Government Sponsored Community Administrators

Eligibility - Responsibilities - Qualifications - How to Apply

The federal and municipal governments have joined to create an employment program designed to aid local communities as part of the SARS economic recovery strategy.

Called the 'Small Business and Community Festival Support Program' (SBCF), the initiative involves providing BIAs and other local groups with paid help.

The program seeks to provide temporary employment for those who meet the eligibility requirements and provide local organizations, which are mostly run by volunteers, with some much needed extra help.

The program begins on January 26th and runs for 46 weeks until December 10th.

Participants are required to work a total of 35 hours per week and will receive the maximum weekly EI benefit.

While each organization will establish their own job requirements, a list of the major responsibilities and key qualifications have been developed to guide the process.

An office has been set up at the National Trade Centre on the CNE grounds to process the applications - first to ensure eligibility and then to match skills with specific requirements.

The BIAs and Revitalization programs along St Clair are participating in the program and so are looking for qualified and eligible participants, with a preference for people who know and care about these communities.

If you are interested - or know someone that is - you can contact the field officer for this area directly for more details and information on how to apply.

Participant Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for this Job Creation Program (JCP), individuals must:

Have a current claim for employment insurance benefits; or
Have a previous claim whose benefit period ended in the preceding 36 months; or
Have a previous benefit that began in the preceding 60 months, during which the individual was paid maternity or parental benefits, after which they left the labour market to care for a newborn or newly adopted child and are now seeking to re-enter the labour market

Major Responsibilities

The program goal is to assist small businesses and community festival/event organizations with long-term planning and administrative support. Functions and duties will be subject to the needs of the partner organization and may include (but are not limited to) the following:
project and event management support
planning, marketing and promotion assistance
preparation of applications
financial, booking and administrative support
outreach and communication strategies to build awareness
volunteer recruitment activities
provide support and develop an asset inventory database
assist with the preparation of newsletters, memos, letters, website
communicate, liaise and work with board members, volunteers and staff
outreach and communication strategies to build awareness among businesses, property owners and the local community
promote programs and services

Key Qualifications

The ideal candidates will have some, if not all, of the following qualifications:

Meet the program participant eligibility requirements
Extensive experience performing administrative work and event management
Experience utilizing a variety of software packages, eg Microsoft Office Suite
Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as interpersonal skills
Experience in preparing and formatting reports, correspondence and documents
Strong organizational skills and experience with electronic filing systems and the management of large volumes of information, both hard copy and electronic format
Independent judgement and discretion in dealing with confidential business proposals as well as the ability to work with minimal supervision
Able to commit to a 35 hour per week placement (46 week maximum duration)

How To Apply

Interested parties should forward their resume and cover letter by fax or email to:

Lillian W. Annison
Program Field Officer
Small Business & Community Support Program
City of Toronto, Economic Development

Ph: 416-263-3290
Fax: 416-263-3507

Email: sbcf@mystclair.com