A group called
Toronto Homecoming (see
Yonge Street's feature from January 2010) is accepting applications from talented Torontonians who've moved away in an attempt to lure them back home. Those who qualify will attend a conference held June 9-12 that will showcase what Toronto has to offer and put them in touch with large firms firms and headhunters looking to hire executive talent.
This is the second annual Toronto Homecoming conference -- last year's attracted 40 Torontonians back to the city, according to organizers.
Toronto Homecoming co-chair Eva Wong Scanlon said that the genesis was a desire to help build on Toronto's recent economic growth. "Many organizations are trying to improve the economy by attracting corporations here, but we also realized that high-level talent is important to driving growth, so we came down on the personal side, to attract professionals." The organization's research shows that a significant number of Toronto's most talented and promising professionals leave the city to seek employment opportunities elsewhere.
The event is sponsored by the
Toronto CivicAction Alliance (formerly the Toronto City Summit Alliance), a group devoted to fostering growth and innovation in the city, headed by prominent politician, business executive and radio host John Tory. In a statement, Tory said that he had met some of the participants at last year's conference. "This event meets a real need in the city
by connecting talented individuals with great jobs in the region."
Wong Scanlon says that in the past decade, Toronto has developed a more global outlook that would value the foreign experience of its expatriates, and the conference will help dispell uncertainties by introducing professionals directly to potential employers.
Applications to attend the conference can be filed by early to mid-career "thought leaders" and executives
at the organization's website.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Eva Wong Scanlon, Toronto Homecoming