Starting in August, international HR professionals in groups of 5 will spend approximately 100 hours working to improve your organization's HR practices.

Based on a project that you provide, which is focused on the topics of employment law and diversity management, industrial relations, or health and safety, experienced HR professionals will revise an existing policy or clause in your collective agreement, using a standardized template.

Through this experience, your organization will gain international perspectives on an HR challenge and you will provide recent professional immigrants valuable Canadian work experience to show prospective employers.

Project topic areas include:

1. Employment Law & Diversity Management:

• To increase participants' awareness of the strategic role that HR plays in the creation and the implementation of Employment Law policies in the workplace
• To increase participants awareness of the many issues around addressing and accommodating the various human rights of employees in the workplace
• To provide an opportunity for the participants’ to explore those issues by creating a variety of policies from a template using real world employers.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Aging employees policy.
• Disabled employees policy.
• Religious accommodation policy.
• Workplace harassment policy.

2. Health & Safety:

To increase participants' awareness of the strategic role that HR plays in the creation and the implementation of H&S policies in the workplace and to provide an opportunity for participants to revise an H&S policy using an existing template.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• AODA.
• Working alone policy.
• Harassment/bullying policy.
• Confined space policy.
• WHMIS policy.

3. Industrial Relations:

• To increase participants' awareness of the strategic role that HR plays in aligning collective agreement language to create flexibility for management and compliance with provincial standards.
• To increase participants' awareness of the impact of the Collective Agreement in the workplace through an analysis of a Collective Agreement , the identification of articles(s) or letter of understanding that could be subject to renegotiation in the next round of bargaining or changed now and the preparation of proposed language.
• To provide an opportunity for participants to rewrite an article or letter of understanding in the collective agreement, ensuring clear intent and understanding.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Letter of Understanding on the topic of Workload.
• Flexible Workplace Arrangements.
• Overtime.
• Job Promotion.

ACCES Employment is a non-profit organization that helps internationally-educated professionals to launch their careers in Canada. In this program, experienced human resource professionals are provided Canadian workplace and academic training to allow them to transition into a full time position in the Canadian human resources sector. These human resources professionals are mentored and guided by industry leaders as well as receiving academic training from Sheridan College. For more program information please check: http://www.accesemployment.ca/human-resources-connections