SCP's core value proposition is that we provide attractive financing to businesses that implement a community hiring program.

What is a community hiring program?

A community hiring program is a conscious human resources strategy to fill entry-level positions by hiring people who have overcome barriers to employment including, but not limited to, people re-entering the workforce, Single Parents, New Canadians, Youth, Persons with Disabilities, and Aboriginal Persons. While qualified, responsible and motivated, these individuals often experience difficulty (re)entering the workforce.  They are supported and sourced through community service agencies – government-funded, not-for-profit organizations that provide pre-employment training to job seekers and hiring referral services for employers. 

Some examples of community employment programs include: Employment Ontario Employment Services, the Ontario Works Employment Placement and Skill Development Programs, and the Ontario Disability Supports Program.  These programs are delivered by local municipalities, colleges and agencies such as YMCA Goodwill Industries. While these programs and agencies constitute an established subsector of the Canadian recruitment landscape, the vast majority of Canadian employers are not aware of these employment services and/or do not have the internal resources to conduct adequate research and outreach. Until now!

How does SCP make it easy to implement a community hiring program?

SCP acts as a broker/intermediary on behalf of our franchise employers and the community service agencies. In Ontario alone, we partner with over 100 local agencies to find potential candidates that are properly screened, trained and supported to meet a franchisee's entry-level hiring requirements.
We also work with each franchisee to develop and implement a community hiring program tailored to your specific needs. This process typically involves the following stages:

• Stage 1: Understand the franchisor’s  overall human resources model including,  wages and compensation, opportunities for career progression, training and benefit programs, employee incentives and human resource culture
• Stage 2: Define specific position(s) to target for community hires, and identify fit and screening requirements for candidate referrals 
• Stage 3: Determine the best community agencies to recruit from based on sector and geographic area
• Stage 4: Facilitate the initial screening, referral process for candidates to be interviewed by a franchisee, and the relationship between community agencies and  the franchisee
• Stage 5: Once a candidate is selected and hired, follow up on candidate progress and provide on-going support for future hiring as required

As part of a financing agreement, SCP’s services are provided at no cost to the franchisor or franchisee. At the same time, the franchisee retains complete control of all human resource decisions, including hiring and termination.

What makes it compelling for franchises to implement a community hiring program?

Implementing a community hiring program for your business has many personal and social benefits.  Our franchise clients contribute to their local communities by providing meaningful job opportunities to those who have faced employment barriers, and at the same time, our clients experience significant business benefits which make running their business simpler, more efficient and more profitable.

Time and Cost Savings: For each open entry-level position, SCP, in partnership with community agencies, provide franchisees with access to pre-screened candidates, selected based on the franchisee’s business and job requirements.   Since this service comes at no additional cost, franchisees save time, money and effort which would have otherwise been expended putting ads in the newspaper, sifting through resumes, and interviewing unqualified candidates. By performing all the upfront engagement and marketing with local agencies, SCP allows franchisees to concentrate on the business aspects of building a successful operation, while having access to a qualified and motivated labour pool.

Loyal and Productive Workforce: With our model and assistance, employees hired through community agencies tend to take pride in their work and are serious about their jobs. They also typically display greater performance, productivity and commitment when working for their respective employers.

Reduced Turnover: On account of gaining a more dependable, motivated and loyal entry-level workforce, franchisees benefit from reduced turnover rates. In fact, our model has proven so effective that one of our existing franchise clients now uses our community hiring model at corporate locations that do not require financing.

Positive Publicity: By implementing a community hiring program, franchises are provided with a strong marketing platform to showcase their commitment to corporate social responsibility. Our franchise partners benefit from positive publicity as SCP and its portfolio companies have been featured favorably on CBC’s Venture, CBC’s The National, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Profit Magazine and several other local and national publications.

Potential Wage Subsidies: Individuals hired through community service agencies may be eligible for wage subsidies through government-sponsored programs. SCP cannot control or influence a client’s eligibility for these programs.

Socially-Adjusted Interest Rate: As part of the covenant between SCP and the franchisee, we tie the loan interest to the number of people hired through the program, providing an opportunity to reduce the interest rate for every additional hire.