Build more inclusive and diverse workplaces
Canadian women earn only $0.87 for every dollar earn by men. Only 34% of all science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) bachelor degrees went to women. Only 72% of LGBTQ+ employees surveyed by McKinsey has come out at work, and for about 50% of those who has come out, has to repeatedly come out at least once a week. Jobseekers with "foreign-sounding names" are 20%-40% less likely to get a call back for an interview.
The Bright + Early Better Workplaces Fund helps address these challenges to help build more inclusive and diverse workplaces for the future.
The Bright + Early Better Workplaces Fund consists of charities focusing in 3 areas:
Every charity in the fund has been carefully vetted by our research team. Learn more about our research.
Only 18% of all board seats for companies are filled by women. While women make up about 50% of the workforce, they only have about a third of the upper level management positions. Women entrepreneurs are majority owners of only 15.6% of SMEs with one or more employees. Black professional occupy only 0.8% of all Fortune 500 CEO positions. Across Canada, unemployment rates of the Indigenous population is consistently almost double that of the rest of the population.
These are just some example of the underrepresentation, underemployment and discrimination that women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC face in the workforce.
The charities below all work to train, support, and advocate for women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC in the workplace. They empower individuals to seek better employment and support them through workplace related challenges and barriers.
CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals addresses economic and social barriers affecting Black youth. Their programs focus on improving careers, education, and empowerment through holistic, person-centred, and culturally relevant means. Last year, they ran seven programs ranging from tech and production career training to individual counselling for mental health impact of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism.
ceetoronto.orgMiziwe Biik helps individuals in the Aboriginal community find employment, access training, and develop skills. In the past year, they have helped over 8,000 people looking for jobs. At Miziwe Biik, job seekers can access employment services, trade programs, education assistance, job fairs, and workshops. Last year, 467 people found employment, 33 became self-employed, and 569 individuals returned to school.
miziwebiik.comTimes Change provides integrated counselling, workshops, training and resources to help empower women through sustainable and meaningful employment. Last year, the two largest industries for matching and placements were the services industry, at 29% and healthcare industry, at 26%. Times Change also partnered with Canada Learning Code to provide coding training, and with Scotiabank to provide financial literacy training.
timeschange.orgThe 519 provides support and services to the evolving needs of the LGBTQ+ community in Toronto. They provide services like counselling, refugee support, and trans programming. Last year, 1,947 refugees and newcomers received one-on-one settlement support and 107 homeless youths were successfully housed.
the519.orgA major contributor to the gender and racial wage gap is the underrepresentation of women and BIPOC in a high paying industry like STEM. There are many underlying reasons for this underrepresentation, but two of the most significant are limited access to quality education in STEM, and a lack of encouragement to pursue these jobs from an early age.
Visions of Science and Let's Talk Science provide Canadian youth access to education materials, inspiring projects, industry mentors, and career guidance in STEM.
Visions of Science helps children from low income and marginalized communities access to participate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs. Every year, they improve knowledge and perception of STEM for 1,000 youth through workshops, STEM camps, hands-on learning, and mentorship.
vosnl.orgLet's Talk Science provides meaningful learning opportunities in STEM for children and youth from preschool to high school. Their projects are free of charge and provided to children across Canada. In 2018/19, they engaged over 25,000 Indigenous youth in science activities, and hosted national science projects that reached 18,200 classrooms (445,000 students).
letstalkscience.caImmigrants and refugees are huge source of Canada's growth and workforce. By 2032, immigrants will account for 80% of Canada's population growth, yet currently only 6% of business leaders rely on immigrant workers to fill their needs for skilled employees.
Access Employment and Skills for Change work with newcomers to provide them with settlement and employment support. Their goal is to help bridge newcomers' international skills training to successful careers in Canada.
ACCES Employment helps diverse jobs seekers who are facing barriers to employment. Last year, over 39,000 job seekers accessed resources online and in-person. 85% of participants in ACCES' sector specific bridging program were employed in their field. They also supported 195 newcomer entrepreneurs to start their businesses in Canada.
accesemployment.caSkills for Change provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees to help them succeed in workplaces and the wider community. Last year, they provided 166 newcomer clients with language programs, and provided more than 2,300 people with settlement services and referrals. Over 800 clients found employment with their help and over 200 clients received entrepreneurship support.
skillsforchange.org
Bright + Early is a team of modern HR experts on a mission to craft the world's best workplaces. Using design thinking and our own proprietary process, we partner with companies who need to scale fast, but stay friendly. Bright + Early offers fractional, hands-on support and training programs across all areas of human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Bright + Early is committing a percentage of all sales to the Bright + Early Better Workplaces fund, to a goal of $40,000 for 2023.
brightandearly.ca
