Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) has been named a top employer in the national capital region for 2023. This is the first year the organization has been recognized with this honour.
The National Capital Region's Top Employers designation recognizes the employers in the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. The annual competition is led by organizers of Canada's Top 100 Employers project, who evaluate employers on their ability and willingness to provide stable, foundational benefits, such as family-friendly and time-off policies.
"We are incredibly proud to be named among the national capital region's top employers," says CICan president and CEO Denise Amyot. "We want people to know how deeply we care for our people and that we are reimagining our workplace policies and practices to embrace a hybrid culture that takes into account the changing circumstances and expectations of our staff."
Despite the onslaught of challenges brought about by COVID-19, CICan has experienced significant growth over the past few years, doubling its staff. As a result, it continues to adapt and evolve to accommodate the unique needs of its growing and increasingly diverse workforce. Most notably, CICan has completely redesigned its office space to support hybrid work arrangements, including eliminating enclosed offices and creating an online system for staff to book workstations.
In addition to being named a top employer in the nation's capital, CICan has also earned a Canadian Nonprofit Employer of Choice (NEOC) Award. The award, presented in partnership with CCEOC Inc. and Charity eNews, recognizes a small number of not-for-profits each year that cultivate a culture of excellence and provide a superior employee experience. For CICan, this has meant ensuring its talent management practices reflect its vision, "better futures for peoples and communities," by creating a safe and welcoming work environment that promotes lifelong learning, equity, diversity and inclusion, and open communication and collaboration.