Non-Profit Convenes Career Skills Workshops For Youth In Greater Toronto Area

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 09, 2017) - Instructors from EQ Trainers delivered employment skills workshops for youth in the Greater Toronto Area. Workshop participants learned about the local job market from representatives of area employers and benefited from networking opportunities with industry professionals.

These workshops were organized at the campus of University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and at the YMCA Employment Services office in Whitby. Attendees included recent graduates interested in full-time positions as well as current students seeking summer internship and co-op placements.

"We work closely with student associations at universities and colleges because they help us to bring our programs to their campuses," said Vik Pant, Founder of EQ Trainers. "By partnering with YMCA Employment Services we are also able to expand the reach of our programs to those youth that are not enrolled in universities or colleges."

Participants learned about critical success factors in competitive job markets through lectures that were delivered by industry practitioners from leading organizations in Canada. These workshops helped participants to enhance their emotional intelligence and improve their chances of finding gainful employment. Experienced professionals imparted career skills such as building differentiated LinkedIn profiles, interviewing, and negotiating compensation packages.

"This EQ Trainers session was very informative and allowed me to get a better understanding of what is expected of me in the job market," said Aditi Bhavsar, a third year business and commerce student at UOIT. "The instructors did an excellent job of training students in many aspects of professional and leadership skills."

Guest speakers from premier organizations including American Express, the Canadian National Exhibition, and Oracle spoke with attendees at these workshops. They shared their experiences about the Canadian employment market and discussed relevant vacancies in their organizations. Industry experts also offered guidance to participants while they developed their personalized action plans for applying to job openings.

EQ Trainers has calibrated its workshops to accommodate several factors that are changing the employment landscape of full-time starter jobs that are available to youth in Canada. These factors include offshoring and automation of entry level jobs, proliferation of short-term gigs (so-called "gig economy"), as well as the legitimation of unpaid trainee internships.

"Domain knowledge is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for launching a successful career in the current economy," said Yash Sharma, Corporate Account Manager at American Express. "Professional communication, organizational success, and workplace leadership skills, which are the focus of EQ Trainers workshops, are crucial for differentiating oneself in a crowded job market."

About EQ Trainers

EQ Trainers is a non-profit social venture that offers employment skills training to university and college students in Canada. Its training modules are designed to increase the employment opportunities that are available to graduates of Canadian universities and colleges. EQ Trainers offers inter-personal skills training via on-campus seminars, lectures, and workshops that help participants to improve their emotional intelligence. Its name reflects its team's focus on Emotional Quotient -- which is the cornerstone of entrepreneurial and professional success in today's knowledge-driven global economy.

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