Maximizing Profitability and Sustainability through

Workplace Diversity

Capitalizing on Cultural Competency and Foreign Labour Markets
to Maintain a Productive Workforce

DAY TWO: Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Maximizing Profitability by Effectively Using Diverse Labour Resources   8:00 - 8:30   Continental Breakfast   8:30 - 8:40 Opening Remarks from the Chair Dr. Marie Gervais, Education Coordinator, Northern Alberta Alliance on Race Relations Milé Komlen, Senior Diversity Consultant, CIBC   8:40 - 10:10 Foreign Recruiting: Using Foreign Recruitment Agencies Peter Veress, President, Vermax Inc Brining foreign workers into Alberta Labour Market Opinions (LMO) Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Potential advantages of foreign recruiting firms Understanding liability for recruitment agencies promises when does accountability begin? when does accountability end? what does accountability cover?   10:10 - 10:30   Networking Break   10:30 - 12:00 Foreign Labour in the Alberta Workplace: Examining the Rights and Responsibilities of all Parties Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour Exploring programs and processes for bringing foreign workers into Alberta Rights of foreign workers in Alberta Government obligations to foreign workers Employer obligations to foreign workers in a unionized environment Role of unions in dealing with foreign workers and the effect of collective agreements Can foreign workers receive special status or treatment not granted to the domestic work force?   12:00 - 1:15   Luncheon   1:15 - 2:45 Communicating with Second Language Speakers: Ensuring the Accurate Delivery of Your Message and Intent Laurel Madro, Team Lead for Corporate Readiness Training, Bow Valley College Learn techniques for understanding accents Explore strategies for giving and gaining clarification Maximizing the effective use of plain language   2:45 - 3:00   Networking Break   3:00 - 4:00 Foreign Training and Education: Value of Diversity to Research and Development Organizations Hadi Mahabadi, Vice-President and Director of Research, Xerox Linkage between diversity and innovation Recruiting talent researchers from Canada and outside Canada Helping skilled immigrants gain Canadian work experience and find relevant jobs Developing a diverse group of researchers   4:00 - 5:00 Finding a Effective Balance between Diversity Requirements and Qualifications in a Tight Labour Market Helgi Eyford, Diversity Educator, Calgary Health Region Meeting quotas: a cost benefit analysis How does culture influence the definition of diversity? Strategic potential of diversity   5:00   End of Day Two REGISTER