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2010 PassPort to ProsPerity ontario emPloyer reciPients

The inaugural recipients of the 2010 Passport to Prosperity Ontario Employer designation were announced and honoured by Ontario Minister of Education, the Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, at the official launch of Experiential Learning Week on November 22, 2010.

Click on the names of any of the organizations listed below to find out more about their considerable commitments to working with educators to offer valuable work-related experiences for many Ontario high school students:

Ministry of Natural Resources Junior Ranger Program	RONA
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre	Westmont Hospitality Group Canada
Clarion Nursing Home	Ottawa Police Service

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The Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario Ranger Program

The Ontario Ranger Program is an eight-week summer job program that offers 17-year-olds a unique combination of outdoor work, learning and life experience. Ontario Rangers spend eight weeks working on a variety of natural resource management projects, including: maintaining trails and portages in provincial parks, helping with fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects, monitoring and assessing plant, fish and animal populations and supporting biodiversity projects in local communities.

In 2008, a partnership between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Education piloted a cooperative education program to offer high school credits through the Ontario Ranger Program work experience.

Since its inception, a total of 528 secondary school credits have been awarded through this partnership. In 2010, 245 credits were awarded to participating Ontario Rangers in subjects that include career development, biology, environmental studies and geography.

The impact of the Ranger Cooperative Work/Education Program is substantial. Students are given a "hands-on" work/learning experience in the outdoors which contributes to their academic success.

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RONA

RONA is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products, with close to 700 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores. It offers initiatives such as workplace learning opportunities for Ontario high school students to develop new skills.

In Ontario, RONA:

• Conducts employment presentations to local school cooperative education classes
• Hosts tours for Destination Employability students
• Participates in school job fairs
• Places co-operative education students in various departments throughout its stores

The experiential learning program gives RONA employees the opportunity to mentor students. In turn, RONA's participation in the program provides the business with the opportunity to increase the number of skilled and trained workers in the field. When positions within the organization become available, it provides the business with the opportunity to hire skilled individuals that are a proven fit with RONA's values and culture.

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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

For several years, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Canada's largest hospitals, has engaged in a formal partnership with the Toronto District School Board to provide local high-school students with experiential learning opportunities that integrate classroom education with practical experience in the hospital environment.

Coordinated by an on-site leader/teacher from the Toronto District School Board, Sunnybrook's cooperative education program welcomes 60 to 80 secondary school students each year. Placements are offered in a wide range of areas, such as medical, laboratory, bio-medical engineering, administration, art therapy, outpatient clinics, marketing, and event planning. Sunnybrook doesn't limit its student programs to the health sector. For students in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, the hospital offers placements in skilled trade positions such as carpentry, plumbing and electrical.

Sunnybrook also delivers a well-established student volunteer program, which provides experience to approximately 300 students in a range of areas, including patient care units, clinics, recreational therapy programs, as well as in retail environments such as the gift shop.

To further engage students and foster their awareness of potential career paths, Sunnybrook hosts an annual Healthcare Career Fair. Approximately 25 healthcare disciplines are represented at the fair, which is open to all students in the community who wish to learn more about the variety of career opportunities available within a healthcare environment.

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Westmont Hospitality Group Canada

Westmont Hospitality Group, a privately-held hotel management firm, recognizes the value of incorporating student learning into its human resources strategy. For several years, the company has provided a range of experiential learning opportunities for high school students by participating in career fairs, making classroom presentations and offering secondary students meaningful cooperative education placements.

Over the past year, many Ontario high school students have benefited from the company's experiential learning programs delivered by its hotels across the province, giving students an insight into real-life working practices and helping those considering a career in the hospitality industry to make pivotal career-related decisions. The success of these initiatives is evident as Westmont Hospitality Group has successfully recruited several students who participated in the program into its workforce.

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Clarion Nursing Home

Clarion Nursing Home is a third generation, family-owned and operated facility which provides round-the-clock care and support to over 100 residents in Stoney Creek, Ontario. It provides approximately 100 local high school students with valuable, work-related experiential learning opportunities, such as cooperative education, job shadowing and mentoring.

Team leaders across Clarion Nursing Home devised and implemented a specialized healthcare work experience course to give students hands-on experience and insight into the skills needed to work in the home's nursing, dietary and physiotherapy departments.

Students also get involved in recreational activities for residents by assisting at special events, acting as a porter and escort, and spending quality time with the residents for an hour a day, five days a week.

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Ottawa Police Service

The Ottawa Police Service provides local high school students with a variety of experiential learning programs, including classroom presentations, annual participation in Take Our Kids to Work Day and co-operative education and volunteer placements.

They have also launched a range of initiatives to help students understand what a career in sworn or civilian law enforcement entails. Dedicated programs include its cooperative education program, summer student positions, Youth In Policing Initiative, and Venturers' Program.

The Youth In Policing Initiative is a summer employment program for 14- to 17-year-old high school students. During the eight-week program, students have the opportunity to learn valuable life and employment skills, while earning up to two credits towards their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The Venturers' Program educates 14 to 18 year old students about the role of police within the community and the criminal justice system. Here, students commit 20 hours a month to support a range of crime prevention initiatives.

Experiential learning programs delivered by the Ottawa Police Service not only help students determine if they want to pursue a career in law enforcement, but also equip and empower them with skills that can be used in all aspects of their lives.