Joanne Norris and Karim Harji recently presented a session titled "Workforce Development Value Proposition: An Opportunity to Engage in Fresh Practice" at the Opportunities 2009 conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Opportunities Conference, in its 10^th year, is the largest conference in Ontario for career development and employment preparation professionals.

The session reviewed our experience with our social hiring programs and franchising strategy by describing how SCP is partnering with employers and community agencies to provide job opportunities for people with barriers to employment. SCP also summarized findings from research conducted by the Monitor Group on the social hiring landscape in Canada, and framed our value propositions for different stakeholder groups around social hiring.

Click here for the full presentation

Social Capital Partners is making its first foray into the world of home health care by partnering with We Care and it Montreal based franchisee. The pilot project was launched in December and SCP and We Care have been diligently working together to establish viable social hiring channels and employment roles.

About We Care: We Care is the largest independently owned home care service provider in Canada. With over 50 locations across Canada, each office is linked by technology and proven management systems, to ensure national standards are delivered with local passion. We Care offers nursing, personal support, homemaking, cleaning and companionship services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - 365 days a year.

Social Capital Partners (SCP) is pleased to announce the addition of two more franchises to its Active Green + Ross (AG+R) Investment portfolio.  The newest additions are the stores located at 25 Queensway West in Simcoe and 7009 Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls.

The latest additions bring the number of AG+R franchises working with SCP to create employment opportunities for disadvantaged populations to 21.

About Active Green + Ross:  AG+R is southern Ontario's premier chain of Complete Tire & Auto Centres from Windsor to Ottawa and from Barrie to Toronto, with over 70 locations in Ontario to serve you.  With the best inventory of tires in the Metro Toronto Market, all AG+R locations offer complete general automotive service and repairs to most car and light truck models. Special emphasis is placed on preventative maintenance areas such as brakes, suspension and front end repairs, wheel alignment, tire balancing and lube & oil changes.

Franchise Canada, the trade journal of the Canadian Franchise Association profiled SCP in the January/February 2009 issue along with Liquid Capital Corporation and Business Development Bank of Canada.  For those socially motivated franchise entrepreneurs, SCP's social financing and social hiring program could just be what you are looking for.

Social Capital Partners (SCP) is pleased to announce the addition of two more franchises to its Active Green + Ross (AG+R) Investment portfolio.  The newest additions are the stores located at 930 Queenston Rd. in Stoney Creek and 455 Ottawa St. North in Hamilton.

The latest additions bring the number of AG+R franchises working with SCP to create employment opportunities for disadvantaged populations to 19 - approximately 25% of the entire franchise chain.

About Active Green + Ross:  AG+R is southern Ontario's premier chain of Complete Tire & Auto Centres from Windsor to Ottawa and from Barrie to Toronto, with over 70 locations in Ontario to serve you.  With the best inventory of tires in the Metro Toronto Market, all AG+R locations offer complete general automotive service and repairs to most car and light truck models. Special emphasis is placed on preventative maintenance areas such as brakes, suspension and front end repairs, wheel alignment, tire balancing and lube & oil changes.

Turnaround Couriers and social enterprise have both made a lot of progress in the past 6 years. The Star's article profiles one of TurnAround's target hires - Rhode Yowart - who eighteen months ago was on welfare and wondering about her future.  The article also positions social enterprise and Turnaround in the context of Ontario's poverty reduction strategy.

The Government of Ontario yesterday launched "Breaking the Cycle: Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy" - which describes the short-, medium- and long-term investments to reduce poverty in the province.

Chapter 4 of the report talks about "Smarter Government" - how can government be smarter about the money it already spends, as well as how it invests in new initiatives. Social innovation is identified as an important component of this approach, where government will "have to pursue innovative and creative ways of doing things". The report goes on to say that "the solution will require more than government interventions. Government will play a key role, but this role will need to be rounded out by support and collaboration with other partners."

Around this theme, Social Capital Partners was identified as an innovative example of how to address employment issues:

Success Stories

Social Capital Partners invests in social enterprises that employ populations outside the economic mainstream in Canada in order to improve their social outcomes and financial self-sufficiency. Social Capital Partners also focus on recent immigrants to Canada who have displayed entrepreneurial and management capabilities before arriving in Canada. SCP invests in new immigrants that are perceived to lack the requisite skills, credit history, networks or access to capital that would allow them to succeed in Canada. www.socialcapitalpartners.ca

Read the full report here

During times where recruitment presents many challenges, it is important for companies to revise any preconceived notions on where to recruit and how to retain employees.

Social responsibility and business should go hand in hand, believes Ralph Chiodo (president of Active Green + Ross).

Two challenges for franchise operators - financing their business and finding good employees - can turn into a win/win/win solution, for the employer, employees, and the community at large.