At Prospect we learn about your business, match you with great candidates from a diverse talent pool, and ensure those candidates have everything they need to succeed. So your waste-basket won't become your in-basket.
The broader your hiring perspective, the better your workforce becomes. There's nothing cookie-cutter about our solutions.
Avoid the square peg - round hole scenario by hiring a more diverse range of people from demographics you may not have considered. Prospect can help you take the ‘force’ out of workforce.
Prospect's Outdoor Pursuits team uses Alberta's natural settings to help people learn key employment skills.
Prospect's Studio C helps people learn skills like planning, leadership and teamwork. It's also a great place for corporate team-building sessions.
A job is a key part of a person's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, too many people face barriers to employment.
Prospect works with everyone from recent immigrants to ill-and-injured military veterans to people with disabilities.
We're a not-for-profit organization, but our main motivation isn't charity. We believe everyone who is ready, willing and able to work
and wants a fulfilling job should have one. We're driven to help people who face barriers to employment because society reaps the benefits for years to come.
Educating employers is a key part of what we do. We help employers discover new pools of skilled workers in demographics they may not have considered. By raising awareness, providing training, and engaging organizations through consulting services, we help employers create their optimal workforces.
Prospect helps dispel myths about underutilized labour pools. Our customized strategies enable employers to find skilled people and retain them by offering the most relevant supports. We help employers adapt their physical workplaces, their cultures and their HR policies/practices so that a wider range of employees can succeed in their workplaces.
Most employers quickly discover that by removing barriers in recruitment they gain access to a deeper pool of talented, dedicated and loyal employees. Employers also learn that hiring from a more diverse range of talent bolsters their image as progressive, inclusive workplaces. The business case is compelling and well documented: it is a win-win.
Prospect works with dozens of industry associations and a network of more than 700 Alberta employers, from small businesses to national corporations. We understand the unique needs of both. We have developed and implemented workforce inclusion plans and engagement strategies for a wide range of major industry associations and employers.
Many of our employer partners, including Bank of Montreal, ATCO, Home Depot and others have won recognition for their efforts in diversifying their workplaces.
Prospect has decades of experience in broadening the workforce, helping job seekers and employers alike. We work with industry to understand the jobs and skill sets they are going to need, and with individuals to prepare them for these areas of demand. We always look at workforce development from demand and supply perspectives. What we've found is that employers are often missing out on skilled employees from non-traditional pools. This happens for a couple of reasons:
Prospect helps ensure employers are aware of all skilled labour pools. Our teams match employers with individuals who have the skill sets that employers need. At the same time we tackle attitudinal barriers head on, educating employers and using experiential learning opportunities to help break down barriers.
We serve a number of groups:
Talk to our Employment Placement Specialists. They'll help you find qualified candidates who fit your company's culture. You can also post on our job board at no charge. Contact us at 403.273.2822 or via email at Greg.QuanChan@prospectnow.ca
Often a "Message from the CEO" reads like propaganda about the rosy view from the top. I'll try to keep this real and respect your time.
Prospect is all about people: the people we help and the people who deliver that assistance. The former face barriers in their lives; the latter help break those barriers. Some barriers are systemic, others respond to a one-time intervention.
Under our logo you'll find our purpose, summed up in just four words: Break barriers. Employ change. It's easy to remember, but tough to live by. And that's why I am thankful for the team we have. Prospect people have extraordinary passion, drive, and enthusiasm.
Together with our communities and partners, we have accomplished a great deal. But we're not about to rest on our laurels. As we help unemployed and underemployed Albertans find fulfilling employment, we're simultaneously helping employers recognize the potential in these untapped resources.
I often say that our informal motto is "Trying our best to put ourselves out of business." We haven't done that yet. But we'll never stop trying. My thanks go out to the Prospect Board of Directors, staff, and supporters for your inspirational levels of commitment.
Sincerely,
Melanie Mitra, CEO
What do you get when you combine 41 youth from 25 different countries with some creative facilitation? Prospect’s ArtStart program! ArtStart suppo...
Read MoreOn July 5th, Prospect’s Stampede BBQ drew an enthusiastic crowd to over 1,200 attendees. After last year’s sudden downpour, this year’s BBQ brou...
Read MoreProspect wishes everyone a fun-filled week of good food and activities during the Calgary Stampede. We kicked off the festivities with our annual Stam...
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Prospect offers a variety of programs and services for job seekers and employers. All our programs are developed through consultation with the people they will serve. All are designed to connect skilled people with employers who will work with them to succeed. Our programs and services are characterised by the following criteria:
We help people find fulfilling jobs. We also offer fulfilling jobs.
Prospect hires talented, creative people. Joining our team means you get to make a difference in people's lives. Our people are innovative, collaborative, professional, enthusiastic, and driven. If you are too, we'd love to see your resume for one of the positions posted. If you don't see a position that fits your skill set, send us your resume anyway. We're always looking for people who have the qualities mentioned above, and something might come up.
Prospect traces its roots back to the 1950s, when computers were the size of rooms, tattoos were just for sailors, and attitudes were less enlightened.
The Rehabilitation Society of Calgary was established to help individuals such as veterans of World War II and the Korean War and those affected by the polio epidemic. Over the years, its mandate expanded to include vocational supports.
Eventually it was decided that a new organization should be formed with a vocational mandate. Calgary Vocational Services Society (CVS) was established in 1987 as a charitable, not-for-profit organization.
CVS provided facility-based work adjustment, assessment, counseling, and employment placement services. Gradually the clientele changed and CVS served unemployed/underemployed Albertans, immigrants, welfare recipients, refugees, mature workers and at-risk youth. Further evolution enabled us to serve individuals with mental health issues, mild developmental disabilities, substance abuse disorders, and learning disabilities.
Through the 1990s CVS went through significant growth. It expanded its funding base, clientele and scope of service. In 2003, CVS merged with Calgary Transitions to Independence, an organization supporting the employment and community living needs of adults with developmental disabilities. In February of 2006, to help foster one culture, the organization was renamed Prospect.
Today, Prospect provides a range of employment services to a variety of client groups, including unemployed/underemployed Albertans, employers, immigrants, welfare recipients, military personnel, refugees, and people with disabilities.
Prospect’s Board of Directors is always looking for fresh ideas and expertise. We welcome volunteers with experience in the following areas:
To put your name forward for consideration, please email Caroline.Stewart@prospectnow.ca
The occasion brings together our staff, clients, collaborators, peers and funders to hear a thought-provoking speaker on a topic that is relevant to social change. Here is a chronology of the speakers we have hosted…
2010: LGen Roméo Dallaire (Ret'd), commanded the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda.
His book on his experiences in Rwanda was awarded the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004.
He founded the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, a global partnership committed to ending the use and recruitment of child soldiers worldwide.
MORE… http://www.romeodallaire.com/
2011: Stephen Lewis is one of Canada's most influential commentators on social affairs, international development and human rights.
He is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University, board chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and co-founder/co-director of AIDS-Free World.
He was the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001-2006.
MORE… http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/index.cfm
2012: Dr. James Orbinski is a globally recognized humanitarian as well as a leading scholar in global health.
After extensive field experience with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Dr. Orbinski was elected MSF's international president from 1998 to 2001, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to MSF in 1999 for its medical humanitarianism.
MORE… http://jamesorbinski.com/
2013: In this special year, we invited Roméo Dallaire, Stephen Lewis and Dr. James Orbinski to share a stage for the first time, as Prospect presented a thought-provoking panel discussion on the theme: Intervening: a mindset instead of a moment.
2015: Professor Robert Reich is the former Secretary of Labor from the Clinton administration, an internationally-renowned speaker and the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.
Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written thirteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations."
His film, "Inequality for All," is available on Netflix, iTunes, DVD, and On Demand.
MORE… http://robertreich.org/
Everyone needs a place to put their random cool stuff. For some, it's an organizer from IKEA. For us, it's this section of our web site.
Check out the largest collaborative art canvas in Calgary, at our event for Disability Employment Awareness Month, October 2015.
A collaboration between Prospect's Studio C and Scion/Charlesglen Toyota. The video was shot over the course of a day at the Calgary Lilac Festival.
Our Outdoor Pursuits team teaches employment skills in spectacular settings.
Art requires creativity, but it also develops other skills that translate well to the workplace. These pieces were all done by people in our programs.
Every year we have a Community Stampede BBQ in our parking lot. About 1000 people turn up for great food, live music, games and western hospitality, Prospect style.
We give out staff awards every year, because awesomeness should never go unrecognized.
All our programs and services can be accessed through Prospect's main number, 403.273.2822
Our fax is 403.273.0090
Contact our Edmonton office by phone at 1.877.483.2562
Our fax is 780.758.9674
Prospect helps people who face barriers to employment overcome those obstacles
by supporting individual skill development and creating workplace capacity.