What's New
- All Blog Posts
- Credential Advice
- Funding and Financing for Impact
- Welcoming Communities in Action
- Worker and Employer Strategies
- Adult Education
- Building Skills
- Career Pathways
- Credential Advice
- Credential Evaluations
- Culture & Experience
- Economic Mobility
- Employer Practices
- Employment
- Featured Articles
- Featured Articles
- Financial Access and Inclusion
- Funding and Financing for Impact
- Health Care
- Immigrant Engagement
- Immigrant Leadership
- Immigration
- IMPRINT
- Innovative Finance
- International Students
- Internationally Educated Teachers
- Licensure Pathways
- ONA Network
- Partnerships
- Policy
- Policy Advocacy
- Policy and Policy Advocacy
- Programs and Partners
- Promising Practices
- Refugee Resettlement
- SIIP
- Skill Underutilization
- UntappedTalent
- Welcoming Communities in Action
- WES Help
- WES News
- WES Style Guide | Brand Guides
- WES Style Guide | Content Style Guide
- WES Style Guide | Development
- What's New
- Worker and Employer Strategies
- Worker Cooperatives
- Workforce Education
- Workforce Inclusion
- Workforce Integration
- Wraparound Supports
Fund Awards First Grants in Canada; Committing $1.9M CAD to Create More Equitable Systems for Immigrant and Refugee Workers
TORONTO – November 23, 2020 – The WES Mariam Assefa Fund, the philanthropic arm of World Education Services (WES), today announced its first grants in Canada. The Fund is awarding C$1.9 million to six organizations that are building stronger career pathways for immigrants and refugees, supporting workers affected by COVID-19, investing in immigrant leaders, and nurturing […]
Stories of Immigrants: Milene Fernandez
Wilma Lee |
The Stories of Immigrants Project began as a way for employees at World Education Services (WES) to become more involved with the company’s mission and learn more about the immigrants and refugees who we work to support every day. Over the course of a year, the project blossomed into something more meaningful than we could […]
Opportunity Challenge Spotlight Video: Enablers of Economic Mobility
In September, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund announced the 12 awardees of the Opportunity Challenge, chosen out of an applicant pool of 470 organizations. The Opportunity Challenge is a joint grantmaking initiative launched by the Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation to identify solutions that support the success of immigrants and refugees and create a more […]
Partner Perspectives: Erica Bouris of the International Rescue Committee on the Financial Volatility of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Low-Income Families
From just about any vantage point, 2020 has been a volatile year. A global pandemic has led to more than a million deaths worldwide—and caused massive economic disruption. In the United States, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police led to a national reckoning over the continued reality of systemic racism and inequality. Adding […]
Developing the Fund’s Strategy in Canada: What We’ve Learned and What’s Ahead
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund launched in the U.S. in 2019 as the only philanthropic initiative focused exclusively on economic inclusion and mobility for immigrants and refugees in North America. Our intent was always to extend our work beyond the U.S. and into Canada. But we knew that being effective in the Canadian context would […]
Lessons Learned: Best Practices for Applying to an Open Grant Challenge
The Opportunity Challenge—the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and Tarsadia Foundation’s first ever open-call grant challenge—resulted in 400+ submissions from organizations offering a diverse range of solutions and innovations that support the success of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In September, after an exhilarating five-month application and selection process, we were thrilled to announce […]
Spotlight on Washington State: Collaboration for Change
Mia Nacamulli |
The Puget Sound region, located along the northwestern coast of the state of Washington, spans miles of coastline, agricultural lands, and bustling cities, offering a vast array of landscapes and attractions. Its population, too, is diverse—one in seven Washington residents is an immigrant,¹ and the region’s cities boast a broad spectrum of languages and cultures. […]
Opportunity Challenge Spotlight Video: Inclusive Career Pathways
In September, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund announced the 12 awardees of the Opportunity Challenge, chosen out of an applicant pool of 470 organizations. The Opportunity Challenge is a joint grantmaking initiative launched by the Fund and Tarsadia Foundation to identify solutions that support the success of immigrants and refugees and create a more inclusive economy. The finalists and several semi-finalist organizations were awarded a […]
Will Going Back to School in Canada Help Your Career?
Aliyyah Nazeem |
Have you been thinking about going back to school in Canada? If you recently settled into your new life in Canada, but you’re having trouble taking your career to the next level, then you might need to acquire new skills or earn additional credentials. Know Your Academic Standing Want to verify your international credentials in […]
WES Digital Badges: New Tool to Verify International Credentials
Virtual Hiring During COVID-19 COVID-19 has drastically altered the employment landscape in Canada. Although the year began with the country’s lowest unemployment rate in decades, Canada is now experiencing increasingly high unemployment and underemployment as businesses grapple with restructuring in the wake of the pandemic. For human resources (HR) professionals, this restructuring has resulted in […]
Stories of Immigrants: Mariam Assefa
Wilma Lee |
The Stories of Immigrants Project began as a way for employees at World Education Services (WES) to become more involved with the company’s mission and learn more about the immigrants and refugees who we work to support every day. Over the course of a year, the project blossomed into something more meaningful than we could […]
Opportunity Challenge Spotlight Video: Financial Access & Inclusion
In early March, the Opportunity Challenge, a joint grantmaking initiative of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation, sought to identify solutions to create an inclusive economy in the U.S.—one that addresses the supports that immigrants need to achieve economic mobility. In September, we were thrilled to announce the 12 awardees of the Opportunity Challenge, chosen out of an applicant pool of 470 organizations. […]