*Do Well!- Do Good!-Make a Contribution!
The three steps to Living Life to the Fullest
in a multicultural age friendly employment community
My Meaningful Memories tell the story of how growing up in a vibrant "pocket community" - a community within a community- on the east coast in Saint John, where the population is consistently ranked as among "the happiest people in Canada", enabled me to experience my "first attempts in learning" (F.A.I.L.) in my youth that I rekindled in my professional life to
"Do Well" and "Do Good".
As was the case with many young professionals in my working career era I relocated to the Greater Toronto Hamilton area (GTHA). It's the multicultural heartland of Canada. I became a college professor at Seneca, Canada's largest college, the mecca for recent immigrants looking for applied education and training to qualify for entry level positions in organizations
*I pioneered the development of a series of leading edge post diploma certificate programs to enable immigrants to obtain credentials that complemented their international education and qualify for entry level positions that were equivalent to positions they held in their country of origin.
* I developed diploma programs to overcome the "ageism' barrier encountered by youths who didn't qualify for entry level professional positions because of their lack of experience and not having a university degree. I introduced two year para-professional diploma programs that enabled them to gain entry to professional positions with articulation to full-fledged baccalaureate degree programs if and when they chose to do so.
* The legal profession was notorious in erecting artificial barriers for accrediting foreign law degrees. I petitioned all provincial parties and was granted standing to advocate for the reform of international accreditation to comply with objective criteria pursuant to the "Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act (FARPA)". A multicultural dimension was added to the legal profession.
* I conceptualized the architecture and operational framework for the first accredited four year baccalaureate
(B.A.) college degree in Ontario which became the standard for polytechnics in the province. Having four year baccalaureate degree programs in local communities at an affordable college tuition made them accessible for first generation youths of immigrant families. A multicultural perspective was integrated into baccalaureate degree education.
* I established a leading edge international educational consultancy. I counselled and mentored more than 1,000 Canadians on how to access world ranked law schools in the U.k. and obtain innovative LLB and LLM degrees not available in Canada to launch legal and "new economy" law related professional careers.
It's now time to
"Make a Contribution".
But where and how do I go about it?
Retirement Employment Advisory- (REA)
I've come home. "South by Southwest" along the shores of the Bay of Fundy has a number of stand alone "strong age-friendly towns (S.A.F.Ts) that are linked with a common culture and classic "15 minute walk" neighbourhoods replete with affordable housing and local business hubs. They are receptive to welcoming immigrants into their ageing populations and embrace the Canadian multicultural environment.
*I've embarked on an "encore career" as a "Sherpa Guide" for what is a new generation of "Young Olds (YOLDS) -in need of a retirement employment advisory (REA) in their role as prospective retirement employees in a new economy. For YOLDS, active retirement is about pursuing a reinvented lifestyle, They’re at the forefront of the nascent “passion economy’, opening the door to augment their retirement income. They may contribute to society with an encore career in the private sector, social enterprise and non-profit sectors or become entrepreneurs.
Most Canadians will now hold a variety of jobs over their working life; the days of one career are in the past.
"We find that between 1990 and 2020 around three quarters of occupations have seen their age-friendliness increase and employment in above- average age-friendly occupations has risen by 49 million. These findings point to the need to frame the rise of age-friendly jobs in the context of other labour market trends and imperfections."
National Bureau of Economic Research NBEC (September 2022)Welcome to the world of the seniors age friendly employment (SAFE)!
Entire industries have transitioned into an age- friendly mode where an increasing amount of work can be done remotely and is home based. The foundation for the new "GIG" economy are contract assignments, casual employment and part-time work; much of it remote based. This has all the attributes of seniors focused age friendly work- places. Your home is no longer just your castle. It’s now your place of business.
My Multicultural Mission
*I've taken on the mission to apply my expertise in multicultural educational and career development to mentor and counsel the influx of immigrant families attracted to these "strong age-friendly towns (S.A.F.Ts)" on how to "ignite and/or reignite their passion" that encouraged them to make these multicultural communities their homes into personalized pathways for "living life to the fullest".
* Immigrants are entrepreneurial. This is why they embraced a F.A.I.L replete with risks to immigrate to Canada, "a land of family-friendly opportunity". S.A.F.Ts are the locus of family owned neighbourhood businesses with aging owners and operators receptive to transferring ownership to an entrepreneur wanting to take on the risk and responsibility of transitioning it to the next generation. Many immigrants have these entrepreneurial attributes and have the willpower and family support to embrace an entrepreneurial business opportunity. I have the expertise to function as the matchmaker.
*Many immigrants have qualifications and certifications from their country of origin that don't meet comparable accreditation standards in Canada. They are prime candidates for para-professional certification. I have the expertise to provide mentoring and counselling to immigrants on how to qualify for entry into para-professional positions. There is a demand in S.A.F.Ts for para-professionals in the prevailing tight labour market with too few candidates for too many jobs.
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