large corporate board room with a table full of staff with laptops

Compete Against the Big Companies for Talent

Larger companies have more resources to put behind their talent and attraction strategies. It is hard for you as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) to compete for the best employees.

Did you know there are free or low cost resources that can help you with hiring and keeping workers? In the Fall of 2024, we hosted three workshops for employers about local organizations that offer support, data and tools that can help!

Past Workshops

Is Your Wage Competitive? (Oct 17, 2024)

In this workshop, Charlene Hofbauer, Executive Director of the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, walked employers through free online tools that save employers time and money when doing wage and competition research.

Thank you to the Centre for Family Business for partnering with us on this event.

Hire & Keep Apprentices (Nov 5, 2024)

Workshop attendees heard from Literacy Link South Central about their Step Up and Succeed Employer Apprenticeship Resource Hub

This resource hub goes beyond apprentice help! It includes free tip sheets, guides, fillable Word templates, trainings, and more tools designed for you to save time and money:

  • How to be an Employer of Choice for All
  • How to Find Talented Capable Apprentices
  • Become an Apprentice Sponsor
  • Make Your Writing Clear
  • Skill Development for Your Apprentice
  • Communication Strategies
  • Building Your Support Network

Thank you to the Four County Labour Market Planning Board for partnering with us on this event.

We have added this Step Up and Succeed resource to our Employer Resource Corner, where you can find additional local resources for finding workers, workplace planning, and other business supports!

Immigration Law: FAQ for Employers (Nov 20, 2024)

At this free session for employers we hosted Jennifer Roggemann, an experienced Immigration Lawyer from Roggemann Immigration Law, to share trends and updates to immigration law that impact employers and the talent available to them.

We also heard from Olusola Oladele from the Workplace & Immigrant Network (WIN). WIN offers free HR consulting and workshops that assist employers with integrating global talent.

Thank you to Dufferin County Economic Development for partnering with us on this event.


For inquiries about this project please contact Sonya Vanderheide at: sonya@workforceplanningboard.com.

Logos including the Government of Canada, Employment Ontario, and the Province of Ontario

This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.