As part of a three-year partnership, Ikea Richmond is teaming up with SUCCESS to create new job opportunities for refugees.
Announced earlier this month, Ikea Canada is aiming to hire 250 refugees over the next three years in this coast-to-coast program. The furniture giant’s Richmond store is one of 17 Canadian locations participating in the program, and has partnered with SUCCESS, a social services organization with offices in Richmond.
“We’re very pleased to be part of the successful proponents selected by Ikea Canada,” Queenie Choo, CEO of SUCCESS told the Richmond News. “Our ultimate goal is to help people seek employment, to help them to integrate into our community.”
While Choo says she’s unsure of how many refugees will be hired at the Richmond location, SUCCESS will work with them on resumé skills, interviews, pre-screening and post-hiring support such as language training and long-term employment counselling.
SUCCESS has partnered with other local businesses to provide similar opportunities such as at some London Drugs, Safeway and Save On locations.
For Choo, providing opportunities doesn’t just help support newcomers in B.C., but it stimulates the local economy as well.
“This is an integrated continuum of services,” Choo said. “We wanted to help whether they are refugees, whether they are immigrants or local residents to seek employment and grow our economy in B.C. so that everybody wins at the end of the day.”
