It is often through meaningful employment that new immigrants integrate into their new homeland, and 29 new Canadians, most of whom had arrived here as refugees, had a chance to discover what it was like to work for Starbucks in Vancouver.
At a meet-and-greet co-hosted in Vancouver by Starbucks Canada and the Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) on April 20, 2018, participants learned about the company’s work culture and its community involvement. They heard first-hand stories of employees, many of whom spent years and years working for Starbucks and consider themselves part of its family.
“We are a community and we care about each other,” said District Manager Lara Kearney, who has been with Starbucks for 25 years. “We want people to get excited about an opportunity to become part of it.”
The interactive, speed-networking format of the event allowed participants to hear 10-minute presentations from Starbucks employees about its different facets, and have key questions answered.
“The event was amazing,” said Yansie Ardon, one of its participants. “It was great to get all the details about the company’s work environment and the benefits. A meet-and-greet like this helps you fully understand what you are applying for and that way you can see if you really want to pursue a job like this.”
Starbucks has committed to hiring at least 1,000 newcomers, who had arrived in Canada as refugees, by 2022. To support this commitment, the company plans to leverage IEC-BC resources to host meet-and-greets and hiring events.
“For employers, this is an opportunity to create truly diverse workplaces as they meet their human-capital needs,” said Patrick MacKenzie, IEC-BC CEO. “We are excited to work with Starbucks to offer these young Canadians an opportunity to get a head start in their careers here.”