Humber College’s commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace has been recognized as the College has been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2024.
The awards, which are the benchmark in the GTA for workplace best-practices, are distributed each year based on eight criteria: workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time-off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.
“Being recognized as one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers reaffirms Humber’s dedication to fostering an inclusive, supportive and innovative environment for our community members,” said Ann Marie Vaughan, president and CEO of Humber College. “This award is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our students, faculty, staff and partners in creating a vibrant and empowering place to work and study.”
Over the past year, Humber has undertaken several significant business developments to strengthen its commitment to developing career-ready citizens, providing accessible education and building a healthy and inclusive community. These developments have contributed to the success of Humber students, employees and partners.
Some of the initiatives include:
The launch of Humber's Institutional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Framework and Strategy in April 2022. The strategy outlines objectives to enhance access and equity for students and employees, embedding EDI and Indigenous Ways of Being, Knowing, and Doing into curriculum and programs while participating in various governmental and non-governmental initiatives for greater inclusion. Additionally, the College actively collaborates with in-house resource groups, including those supporting Black/African, 2SLGBTQ+, and Indigenous employees, reinforcing its commitment to an inclusive community.
Humber’s commitment to holistic health and well-being led to the creation of its Well-being Strategy that emphasizes physical, mental, financial, and social health. This strategy, developed collaboratively with students and employees, aims to embed a culture of well-being throughout the institution by promoting healthy behaviors, inclusive programs, well-being workshops for employees, and policies that prioritize health impacts. Through consultations with diverse voices, including the Healthy Community Committee and learner and employee engagements, Humber's strategy focuses on fostering a thriving culture rooted in wellness to optimize success across its community.
Providing opportunities for continued education and skills advancement for employees allows eligible employees to enrol in select Humber courses for $20 and tuition assistance is available to eligible employees for certificate, diploma, degree, doctoral programs, and professional association courses. All employees also have free access to LinkedIn Learning.
Earlier this year, the College received a $30 million donation from the Barrett Family Foundation. The gift will support several of the College’s priorities, with most of the funding going towards student support through financial assistance and experiential learning opportunities. The funding will provide for more than 100 annual scholarships. There will also be grants for experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities each year as well as student grants for skills training programs plus skills program support and mentoring grants. Beyond scholarships, the gift will also be used to support a team of specialized individuals at the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation who will ensure the vision of the Barrett Family Foundation is captured in the everyday activities of the building while also fostering and expanding partnerships to bring the latest trends in technology and equipment to Humber that will provide students with a rich educational experience.
“It's the dedication and contributions of the Humber community that create the College’s great environment to learn and work,” said Jennifer O’Brien, vice-president, People(s) and Culture at Humber.
As part of its ongoing pursuit for wellness and belonging, Humber released its Food Strategy and Vision last month. The strategy is meant to contribute to the College’s mission of fostering an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment.