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Earlier in September, the annual Ontario East Municipal Conference (OEMC) was held in Cornwall at the DEV Hotel and Conference Centre. Beginning in 1989, the OEMC has developed into the largest annual regional municipal conference east of Toronto and is run by the Ontario East Economic Development Commission (OEEDC).
As part of the conference’s Workforce Development stream, Richard Webster, SLC’s International Education Manager of Community Development presented on the College’s Global Engagement Community Development (GECD) Program, its timely significance and the shared opportunity created for students, alumni, community, and employers by supporting and hiring international students and grads in the region.
“Supporting the integration and employment of international students and alumni first and foremost meets many of their individual needs, but simultaneously helps address local labour shortages, supports the region’s in-migration efforts and increases the overall economic and social growth and innovation within our communities – a win-win!” said Richard. His presentation came on the heels of RBC’s recent release of their urging report, titled Course Correction: How international students can help solve Canada’s labour crisis.
“We know that many of our international grads want to stay in our communities if they can find fitting employment and SLC is taking further steps to bridge related gaps within the region.” As a globally engaged community college, SLC is leading awareness for employers and community alike while taking such concrete actions as increasing community connections and coaching employers.
The conference included programming to share municipal knowledge and best practices and enhance economic opportunities and successes within the region. The 300+ conference participants from across 10 municipalities included elected officials from all levels of government, economic development professionals, entrepreneurs, municipal service providers, private sector business leaders and provincial and federal ministry representatives.
Richard also represents SLC on the OEEDC’s Immigration Committee, focused on the attraction and retention of new Canadians in eastern Ontario. For questions about these or other initiatives concerning the GECD program, contact Richard at rwebster@sl.on.ca.