Mississauga, ON – In May 2022, Achēv received a $149,700 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to support their efforts to create an accessible, user-friendly digital library of resources to support staff, clients and the community. The project will be completed in May 2023 and will support the organization’s digital transformation journey and countless clients for years to come.

“I am thrilled with the announcement that Achēv, a cornerstone organization in my riding of Mississauga Centre is benefitting from a $149,700 Resilient Communities Fund grant. The grant has been used to help Achēv enhance their technological capacity with an increased emphasis on digitizing services. This will increase accessibility and efficiency and, in turn, better serve vulnerable residents in both Mississauga Centre and beyond,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, MPP for Mississauga Centre.

Achēv used the grant to research options and develop a digital asset management system (online library), AchēvShare, to consolidate and share a wealth of client service resources and make them accessible to more clients and staff. “Making our company-developed resources available to all our staff and clients is critical. This OTF-funded project has enabled us to create a customized digital library consolidating a wealth of resources on topics such as job search tips, language learning, and more. All in formats that address needs on an immediate basis,” said CEO Tonie Chaltas.

OTF has also provided Achēv with a $37,300 Capital Grant to purchase 10 Smart Boards and accessories. Smart Boards will allow Achēv to provide interactive in-person, hybrid and virtual services to their clients. The touchscreen feature aligned with easy sync to staff’s laptop content results in dynamic events, sessions, classes, workshops, meetings etc. The new technology was received by staff with excitement: “Great! Yes, very excited! I have been suggesting it for some time. I use them for teaching and love the experience.”

Achēv aims to change people’s lives as they discover their potential and achieve their purpose. It is one of the largest non-profit providers of employment, youth, settlement, women and language services in the Greater Toronto Area, serving over 100,000 clients in 2022. Since the pandemic, the organization has quickly adapted tools and processes to provide more online services in record time, providing essential community supports to job seekers, women, newcomers and youth. Further information can be found at www.achev.ca.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, celebrates 40 years of grant-making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

Achēv celebrated its inaugural Achēvment Awards at a community breakfast this morning in Mississauga. 

The first of its kind in Peel, the Achēvment Awards are designed to recognize those individuals and organizations that excel in fostering diversity in the workplace, promote cross-sector collaboration, and have the courage to fulfill dreams.  

“Today we are celebrating the power of collaboration between our partners, clients, and the communities we serve,” said Achēv CEO Tonie Chaltas. “We hope our Achēvment Awards recipients will inspire other businesses, organizations, and individuals to work together to help Canada prosper.”

Achēv’s inaugural Achēvment Awards recipients are:  

• Maple Lodge Farms, an Achēv employer partner, who is being honoured for its innovative and inclusive approach to employing newcomers and breaking down barriers to employment. 
• Catholic Crosscultural Services, a longstanding and trusted community partner, who is being celebrated for its shared passion and commitment to serving Achēv’s clients.   
• Samantha Palloo, an Achēv client, who is being recognized for her determination and courage in building the human resources career she dreamed of in Canada.    

Click here for the videos of the awards granted. 

As one of the largest providers of employment, language, newcomer, youth, women’s, and inclusion services, Achēv occupies a unique place in the communities it serves. By leveraging its scope and scale and its long-standing partnerships in the community, Achēv offers clients the services they need, when and where they need them.   

Achēv’s team of over 400 dedicated staff works with each client to understand their unique goals and needs. “Achēv is proud of the work we do, online and in-person at our nine locations across the GTA, to help over 100,000 people each year achieve their goals,” said Ms. Chaltas. 

Achēv is one of the largest providers of employment, newcomer, language, youth, women’s and inclusion services in the Greater Toronto Area. Last year, we served over 100,000 clients and 3,600 employer partners at our nine locations. Our dedicated team of nearly 400 staff, delivers a wide range of personalized programs and services that empower our clients to prosper and our communities to thrive. Learn about our impact at Achēv.ca 

We’re excited to share that Achēv has been featured in the Mississauga News as part of their International Women’s Day special issue. The article highlights our client success stories from our Workforce Pathways for Women in Senior Care and Career Pathways for Women programs. Achēv CEO Tonie Chaltas also discussed our continued commitment to helping women and girls achieve their potential.

Download or view a copy of the article here: https://achev.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mississauga_NewsWomens-Day.pdf

Achēv women’s services pillar empowers our team to be more intentional about how we are helping women identify and access the employment, language, newcomer, youth and other services they need. Click here for a list of all women-specific programs Achēv offers: https://achev.ca/services/women-services/

We are excited to share that Achēv has been featured on the September 15 edition of the Toronto Star as part of the “Supporting Canada’s Newcomers and Refugees” campaign. As a hub of newcomer services, we discussed how we make sure that our clients are primed and ready to apply for jobs by providing them with the support they need to successfully transition into their new lives. The article also explains how newcomers get one-on-one settlement and career support at Achēv and can also improve their English and French skills through language assessments, our online language classes and class referrals.

Here is the full Toronto Star campaign with our article: http://project.mediaplanet.com/26422.pdf