By Ceiledh Monk A s most of you may know, Nova Scotia welcomed over 2,500 Syrian refugees in 2016. By accepting these refugees, our province took on the responsibility of creating a foundation for each of these families to grow; the two pillars for this foundation are education and employ- ment. As a proud Nova Scotian who has always lived and worked in a politically stable and prosperous country, it can be extremely difficult to empathize and imagine what it would be like to live in a war torn country and losing family and friends like these people fleeing to our homes for security and hope. Arriving in a country without necessary language skills and knowledge of customs and traditions are the first obstacles on their venture to establishing their new lives Monk Renovations took the initiative to become involved in the changes to make a positive impact on the life of one immigrant and, hopefully, set an example for other com- panies. Monk hired Ahmad Aljwabreh as a journeyman painter and drywaller in February. Ahmad, his mother, younger sister and brother, came to Canada with a hope for a new beginning. Ahmad has previously worked in Syria and Jordan, now he is committed to expanding his knowledge and improving his skills with Monk Renovations. There are many other families just like Ahmad’s and many skilled tradespeople available. Dan Monk and the rest of the crew at Monk Renovations encourages all their col- leagues at the Canadian Home Builders Association - Nova Scotia (CHBA - NS) and companies in all other industries to explore this opportunity. Spread the word, take initiative to contact Immigrant and embracing their new home. It is the privilege of each citizen to become involved in helping refugees.
Dan Monk, the owner of Monk Renovations, learned about this opportunity from a former client whom had sponsored a Syrian refugee family. Through the client’s connection with ISANS she discovered Ahmad was job seeking as a painter in the Halifax Area. She contacted Monk to ask about trade qualifications on behalf of Ahmad. Inspired by the “One Nova Scotia Report,” Monk was keen to engage in growing their company with a new immigrant employee. The process moved very quickly once Monk began working with ISANS in early-February and Ahmad started working within weeks. ISANS is a progressive organization that cares for each immigrant in Nova Scotia. They have an efficient and effec- tive process in place to help newcomers establish every aspect of their new life from attaining a driver’s license and finding a job to continuing education and training. From Monk’s experience as an employer, he expressed that ISANS was very easy to deal with, communicated well, arranged meetings and provided translators to assist when necessary. Along with ISANS’ administrative efficiencies, they have a support system in place for both employers and immigrants with wage assistance, language training, safety training, and job related equipment. This was a significant help in the initial stages of hiring a new immigrant. All in all, the experience of hiring Ahmad was excellent and Monk would highly recommend it to others.
Service Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), and welcome hard working men and women into the Canadian workforce.
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AUGUST 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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