Acosys Consulting Service Company Overview

Aboriginal Private Sector Business Category
September 25, 2014
Providing direction
Social Entrepreneurship
What is Social Entrepreneurship?
Social entrepreneurship is the process of pursuing innovative solutions to social
problems
Characteristics of Social Entrepreneurs:
• Act as the change agents for society,
• Seizing opportunities others miss to improve systems,
• Invent new approaches, and create solutions to change society for the
better.
• Develops innovative solutions to social problems and then implements them
on a large scale.
Capitalism 2.0:
Bill Gates suggested recently that corporations should sacrifice profits to the
public welfare, practicing what he called “creative capitalism,”
Food for Thought
Defining poverty by how many dollars a person
earns per day is demeaning and poor way of
stating a problem. Poverty is no so much
dollars per day but the exclusion from
networks and productivity and exchange
Pope John Paul II
In post industrial world, wealth of nations is not
only amount of natural resources it has in the
ground but also in the human mind and in
human creativity
G. Wiegel, Scholar
Current models have problems solved by
others rather than person directly affected.
This approach often removes their dignity
and control over their own destiny
Andreas Widmer
About Us
David Acco: Métis-Cree,
Cumberland House
Business Analyst and Project Manager
BA - Creative Writing and Adult Ed.,
Master Certificate Marketing, Master
Diploma Ecommerce, Master
Certificate Business Analysis, and MBA
International Business
Julie Lepage: Nipissing First
Nations
Labor Relations Counselor
LLB, LLC Labor Law and Aboriginal Law,
Called Upper Canada Law Society, 2004
Inspiration and Creativity
The Royal Commission on
Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP)
issued its final report in
November 1996
“Biggest Hindrance to
Aboriginal Youth is the lack of
training and opportunity”
2006 - We decided to address
that problem by creating a
business called “Acosys”
Acosys Consulting Service
Company Overview
Providing direction
Our Mission
To provide both private sector and
government with professional, timely,
and value based consulting services in
Technology Integration, Human
Resources and Aboriginal Policy
Development, while increasing the
participation of Aboriginal business
and professionals (technical and
management) through effective
Aboriginal Talent Management
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Our vision and goals
• Our vision as Social Entrepreneurs
– To build a just society for all Aboriginal people on and off reserve
• Education and professional development to build capacity to manage our own destiny
• Employment participation and sustainability
• Focus on women who are the 1st role models and mentors of our children
– To build capacity and economic development that are building blocks
towards community sustainability.
• Our goals is to be a leading Aboriginal Management
Consulting company
– Be leaders in technology integration and human resources change
management
– Be leaders in Aboriginal participation and sustainability best practices
– Be industry incubator for Aboriginal talent
– Be supportive to:
• CAMSC: Canadian Aboriginal and Minorities Supplier Council
• CCAB: Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
• PSAB: Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business from the Federal Government
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IT Consulting Services
Contract Labour– SA/SO
Consultants
Information and
Technology
Integration
(IT, HR and
Aboriginal Policy)
Services – Competency Centers
PM CC
BA CC
(Project Management)
(Business Analysis)
CM CC
PCO CC
(Change Management)
(Project Control Office)
System Development and
Technology Integration
(Design, programming, testing etc.)
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Consulting Services
Recruitment
Human
Resources
Consulting and
Aboriginal Talent
Management
On demand
Recruitment of
Aboriginal Talent
Process Improvement
Full cycle
Recruitment and
retention process
Organizational
Development &
Succession Plng
Employee Manual
and Policy
Development
Employee
Engagement and
Professional
Development
Labour and Employment Law
Federal/Provincial
/Territorial
Laws
Proprietary and Not for Distribution
Aboriginal Talent
Management
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Consulting Services
Corporation and Government Strategies
Aboriginal
Policies
Development
Recruitment
strategies for
Aboriginal and
other minorities
Supply Chain
strategies to reach
out to Aboriginal
Business
Aboriginal Development
Personal Growth
Economic
Development
(how to start your own
business)
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Employability
Qualitative
research on
different Aboriginal
Aspect
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Clients
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Social Entrepreneurial Commitments
Acosys’ commitment is to work Aboriginal Internship Program
with our customers and NAOs to
Increase
help them meet their CSR,
education and
employment equity and program
employability for
Aboriginal Talent
targets in meaningful and cost
effective ways that are
Reinvesting in the individual and the Community
measurably beneficial to the
Aboriginal individual and
Aboriginal Opportunity Development
community
Skills
Development
With
We provide to women with family
obligations a chance to:
• Skills development courses to build and
manage their businesses
• Participate in an international women’s
business network to bring international
products to North America
Microsoft and Accenture provides :
• Software tools, expertise and training to
help the women manage their business
Working with customers and NGOs to serve the Aboriginal community
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Where are Today
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•
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12 Employees (7 being Aboriginal)
$500K plus Revenue
Focus on Revenue to support our
mission
Building partnership with
customers
Stay the course with AIP and Social
Entrepreneurial Commitments
The Aboriginal Internship Program
Providing direction
AIP Goals and Rationale, Cont’d
Client Partner
Career
Accelerator
Aboriginal
Internship or
Career Bridging
Program
Education Partner
Aboriginal
Intern
Funding
Organization
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Overview
• After selection and interviewing, the Interns work for you for a period of 52
weeks, matched with our senior consultants as coaches. During or after this
period the client and Acosys have several avenues for extending the contract
if they wish.
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The Acosys AIP: AIP Process
• Acosys provides for every two or three Consultant/Mentors on project
(depending on the price point), we place one Intern, free of charge, to
maintain an Aboriginal component, which is the core of the AIP and our
business mission.
• Acosys uses existing Standing Offer And Supplier Arrangements
(SO/SA) or Master Supplier Agreements (MSA) and works with the
Health Canada’s IT group and HR departments to facilitate the
placement and integration into Health Canada’s workforce.
• Our program is distinct from most existing Aboriginal skills
development programs in that, while they provide for entry-level and
trade internships, with wage and training subsidies, ours caters to
budding private sector professionals (technologist and management),
offering on-the-job experience and coaching.
• Our customer and partners do not change the way they do business
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The Acosys AIP: Creating Opportunity through Partnerships
Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR), Aboriginal Spend
Aboriginal Employment Equity
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Past Successes – AIP Engagement
Montreal
1
1
4
Winnipeg
1
1
1
Ottawa
1
Toronto
1
3
Worked on client projects
4
1
Resulted in client hires
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Proprietary and Not for Distribution
AIP Highlights
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Stephanie interned at Acosys in 2009 as a junior Business Analyst. She is
now full time RBC as Intermediate Business Analyst.
RBC engage 3 interns in a 9 month Internship Program and May 2010 they
were moved to FTE and are recruiting for the bank through the Royal
Eagles program.
Accenture has been intern partner since 2010 and have hired Joni, Jon,
Chris, closing income gap and creating sustainable employment
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Why Focus on developing
professionals?
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Holistic Inclusion Productivity and
Exchange Network
Answer: Participation networks and productivity and exchange
with creative solutions
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Why do Business with Acosys?
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•
•
•
•
•
You will meet your resources and
project needs
You will increase your direct
Aboriginal spend
We will provide higher a CSR
value through a business
relationship
You can leverage our proven
internship model to increase
Aboriginals talent in your
workforce
We want to be a partner more than
a just vendor
We are out of the box thinkers and
we always working for you
We do all that while it’s
business usual for you
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Inspiring Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakKfY5aHmY
Additional Thoughts
Providing direction
Challenges for Aboriginal Professionals
Providing direction
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Challenges, Barriers and Obstacles
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In 2009, Aboriginal unemployment sat at 14.8%, about double the national
rate.
In 2006, the median income for Aboriginal peoples was $18,962 — 30%
lower than the $27,097 median income for the rest of Canadians.
According to the Employment Equity Act Review (EEAR) of 2001,
Aboriginals are represented in the workforce at rates well below their
availability, proportional to other groups.
Whatever the reasons – historical, geographical, educational – Aboriginals
suffer disadvantages in the labour market, compared to the mainstream.
The costs of this under-employment of Aboriginal talent are not just
individual, but affect the entire society, as any waste of human resources
does inevitably.
Internship programs like this one benefit the interns, their communities, and
ultimately the whole marketplace.
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Challenges, Barriers and Obstacles
• On top of this, a disproportionate number of
university-educated Aboriginals seek and
find employment in the public sector, rather
than the professional private sector.
• The EEAR demonstrated that Aboriginals
are represented in the federal public service
at almost 200% of their proportional labour
market availability.
• With a growing Aboriginal population,
especially in cities, it is increasingly
important to encourage public sector workers
and new graduates to move into the private
sector.
• This AIP provides a vehicle to get them on
their way.
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What are Aboriginal people in
university studying?
Note: Table courtesy of TD Bank 15+ years age group is used
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Program Approaches
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Work integration and education programs are designed for building up
Aboriginal self-sufficiency and inclusion, and we agree that economic
development and greater employment are an important part of this.
Programs are on a macro level, through policies such as PSAB, on a micro
level through partnership with NAOs, and also through various nonprofessional internships or work integration programs. We want to help the
HRSDC extend its solutions into the professional private sector, on the
micro level.
Existing training programs typically involve various forms of course training,
on-the-job training, work experience, life skills training, job search
assistance, resume preparation, transportation aid, and interview skills. In
other words, they are short term interventions. We want to do long term
intervention that lead to building talent visibility with our customer that lead
to full-time position with our customers.
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Current Program Gaps
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Many programs show success within a six-month window, but clients often
return to income assistance after a year. Longer term follow-up would
properly reveal which programs help clients become truly economically selfsufficient.
Most employment and training programs have three main weaknesses,
particularly when applied to Aboriginals:
1. These programs do not provide the sequential learning, nor the essential
reading and writing skills derived from years of schooling.
2. Limited skills training qualifies the participant for a specific job, but does not
support the "jump" to a higher level occupation that offers better pay and
security.
3. As a result, participants often cannot increase their wage earnings enough to
remove the incentive to stay on social assistance. In most jurisdictions, income
assistance programs compensate clients significantly more than low wage
employment obtained with weak skills.
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Private Sector Needs and Challenges
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The private sector, awoken to the benefits of diverse employment,
wants actively to recruit Aboriginal talent.
However, recruitment and retention have posed constant
challenges.
Part of the solution is to build new talent, fresh from a postsecondary education. Another part is to build career bridges for
Aboriginal professionals transitioning from the public to the private
sector, a move which can prove more difficult than it sounds since
there is gap between private and public sector experience.
The professional private sector also requires more flexible wage
subsidies than are currently available.
The solution to these challenges can and should be implemented
in the private sector, with the cooperation of willing private
companies, National Aboriginal Organizations (NAOs) and the
government.
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Government of Canada
Goal and Objectives for Aboriginal
Inclusion
Providing direction
Federal Government Priorities
Federal Government’s Priorities for Aboriginal People:
• Education: Improving educational outcomes of Aboriginal learners
• Reconciliation, Governance and Self–Government: Healing past injustices and
strengthening Canada's relationship with Aboriginal People
• Economic Development: Improving economic well–being, prosperity and self–reliance
The new Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development will be
consistent with Advantage Canada by:
• focusing government so that roles and responsibilities are aligned to maximize
economic outcomes for Aboriginal Canadians;
• supporting skills and training that will create new opportunities and choices for
Aboriginal peoples;
• leveraging investment and promoting partnerships with the private sector to produce
sustainable growth for Aboriginal peoples; and
• acting to free businesses to grow and succeed by removing barriers to Aboriginal
entrepreneurship and leveraging access to commercial capital
House of Commons: Standing Committee on Finance:
• How to achieve a sustained economic recovery in Canada?
• How to create quality sustainable jobs?
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Canada Economic Action Plan
Responsible Resource Development
Responsible Resource Development is the Government of Canada’s plan to create jobs,
growth, and long-term prosperity for all Canadians by streamlining the review process for
major resource projects.
Support for Workers and the Unemployed
The Government of Canada offers programs and initiatives supporting workers and the
unemployed. Some of these include the Wage Earner Protection Program, the Hiring
Credit for Small Business, and the Helmets to Hardhats program.
Shipbuilding
The National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) will create jobs and generate
significant economic benefits in shipbuilding and related industries across Canada
Building Canada's North
The Government of Canada has made the North a top priority, with a clear vision for the
North as a healthy, prosperous region within a strong and sovereign Canada. Learn more
about EAP initiatives supporting jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in Canada's North.
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Whole of Government Approach
All department need to focus on Government of Canada priorities:
1. Keep economy moving forward
2. Creating jobs
3. Skills and Training
4. Environment (natural and socio-economic)
Also to be considered are:
1. Urban aboriginal inclusion
2. Shifting sands of recent ruling
(i.e. Daniels, Red River Land Claim, etc.)
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Alignment of Government Goals
HRSDC
• Building Aboriginal Human Resources Capacity
• Creating more opportunities for better skills building
• Creating more employment
AANDC
• Improving Aboriginal well-being and quality of life of Aboriginal people
• Focus economic development
• Providing more contract opportunities in both Public and Private Sector
PWGSC
• Aboriginal Vendor Inclusion
• Set-Aside
• Aboriginal Benefits Requirements
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Sustainable Procurement
Procurement is called sustainable when it integrates requirements, specifications and
criteria that are compatible and in favor of the protection of the environment, of social
progress and in support of economic development, namely by seeking resource
efficiency, improving the quality of products and services and ultimately optimizing costs.
Through sustainable procurement, organizations use their own buying power to give a
signal to the market in favor of sustainability and base their choice of goods and services
on:



economic considerations: best value for money, price, quality, availability,
functionality;
environmental aspects, i.e. green procurement: the impacts on the environment
that the product and/or service has over its whole life-cycle, from cradle to grave;
and
social aspects: effects of purchasing decisions on issues such as poverty
eradication, international equity in the distribution of resources, labor conditions,
human rights.
Visit us at:
www.acosysconsulting.com
David Acco
President
Acosys Consulting Services Inc.
100 Alexis-Nihon Blvd, Suite 591
St-Laurent, QC H4M 2P1
Phone:
514-744-9433 extension: 112
Fax:
514-744-6768
Cell phone:
514-434-9433
email:
[email protected]
Penny for your thoughts?
9/23/13
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