Media releases

• Brock Labour Studies to welcome Teen Vogue columnist for virtual public event

  Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 24 February 2021 – R0026

  Journalist and organizer Kim Kelly, best known for her “No Class” column at Teen Vogue, will speak on youth, work and the future of the labour movement at a free online event hosted by Brock’s Department of Labour Studies and the Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies (CAWLS) Thursday, March 4.

  “Kim Kelly is one of the most dynamic labour journalists working today and Teen Vogue is a magazine that has become a voice of millennial activism with more than 10 million readers every month, the vast majority between 16 and 24,” says Simon Black, Assistant Professor in the Department of Labour Studies. “Kim writes about unions, labour history and workers’ rights in a really informed, compelling but also accessible way.”

  Kelly will also be a familiar face to those who follow her popular Twitter feed and her current coverage of the union organizing drive at an Amazon distribution centre in Alabama, an unfolding situation that Black calls “one of the most important labour struggles in years.”

  Kelly’s work on labour, class, politics and culture and her ability to break down complex issues for her audience has helped bring these ideas to the attention of to readers who may have little other exposure to them.

  “Unions, labour history, workers’ rights and labour studies are not prioritized in high school education,” says Black. “Some young people learn about unions because they have a parent who is a union member — or just as likely, a parent who doesn’t like unions and is vocal about it — but many young people are just not exposed to unions nor are they taught their rights at work.”

  Black thinks Kelly’s talk will help prospective and current students to understand how important their work in the field of labour studies is, especially at this moment in time.

  “With the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are facing labour market challenges that no generation has faced since perhaps the Great Depression,” Black says. “Kim has written so many stories about young people coming together and fighting for a better world of work, so I think Kim’s talk will give the audience hope.”

  Professor Larry Savage, who also serves as President of CAWLS, says the organization is thrilled to be co-sponsoring the event.

  “Partnering with labour studies departments on a national speaker series provides an important forum to keep work and labour studies researchers connected, especially during the pandemic,” says Savage. “It also plays a key role in stimulating discussion and debate in society more broadly about the future of work and labour relations.”

  Everyone is welcome to attend this free, public talk.

  What: Labour Studies x Kim Kelly
  Where: Register free online to attend via Lifesize
  When: Thursday, March 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970 

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  Categories: Media releases

• New professional development program introduces newcomers to Canadian business

  Tuesday, February 23, 2021 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 23 February 2021 – R0025

  A new Brock program aims to help internationally trained professionals secure a job in their field that matches their level of education and experience.

  Offered by the Goodman School of Business, the Canadian Business for Internationally Trained Professionals program will run from April 7 to June 23 online.

  The program is organized by Goodman Group, Goodman’s community-focused learning and development services provider, in collaboration with eight community partners from across Niagara and Hamilton.

  Janet Madume, Executive Director of the Welland Heritage Council, says internationally trained professionals can benefit greatly from a program that helps them understand and adapt to Canadian workplace culture and processes.

  “We have been wanting to see a program like this in Niagara for years to support internationally trained professionals,” Madume said. “We are grateful for the shared vision and partnership of Goodman Group on this initiative.

  “Although we have seen some employment successes during the pandemic, for many it has put their progress on hold due to not being able to reach regulatory bodies, education institutions in their countries of origin or services for assistance,” she said.

  Goodman Group Director Abdul Rahimi said the program is designed to show employers that although these employees may be new to the country, they are equipped with the skills to easily transition into jobs in Canada today.

  “We frequently hear from employers about the skills they would like to see in their employees. Internationally trained professionals bring this expertise and experience, and what they lack in terms of the Canadian context, they make up with their international perspective,” he said. “By providing them with essential knowledge of the Canadian business environment, the program bridges that gap and gets them ready to make a difference sooner.”

  The three-month program provides participants with an academic component that’s paired with experiential learning. Participants will work with local organizations to help understand the cultural and professional landscape in Niagara. The academic courses focus on business law, business communication and Ontario-specific information on accounting, human resource management, labour standards and employment law.

  To offset the cost of enrolment, financial assistance is available as well as complimentary child care. Scholarship details are available on the Goodman Group website. Participants can also save 10 per cent on the program’s total cost of $3,295 plus HST by registering online before the early-bird deadline of Sunday, March 7.

  The program is a collaboration between Goodman Group, Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre, Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre, Immigrants Working Centre, Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Niagara, CERF Niagara and Immigrants Working Centre in Hamilton.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases