feels they have succeeded in their chosen profession knows the power of mentorship. Success is not easy for newcomers because it takes connections to find a mentor. This program clearly gives newcomers the connections they need. Once done, they only need to prove themselves which they can do easily given they are skilled, intelligent and hard working. They appreciate the opportunities in front of them.
This is a great program for Wired Women. I’ve been fortunate to see, for myself, the value of WW/MicroSkills Program. The women I’ve met have amazing skills and are very motivated to succeed. The program provides some clear benefits in providing direction and focus and some great networking opportunities as well.
What I’m amazed at is the incredible sense of will many of these women exude, especially coming from other countries, and especially those who previously were stay-at-home Moms. You would think these challenges they face coming to Canada would seem like huge mountains to climb. Instead, they see these challenges as hills — one step at a time. And that’s what the mentorship program teaches. Building relationships with others in the same situation, helps tremendously. But being able to network with the right people, and develop personal branding goes a long way. The support mechanisms are there whenever they need it and that’s what’s really important while they try reach their goals.
I am privileged to have taken part in this program. It’s inspiring.
Congratulations WW and to all the people that have made this possible!
Being a mentor for WW has been an honor and a life changing experience for me personally. The one thing that stood out for me was the passion that all the mentees displayed. They were passionate about not only finding a job, but also how to continue to develop and grow on a personal level. With such passion, every engagement we had was full of energy. True sign of a partnership, stories and experiences that were shared, were equally satisfying for me as well as for the mentees. There is no greater joy than that phone call or email that comes back to you with a success story! These women are truly exceptional and WW was able to successfully capture that.
I was also a mentor in the Wired Woman program, and found it rewarding and worthwhile. It’s no wonder the program received an award of excellence – even in 2013, there aren’t many real efforts being put towards helping women in technology – this program is very much needed. I’d encourage every woman to look into becoming a part of it. Way to go!
I am so happy to hear that WW Mentorship Program has received this recognition. My experience as a WW Mentor has been exceptionally rewarding. I was able to connect with the mentees on a personal level and help them through their challenges (which often resonated with my own). In the process I also learned a lot more about the challenges of the current job market and about my own strengths, goals and passions. Most of all, I love seeing the women I mentored continue to grow and develop in their field.
As a mentor it was such a privilege to have mentored such wonderful and exceptional women. Coming into this program, I thought to myself what can I share that can help these women? Little did I realize, it was just being a friend. As I shared best practices and helped them along with their soft skills over a cup of coffee. They were embracing all that I could share to best prepare themselves as they embarked into the workforce with their newly acquired skills. I reminded each of the women I mentored, networking is about developing sound relationships to help you throughout your career life. They each took that advice to heart because to date I am still I am contact with my mentees. The relationship between Wired Women and Microskills is an amazing opportunity for many to benefit. I know because I am one of the Mentors who is not the same person when I first began. I encourage every women to take a moment and take account of how much they can given to another woman. I encourage many to take the plunge like I did and mentor someone who will in turn make a difference in this world.
RE: Wired Woment Mentorship Program: I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Wired Woman/Microskills mentoring program.
Having experience to share is good fortune. Having someone who wants to share it is a true gift.
MJ