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Southern Ontario's First Practice Firm

Proven in Europe, 'practice offices' are at work here. For many, they are opening the door to very real jobs. At first glance, the Simpressions office in Markham looks like any other place of business. Visitors and callers are greeted by a receptionist. Office workers take orders by e-mail, fax quotes to prospective customers, and prepare payroll for the company's employees. The office, the people, and the jobs they do all seem real, but no products are shipped, and no money exchanges hands. Welcome to the world of the practice firm, a unique idea introduced in Germany 50 years ago that is rapidly gaining popularity in this country.

Many job seekers face the Catch-22 of not being able to get a job because they don't have experience, but can't get experience because they can't get a job. Practice firms help the unemployed to break out of this vicious no experience/no job cycle by providing a simulated work environment in which they can apply and strengthen the skills that are essential to their field.

"Practice firms are all about learning by doing in a supportive environment…. to offer a work setting in which all the functions of a real business are conducted - accounting, administrative and clerical, communications, information technology, graphic design, marketing and sales, human resources, and purchasing. This provides an excellent opportunity for foreign-trained individuals, women who are re-entering the workforce, displaced persons, new graduates, and youth seeking their first job experience to refine and demonstrate the skills needed to find employment in their field." (Nella Iasci, Executive Director, Job Skills, parent organization of Simpressions)

Those who want to participate in a practice firm experience do not simply sign up for the program. As an initial step, unemployed individuals usually access the services of an agency in their community for assistance in planning a return-to-work strategy. They may be recommended for employment at a practice firm, if one exists locally, by their employment consultant if it is felt that gaining hands-on work experience would support their job search efforts. If they meet the criteria for being "hired," they are interviewed as potential employees by some of the program staff of the practice firm.

Employees must come with a base of knowledge or expertise in their line of work. The idea is not that if you want to be an accountant, you work at a practice firm to learn accounting, but rather that you have completed the basic training needed to be an accountant, and simply need the opportunity to practice those skills in a real work setting. For example, many foreign-trained individuals have education and credentials from their country of origin and have taken additional training in Canada, but lack Canadian experience to put on their resumé, experience they can gain from working at a practice firm like Simpressions.

One thing that distinguishes this work experience from the real world is that a portion of the participants' work time is allocated for job search activities. If an opportunity for a job interview comes up, there is no difficulty with workers taking time off for that purpose. In addition to developing hands-on skills, the practice firm provides a business-like environment for participants to conduct their job search. The program includes 10 hours a week dedicated to work search activities.

Participants in the program also receive coaching on work habits and understanding organizational culture, which can be helpful to youth who have little exposure to the workplace or newcomers who aren't familiar with employer expectations and customs in Canadian offices.

Many of the firm's "virtual transactions" are conducted with other practice firms around the world. For example, a practice firm in France may request a quote from Simpressions for the design of new business cards. One Simpressions employee may prepare the documentation for the quote, while another might do the actual design work.

The performance of employees in practice firms is monitored and evaluated as it would be in any other business. Upon completing the program, they are given a performance appraisal and receive a reference which they can offer prospective employers when being interviewed for jobs. Most important, they have additional, and very real, work experience they can add to their resumé, demonstrating that they have the skills employers are seeking in their field.
There are currently about 40 practice firms in Canada, 26 of them in Quebec. The European Practice Enterprises Network, headquartered in Germany, lists 4000 practice firms in 36 countries around the world. Funding for practice firms based in Ontario is provided by the federal government.

Every practice firm has a sponsor company, which acts as a model and provides information about its policies, procedures, selling practices, and product lines to form the basis of the practice firm's business operations. Simpressions is modelled after Northlands Printing Inc., a Newmarket, Ontario based company.
The success rate for practice firm "graduates" in finding employment provides a worthwhile reality-check: The average return to work rate for those who complete the practice firm program is about 85 percent. The success rate is subject to the influences of the job market, just as unemployment figures reflect current hiring trends.

But the employment figures don't tell the whole story. The greatest benefit of practice firms is that they help the unemployed to gain the confidence they need to present their skills to prospective employers in interviews and ultimately find the work they seek. The greatest benefit to the program is that for many unemployed workers it removes the one final barrier that is standing between them and the work they seek: tangible experience they can put on their résumé.

Adapted with permission from an article which appeared in The Toronto Star, April 28, 2003 by Diane Moore

See what our participants have to say about us on our Success Stories page.

For more information, please look at our FAQ page.

Job Skills gratefully acknowledges the support of Simpressions' Sponsor Firm:
Northlands Printing Inc

The Practice Firm Simpressions is operated by Job Skills
and funded by the Government of Canada

Top

Southern Ontario's First Practice Firm
Proven in Europe, 'practice offices' are at work here. For many, they are opening the door to very real jobs. At first glance, the Simpressions office in Markham looks like any other place of business. Visitors and callers are greeted by a receptionist. Office workers take orders by e-mail, fax quotes to prospective customers, and prepare payroll for the company's employees. The office, the people, and the jobs they do all seem real, but no products are shipped, and no money exchanges hands. Welcome to the world of the practice firm, a unique idea introduced in Germany 50 years ago that is rapidly gaining popularity in this country.
Many job seekers face the Catch-22 of not being able to get a job because they don't have experience, but can't get experience because they can't get a job. Practice firms help the unemployed to break out of this vicious no experience/no job cycle by providing a simulated work environment in which they can apply and strengthen the skills that are essential to their field.
	"Practice firms are all about learning by doing in a supportive environment…. to offer a work setting in which all the functions of a real business are conducted - accounting, administrative and clerical, communications, information technology, graphic design, marketing and sales, human resources, and purchasing. This provides an excellent opportunity for foreign-trained individuals, women who are re-entering the workforce, displaced persons, new graduates, and youth seeking their first job experience to refine and demonstrate the skills needed to find employment in their field." (Nella Iasci, Executive Director, Job Skills, parent organization of Simpressions)
Those who want to participate in a practice firm experience do not simply sign up for the program. As an initial step, unemployed individuals usually access the services of an agency in their community for assistance in planning a return-to-work strategy. They may be recommended for employment at a practice firm, if one exists locally, by their employment consultant if it is felt that gaining hands-on work experience would support their job search efforts. If they meet the criteria for being "hired," they are interviewed as potential employees by some of the program staff of the practice firm.
Employees must come with a base of knowledge or expertise in their line of work. The idea is not that if you want to be an accountant, you work at a practice firm to learn accounting, but rather that you have completed the basic training needed to be an accountant, and simply need the opportunity to practice those skills in a real work setting. For example, many foreign-trained individuals have education and credentials from their country of origin and have taken additional training in Canada, but lack Canadian experience to put on their resumé, experience they can gain from working at a practice firm like Simpressions.
One thing that distinguishes this work experience from the real world is that a portion of the participants' work time is allocated for job search activities. If an opportunity for a job interview comes up, there is no difficulty with workers taking time off for that purpose. In addition to developing hands-on skills, the practice firm provides a business-like environment for participants to conduct their job search. The program includes 10 hours a week dedicated to work search activities.
	Participants in the program also receive coaching on work habits and understanding organizational culture, which can be helpful to youth who have little exposure to the workplace or newcomers who aren't familiar with employer expectations and customs in Canadian offices.
Many of the firm's "virtual transactions" are conducted with other practice firms around the world. For example, a practice firm in France may request a quote from Simpressions for the design of new business cards. One Simpressions employee may prepare the documentation for the quote, while another might do the actual design work.
The performance of employees in practice firms is monitored and evaluated as it would be in any other business. Upon completing the program, they are given a performance appraisal and receive a reference which they can offer prospective employers when being interviewed for jobs. Most important, they have additional, and very real, work experience they can add to their resumé, demonstrating that they have the skills employers are seeking in their field. There are currently about 40 practice firms in Canada, 26 of them in Quebec. The European Practice Enterprises Network, headquartered in Germany, lists 4000 practice firms in 36 countries around the world. Funding for practice firms based in Ontario is provided by the federal government.
Every practice firm has a sponsor company, which acts as a model and provides information about its policies, procedures, selling practices, and product lines to form the basis of the practice firm's business operations. Simpressions is modelled after Northlands Printing Inc., a Newmarket, Ontario based company. The success rate for practice firm "graduates" in finding employment provides a worthwhile reality-check: The average return to work rate for those who complete the practice firm program is about 85 percent. The success rate is subject to the influences of the job market, just as unemployment figures reflect current hiring trends.
But the employment figures don't tell the whole story. The greatest benefit of practice firms is that they help the unemployed to gain the confidence they need to present their skills to prospective employers in interviews and ultimately find the work they seek. The greatest benefit to the program is that for many unemployed workers it removes the one final barrier that is standing between them and the work they seek: tangible experience they can put on their résumé. Adapted with permission from an article which appeared in The Toronto Star, April 28, 2003 by Diane Moore
See what our participants have to say about us on our Success Stories page. For more information, please look at our FAQ page.



Job Skills gratefully acknowledges the support of Simpressions' Sponsor Firm: Northlands Printing Inc The Practice Firm Simpressions is operated by Job Skills and funded by the Government of Canada	Top