BeFemme
Build. Find. Match.
Armin Kusmic, Christy Chan, Karrie Chou, Mahdi Raza Khunt, Youngwon Kim
Meet Priya the Persevering Oncologist
Age: 42 years old
Position: Front desk dental clinic assistant
Education: PhD in Oncology
Immigrated from
Sri Lanka with her 2 children
Goals
I know I have skills and experience to offer, but I'm struggling to find a job that matches my qualifications.
Frustrations
Needs
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
465K
245K
135K
81K
85K
141K
255K
485K
87K
145K
263K
500K
PR Target
Women*
Women with education beyond HS
Underemployed Women
There will be 253K people like Priya in Canada by 2025
Immigrants are less likely than Canadian-born individuals to occupy positions that leverage their qualifications.
2023
2024
2025
*Only includes immigrants above 15 years old
Source: Statistics Canada, Scotiabank
Priya’s Journey So Far
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Doing
Connecting to resources to set herself and her children up for success.
Getting excited to fulfill her dreams.
Going through the motions.
Wondering if this will be her life forever.
Many tabs open, not knowing where to start.
Thinking
“I’m looking forward to giving us the life we deserve in Canada.”
“What a great first step! I’m so excited for work!”
“This work is so mind-numbing…”
“This wasn’t at all what I expected to be doing.”
“My children don’t deserve this, I need to do better…”
Arrive in Canada
Start looking on job boards
Get matched to a job from a welcome centre
Go to work
Come home unsatisfied
The Process
Relevant Audience
Does it target unemployed or underemployed newcomer women with technical qualifications?
Relevant Service Type
Does it provide employment related help?
Community Building
Does it encourage women to connect with others in similar situations?
Stakeholder Engagement
Does it engage multiple stakeholders?
Why this criterion?
Job Skills
BRHCAO
triec
Mentoring Partnership
Gender Fair
InHerSight
Government of Canada
Job Bank
The ideal solution focuses on a specific niche of people like Priya.
The ideal solution brings people like Priya through their preferred pipeline.
The ideal solution allows Priya to benefit from support in many aspects of her life.
The ideal solution encourages Priya to build a professional network for self-actualization.
Adequate
Exceeds Expectation
Lacking
Pressure from dependents such as children force newcomer women to find a job as quickly as possible, even if it is not in their industry of choice and if the work is precarious.
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
BUILD
FIND
MATCH
BUILD
Providing the resources necessary to help users level up their skills, qualifications, and knowledge about the Canadian job market.
FIND
MATCH
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Pillar 1: Build
BUILD
FIND
Enabling newcomer women to pursue careers aligned with their backgrounds by showing them jobs they are interested in.
MATCH
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Pillar 2: Find
BUILD
FIND
MATCH
Fostering a community of like-minded individuals because fellow immigrants are the most equipped to answer questions about establishing one’s self in Canada.
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Pillar 3: Match
Priya’s Journey To Be
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Doing
Connecting to resources to set herself and her children up for success.
Looking forward to finding a job that matches her skill set.
Realizing how many options she has in exact and adjacent fields.
Getting her questions about the Canadian job market answered.
Making a plan to interview prep with her mentor.
Thinking
“I’m looking forward to giving us the life we deserve in Canada.”
“I’m so excited to see what I can do here!”
“Wow, this is a lot…where do I start?”
“Perfect – I have someone to go to for support!”
“Let’s go, I’m excited to start working on myself!”
Arrive in Canada
Learns what new skills she needs to secure her dream job
Learn about BeFemme from a welcome centre
Discovers Opportunities
Connects with a Mentor
The Process
How would Priya benefit from using BeFemme?
Front Desk Assistant
On the Path to Oncology Once More
Low job satisfaction
Precarious shift work
Stressed and uncertain about her future
High job satisfaction
Consistent work schedule
Hopeful and moving towards self-actualization
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
BeFemme’s user-centred features, including its job board, job typicality scoring methodology, career building modules, and unique mentorship opportunities, will help move Priya towards a place in her new life where she can take control of her future and accomplish her goals.
30%
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Canada is on track to lose its highly skilled immigrants
The retention of immigrants is crucial for Canada’s labour market and future economic prosperity.
*Defined as a degree holder working in a job that typically requires a high school education or less
Source: Canada Immigration News, Government of Canada, Statistics Canada
It will take Priya
~10 Years
to earn the same amount of income as her Canadian-born counterparts.
Of immigrants between 18-34 are considering leaving Canada in the next 2 years.
28%
23%
Overqualification* was higher among women than men for immigrants who hold degrees from foreign institutions
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Why is BeFemme the right solution for today’s working world?
Newcomer women are being increasingly pushed into jobs that are not sustainable in the long term for either their quality of life or their career advancement.
Newcomers possess unique skills, life experiences and perspectives which can drive equitable and scalable organizational change across industries.
Solutions on the market today often exclude the niche of underemployed newcomer women and tend to address the needs of more general populations.
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Development Timeline
What We’ve Built
Core Features: Job Board, Mentor Matching, Profile
Job Reliability NB Classification Algorithm
Job Process Simulation and Skill Building Modules
User and Secondary Research for Problem Scoping
What’s Next
6 Months
1 Year
2 Years
3 Years
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Building Supply: Procuring Mentorship
To reinforce BeFemme’s credibility among newcomer women, the platform should speak to the desires of community leaders to assist those in need who are part of their social circles.
Mentors are critical to BeFemme’s success, therefore, our limited early resources will be directed towards mentor procurement to ensure early adopters feel supported and succeed.
Establishing Regional Teams of Cultural and Religious Community Members to Advocate on BeFemme’s Behalf
Building Trust Between The BeFemme Team and Cultural or Religious Leaders
Provides Visibility to Cultural Nuances in Immigrant Communities
…helps BeFemme with…
…resulting in BeFemme…
Introduction
Problem
Solution
Why Now?
Our Plan
Targeted Impact After Year 1
We expect to pilot launch BeFemme with Toronto-based Welcome Centers in 6 months. We will focus on building a strong foundation and fostering a community throughout the first year.
Newcomer Women brought onto BeFemme through Pilot Program
Average wage penalty experienced by underemployed newcomer women
*Estimated total boost to national wealth through “job upgrading”
400
$20K-$25K
$800K-$1M
*Assuming 10% of newcomer women who sign up successfully “job upgrade”
Source: JobSkills, Scotiabank
Thank You!
We hope we’re your ideal match!
Appendix
Relevant Audience
Does it target unemployed or underemployed newcomer women with technical qualifications?
Relevant Service Type
Does it provide employment related help?
Community Building
Does it encourage women to connect with others in similar situations?
Stakeholder Engagement
Does it engage multiple stakeholders?
Why this criterion?
Job Skills
BRHCAO
triec
Mentoring Partnership
Gender Fair
InHerSight
Government of Canada
Job Bank
Targets unemployed and underemployed newcomers.
Targets unemployed and underemployed newcomers.
Targets women.
Targets women.
Targets all job-seeking demographics.
Provides work placement and mentorship.
Provides mentorship.
Provides information about workplace standards.
Provides tailored company profiles.
Provides career planning tools.
Work placements can introduce a larger network.
Only one connection – your mentor.
Comparable to a static dashboard of resources.
Expert opinions from around the working world.
Includes interactive planning tools.
Program structure allows participants to meet peers.
1-on-1 support can build closeness into the network.
Users don’t talk to other users, but interaction can take place.
Little interaction with other users.
Little interaction with other users
The ideal solution focuses on a specific niche of people like Priya.
The ideal solution brings people like Priya through their preferred pipeline.
The ideal solution allows Priya to benefit from support in many aspects of her life.
The ideal solution encourages Priya to build a professional network for self-actualization.
Adequate
Meets needs
Lacking
Full Competitive Analysis with Rationales
Compensation Estimates for BeFemme Team Positions
Source: Government of Canada Job Bank
Lower Limit | $18.00/hour |
Median (50th Percentile) | $25.00/hour |
Upper Limit | $39.06/hour |
Numbers based on hourly wages of Ontario region settlement workers in community service settings.
In order to attract career coaches, module content designers, partnership managers, and project managers to ensure the smooth rollout of BeFemme’s features and settlement network connections, we compensate individuals at a rate of $33.03/hour, which is the estimated 75th percentile of the range given above.
For more information and to view our precise calculations, see here.
Grant and Loan Program for Established Newcomers
Source: National Dental Board of Canada, Jobskills, Numbeo, CPA Ontario
A newcomer woman will be declared established and fit for funding if she meets the following criteria:
Reasons a newcomer woman might need loan funding.
Program | Time Commitment | Estimated Costs |
NDEB Equivalency Process (Dentistry) | 3 Exams & 1 Clinical Assessment | >$14,000 |
Simpact Practice FIrm | 10AM-2PM Monday-Friday | At least $3,500 to subsidize cost of living |
Common Final Examination for Memorandum of Understanding CPA (Accounting) | English Language Exam & 3 Day Common Final Exam | >$1,500 |
Feasibility Analysis
Link to GitHub