Women and Trades in the Green Economy

Collage: Women and Trades in the Green Economy: Striving to Be Green All Year Round!
Credits: MS Office ClipArt - j0434449 + j0437324

2009 @ bizjunction.blogspot.com

I am sure there has been much discussion on the topic "How Women can fill the gap in the field of trades". Most definitely, industry forecasters acknowledge the current and ever growing the trade shortage. And, yes, it has been mentioned many times that more than half of Ontario’s skilled trades people will retire in the next 5 years and 4 out of every 10 businesses that depend on skilled trades are expected to face a labour shortage.

So, I ask the question: "Are you a woman looking at future jobs in trades?" Then, I would recommend you to research such occupations that embrace "the green economy". There is now a strong movement toward creating environmentally sustainable energy sources. With our current global financial crisis, it is even more crucial to be green! The colour "green" will pave the way for plentiful future jobs in trades.

For example, in the field of trades, the green movement will open up a lot of jobs for electricians, iron and steel workers, construction workers, and sheet metal workers. Construction workers in our greening economy will be able to get jobs retrofitting homes to make them more efficient. The biggest support for renovation and revitalization of construction jobs is the federal government offering a rebate for renovation, particularly with the emphasis on eco-retrofitters i.e. bumping up insulation, new tankless water heaters, etc… These two initiatives will offer more federal and provincial incentives for people to "go green".

Yes, indeed, money spent on retrofitting homes, and buildings will be a major economic driver for job development in the green economy. Some of the future plans for this green movement will include renewable energy tariffs, renewable energy goals for utilities /targets and the restrictions, and eventually the dissemination of new carbon emitting projects. All of these key objectives will push the government to develop more wind, solar and geothermal technology.

"Solar", "wind" and "sustainable energy solutions" are the hot words for the 21st century. As such, jobs in trades and professions will increase for water treatment; installation of solar energy systems i.e. installation of solar water heaters, reforestation, and cleaning up contaminated sites. Yes, indeed, the future of women in trades and in the green economy looks favorable.

For more research re: jobs in trades go to:

• Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program
• Possibilities: Skilled Trades Overview
• Apprenticesearch.com: Recruitment, Resources, Results
• CareerMATTERS: All Apprenticeships
• Ontario Job Futures: the current trends and future outlook for 163 occupations common to Ontario
• Second Career: A New Career, for Life
• ontariojobfutures.ca: Ontario Job Futures
• Jobboom Canada: Online job search

Copyright © D. A. Wright, June 2009. All rights reserved

Di Wright, B.A., Dipl. in Ad. Ed, Certified ESL Business Teacher, and Career Coach, Member of Career Professionals of Canada
Voice Mail: 416-208-3982
Website: diwright.info
LinkedIn: diwright
Blog: Communications and Career Coaching
Author: "Serendipity: A Journalling Workbook"

link:
Pursuit Of Employment: Is there an Art to Mastering Change?
by Di Wright

Toronto Innovation Forum June 16, 2009 Program "Opportunity, Creativity and Partnership"

Screenshot: Toronto Innovation Forum June 16, 2009 Program "Opportunity, Creativity and Partnership"
Credit: enterprisetoronto.com

Event Schedule

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Registration, Coffee and Innovation Showcase

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.
Welcome Address – Councillor Mike Feldman (Council Chamber)

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.
Opening Keynote: Attracting Investment (Council Chamber)
Daniel Mothersill
President and Founding Member, National Angel Capital Organization
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Ryerson University
Director, Angel Network Program, Government of Ontario
A serial entrepreneur and Angel investor, Daniel has years of hands-on experience in industries ranging from telecommunications and green technologies to natural resources and IT. In the last decade, he has founded and financed several companies and spun off three of them as profitable enterprises. In his keynote speech, Daniel will teach you know-how in making a financing presentation based on the model that has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs in raising more than $2 billion in seed and start-up funding.

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Expert Panel: Commercialization Pathway (Council Chamber)
Academic, financial and consulting experts will explore the innovation commercialization process. This interactive discussion will address opportunity recognition, investment attraction, go-to-market strategies and professional support services.

Panellists:
Walter Derzko, Smart Economy; Author of "Hard Times, Golden Opportunities"
Scott Tanner, President, DVS Sciences Inc.; Chair, Ontario Chapter, Manning Innovation Awards
Jacoline Loewen, Managing Partner, Loewen & Partners Corporate Services Inc.
Oleg Amurjuev, Business Advisor and Coach, AOCS Business Consulting
Panel Moderator: Deepak Bajaj, Director, Industry Innovation, Seneca College

11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Break: Innovation Showcase and Networking
Please take this opportunity to visit the Innovation Showcase and meet experts from government agencies, investment organizations and leading service Providers.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Entrepreneur Panel: Meet the Innovators (Council Chamber)
A panel of entrepreneurs who have successfully commercialized their innovations will tell their stories and share valuable experiences. You will gain practical tips, hear about best practices and learn what it takes to become an innovation leader. Don’t miss this session!

Panellists:
Angella Hughes, President and CEO, Xogen Technologies Inc.
Stephen C. Wong, President and CEO, ESM Groups Inc.
Dmitri Nissanov, President, Antibex Software Inc.
Cameron Piron, Founder and President, Sentinelle Medical Inc.
Panel Moderator: Ed Hobbs, General Manager, Toronto Business Development Centre

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break: Innovation Showcase and Networking

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Expert Panel: Innovation, Government Services and You (Council Chamber)
Representatives from a range of organizations will tell you about government programs and resources that innovators need to know about.

Panellists:
John Tasopoulos, Account Manager, Business Development Bank of Canada
Dumitru Olariu, Business Development Officer, Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Neil Wight, Business Information Officer, Canada-Ontario Business Service Centre
Yvonne Gruenthaler, Deputy Director, Investment and Innovation, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Angelo Del Duca, Director, Ontario Region, Industrial Research Assistance Program
Jose E. Costa, Manager, Business Development, Ontario Centres of Excellence
Panel Moderator: Sam Boonstra, Director, Canada-Ontario Business Service Centre

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Breakout Workshops (Committee Room 1 to 5)
Choose from the following workshops delivered by industry leaders:

• Best Practices in Venture Creation (Room 1)
Veronika Litinski, Practice Lead, Healthcare and Life Sciences, MaRS
An overview of what makes your business valuable to investors and how to develop a viable business strategy.

• Intellectual Property Protection (Room 2)
James W. Carson, Lawyer, Blaney McMurtry
As a lawyer and a registered trade mark and patent agent, James will provide
you insider’s view on new development in Intellectual property protection.

• Government Programs for Innovators (Room 3)
Veronica Gareau, Regional Business Officer, Canada-Ontario Business Service Centre
This session is your best source for government programs and services to support Canadian innovation and business.

• Attracting Angel Investors (Room 4)
Scott MacCannell, President of York Angel
Rob Koturbash, Managing Director of Maple Leaf Angels
Bryan Watson, Executive Director of the National Angel Capital Organization
The panel will share with you their most valuable insights on attracting angel investors by straight talking. Prepare your question well and get direct answer.

• Creating Ideas to Creating Wealth (Room 5)
David Burton, Founder of Centre for Creative Thinking; Author of "Creating Ideas to Creating Wealth"
As a veteran speaker, professional writer and ratio host, David will introduce his newest product at the Innovation Forum 2009 on creating ideas to creating wealth.

3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
Facilitated Networking Session (Members’ Lounge)
Bring your business cards, interact with your peers and meet other entrepreneurs, potential clients and partners. Get high quality business leads and contacts by just being there! You will also have the opportunity to win valuable draw prizes.
Facilitator: Wendy Woods, Principal, Watershed Training Solutions

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Innovation Showcase (Members’ Lounge)
Dozens of innovations will be on display by inventors from Toronto and beyond. This is also the marketplace for innovators, investors and entrepreneurs to meet and network.

Toronto Innovation Forum 2009: Opportunity, Creativity and Entrepreneurship: Stay on Top of Innovation

Poster: Enterprise Toronto Innovation Forum 2009:
Opportunity, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

INNOVATION FORUM 2009

"Opportunity, Creativity and Entrepreneurship"

Day: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Location: North York Civic Centre,
Address: 5100 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M2N 5V7
Council Chamber

INNOVATION FORUM 2009 - PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Free admission, but advance registration is required.
Register online now or call 416-395-7499 as seating is limited.

Innovation is about thinking outside the box. This Innovation Forum 2009 will provide you a platform to do just that. If you have a great idea or innovation, want to improve your creative thinking skills, or simply want to learn how to develop an innovative idea into a successful business venture, then don't miss the Innovation Forum 2009.

Organized by Enterprise Toronto, Toronto Economic Development, Culture and Tourism and the Alliance of Technology & Science Specialists Toronto, Innovation Forum 2009 will bring together leading experts on innovation and entrepreneurship to help take your creative ideas to the next level of success. Looking for help and guidance to commercialize your idea or product? No problem! You'll find the information and contacts you need to get up and running on the road to venture creation and financial success.

Business-to-business product and service providers, government agencies, professional associations, venture investors and innovation experts and advisors will be on hand to inform, educate, and connect with current and aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs.

Who Should Attend?

• Anyone that wants to learn how to be a better creative thinker and innovator
• Those who want to learn how to succeed in developing an innovative idea into a business venture
• Current and future innovators and inventors
• Aspiring Entrepreneurs and existing business owners
• New immigrants eager to use their innovative skills and experiences in business
• Investors looking to find business opportunities
• Those who want to establish a wealth of innovation and business network contacts.

Come spend a day of creative thinking, innovation, entrepreneurial education and business networking! Visit www.enterprisetoronto.com regularly for updated schedules, topics and speakers.

links:
The Enterprise Toronto
http://www.enterprisetoronto.com
The Alliance of Technology & Science Specialists Toronto
http://www.atss.org/

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Invitation to Russian Health Fair May 10, 2009

Screenshot: Russian Health Fair, Toronto, May 10, 2009
Credit: Russian Library and Community Information Centre

What a wonderful opportunity to get information about health care providers and to learn more about other health related services.

Everyone is welcome to come and get info on Services for Russian Speaking Community, Alternative Medicine, Home Care, Retirement Residences and much more...

Russian Health Fair

Sunday, May 10, 2009
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Bernard Betel Centre
1003 Steeles Ave West (and Bathurst St.)
Toronto, Ontario M2R 3T6

Organizers: Health In Motion Rehabilitation, Canadian Hearing Society, Russian Library and Info Centre, CHATS (Community Home Assistance to Seniors)

Target group: Russian speaking adults and seniors

What: tables and booths with displays and info from different agencies that provide services to the Russian speaking Community, as well as other Health related services (with help of volunteer interpreters)

When: May 10, 2009, Sunday.
10:00 am opening – 3:00 pm closing. (9:30-set-up/2:30 clean up).

10 am -11 am: Opening Remarks and Exhibitors Introductions
11 am- 2 pm: Information tables in the Auditorium
2 pm - 3 pm: Panel Discussions: Back Pain, Arthritis, Chronicle Pains, Migraines, Osteopath, Chiropractor and Homeopath

It is free of charge for the public and everyone is welcome to attend. The event will be presented for the 2nd time in Toronto for the Russian speaking community. Ethnic Channels and Newspapers will cover the event. Snacks and drinks will be served.

For information please call (416) 928-2548

Hope to see you there!
Drop In – Free of Charge

Credit: Russian Library and Community Information Centre
http://www.russianlibrary.ca/rlib/content/may-10-2008-russian-health-fair

link:
Invitation to Russian Health Fair 2008

mafiaboy @ it360: The Dark Side Has Learned

Screenshot: it360.ca: Opening Keynote: Mafiaboy: How I Cracked the Internet
and Why It's Still Broken
By Michael Calce with Craig Silverman
Credit: it360.ca

I don't normally condone the lionising of crackers; it only encourages the little pests. (It's like calling graffiti vandals "artists".) Allowing a major exploit the foundation of a security career also strikes me as a perverse incentive. However, a suitably public recantation and credible evidence of reform should be accepted, so I was prepared to listen to the keynote dialogue between Craig Silverman and Michael Calce (Mafiaboy) at IT-360.

Like Torvalds, Calce was introduced to computers extremely young, and began to explore their internals very thoroughly. Unlike Linus, he had the misfortune to fall in with the wrong "community".

The famous exploit that took down Amazon and Yahoo was devised as a weapon for use in juvenile gang warfare on the Internet, but the damage it caused was not so much deliberately anti-social behaviour, more an example of "Sorcerer's Apprentice Syndrome". Like Robert Morris' 1988 worm, a combination of misapplied (and inadequately tested) skill and adolescent lack of foresight caused damage way beyond its instigator's intentions, and promptly terrified him with its consequences.

Although he still wants to be acknowledged for the technical skill, knowledge, and (perverse) creativity he clearly displayed, Calce seems to have acquired a moral compass as a result of his experiences, and aims to use those attributes in a positive way. What he had to say about the evolution of the Internet since 1998 wasn't really news to anyone who's been watching. (There was some novelty in his suggestion that the fuss over Conficker and April 1. was a diversionary tactic to conceal some other timing or target.)

The Dark Side has learned, and morphed from pointless and largely inconsequential, (to anyone else), tribal squabbling, to serious, financially-motivated crime, with large potential rewards. The threats are greatly enhanced by the multiplication of the bandwidth available to individuals for attacks like DDoS.

The forces of good, on the other hand, are still stuck with an architecture designed for a basically trustworthy environment. In particular, BIND and named are fundamentally broken. Unlike the bad guys, the commercial world appears not to have learnt very much, because it keeps enabling the same old exploits, (buffer overflows, memory corruption, &c), and enabling new ones (XSS &c.).

I'll attribute to youthful naivety his proposed solution of government-level certification of programs. Even if it were possible to restrict the code visible to the Internet, the demonstrated ineptness of government and law-enforcement in networking matters makes any idea of officially-inspired solutions a bad joke. (That's my opinion, not Calce's.)

Even if there were no world-class insights revealed, the event was sufficiently interesting that I might take the book out of the Library.

2009 © AR

links:
it360.ca: Opening Keynote: Mafiaboy: How I Cracked the Internet and Why It's Still Broken
itworldcanada.com: Mafiaboy to headline IT 360
By: Jennifer Kavur - Computer World Canada (24 Mar 2009)
mafiaboybook.com: Mafiaboy: How I Cracked the Internet and Why It's Still Broken
sipgroup.blogspot.com: IT360° Show + HiTech Career Fair + Entrepreneurial Success Stories
bizjunction.blogspot.com: mafiaboy @ it360: The Dark Side Has Learned
by AR

technorati tags:
19 posts tagged mafiaboy
14 posts tagged craig silverman
19 posts tagged michael calce
5 posts tagged it360
11,771 posts tagged the internet
4,064 posts tagged internet security

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ATSS Seminar: Commercializing New Technologies and Inventions

Screenshot: Next Seminar of ATSS will take place on February 11, 2009
Credit: ATSS

Alliance of Technology and Science Specialists

Professional Club Meeting

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 7:00 PM

The Lipa Green Building for Jewish Community Services
4600 Bathurst Street, Room 420
(located on Bathurst Street, just north of Sheppard Avenue)
(Free parking)

Agenda:

1. Commercialization of Innovations (information about Ontario Centres of Excellence programs and services for innovators)
2. Information about Innovation Forum-2009
3. Information about other businesses

The BOARD of ATSS invites you to participate in our Professional Club for a lecture followed by a discussion dedicated to a critically important path in commercialization of new technologies and inventions: from inception of a new venture to launching a developed product ready to the global market. The following issues will be discussed during the presentation: marketing, building a successful company and team, and raising venture capital.

The Board of ATSS also would like to discuss the upcoming event: Innovation Forum-2009 "Harnessing Immigrants' Intellectual Power". The Forum will be supported by the government, municipal organizations and businesses. ATSS really appreciates your opinions and suggestions as well as help.

ATSS is supporting a number of innovative projects in the fields of Environmental Studies, Health Care, Information Infostructure, Artificial Intelligence, and other fields.

Board of Directors welcomes everybody who would like to be informed about the projects and opportunities to be involved in the developments. Canadian experience and references will be provided to volunteer participants in the projects.

For additional information, please call: (905) 763-2625 or (905) 508-8423

A meeting is for everyone! Newcomers, specialists, business owners, entrepreneurs join us for discussion!

http://www.atss.org

ATSS: Следующий семинар ATSS состоится 11 февраля 2009 года
ATSS: Next Seminar of ATSS will take place on February 11, 2009

Toronto Small Business Forum 2008: Building A Green Foundation For the Future

Enterprise Toronto: Small Business Forum 2008
Credit: enterprisetoronto.com

The emergence of "green marketing", and "green businesses and enterprise” was a prevalent theme for this year’s Forum. It seems that "green" is now the primary foundation colour for building any current and future successful business venture.

On October 20th, 2008, I attended the Toronto Small Business Forum 2008 at the Delta Chelsea Hotel.

As usual, it featured a diverse perspective in its presentations, seminars, round table discussions, and break out seminars by various successful entrepreneurs and industry experts.

Renowned key note speakers and their presentations, such as Laurie Simmonds' "Green Enterprise"- President of Green Living Enterprises, and "Lessons Learned from Building a Green Business" by Tom Heintzman - President of Bullfrog Power, stressed the global concern for environmental issues and eco-friendly products.

Also, impressive was the tremendous wealth of resources available for those just starting their business and for the seasoned entrepreneur as well. These were well-displayed in the small business trade show hosting 50 exhibitors, including government agencies, educational institutions, business associations, and companies providing a wide range of products targeted to entrepreneurs.

Particularly helpful was the networking session facilitated by the energetic Wendy Woods of Watershed Training Solutions. It offered a great opportunity to meet and greet so many wonderful people who can become vital connectors in growing anyone's small business.

The emergence of "green marketing", and "green businesses and enterprise" was a prevalent theme for this year's Forum. It seems that "green" is now the primary foundation colour for building any current and future successful business venture.

After enjoying this year's, I now look forward to the one in 2009 to see the new hot trends that will continue to emerge for us in the 21st century.

Copyright © D. A. Wright, October 2008. All rights reserved
Business Communication Specialist and Career/Life Coach
B.A. , Dipl. in Ad. Ed, Certified ESL Teacher
Author: "Serendipity: A Journalling Workbook"
Website: http://diwright.info/index.htm
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/diwright
Blog: http://diwrightsig.blogspot.com/
Voice Mail: 416-208-3982

Toronto Small Business Forum 2008
Going Green for the Entrepreneur of the Future
October 20th, 2008
Delta Chelsea Hotel
33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto
8 am to 5 pm

Free Admission!

The Toronto Small Business Forum 2008 will bring together entrepreneurs and experts on small business strategies to help you take your business to the next level of success. Haven't started a business yet? No problem. You'll find all the information you need to get on the road to self-employment and personal success.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Entrepreneurs who want to learn how to start a business and those wanting to expand their business should attend Toronto Small Business Forum 2008. Discover the latest trends and tools for operating a successful business from start-up to early growth. Explore potential financing sources, make valuable business contacts and access new markets all in one location!