Get started as a talent-facing organization

Labour mobility programs work best when there are organizations – usually based locally, with strong community experience and credibility – available to support displaced talent.

If your talent-facing organization is thinking about getting involved in labour mobility, first consider the type of engagement that aligns with your strategy and goals.  See here for a capacity self-assessment tool that can help you determine if your organization is a good fit for a displaced talent labour mobility program.

TBB has identified two main types of talent-facing organizations.

Outreach Organizations

Outreach organizations (or referral organizations) conduct outreach to specific populations and primarily serve to inform their audience about labour mobility pathways.

TBB recommends that nearly all talent-facing organizations begin in a referral role. This is an effective way to learn about labour mobility and, with minimal risk, test it in your local context. 

Referral organizations add information about labour mobility to their existing community outreach activities. They usually do not require funding or specialized labour mobility staff members in order to get started. 

If you contact TBB about becoming a referral organization, you can expect an initial orientation that covers key messages and guidance on outreach. Many of these points are covered in the articles Manage Expectations for Displaced Talent and Conduct Outreach to Displaced Talent for Labour Mobility Programs.

Some referral organizations also provide support to displaced talent at other stages of the labour mobility process, such as language testing or departure procedures. 

Managing organizations

Managing organizations conduct outreach, but they also implement all other pre-departure, talent-facing recruitment activities, from intaking displaced talent and identifying displaced talent for job opportunities to facilitating interviews for displaced talent, reviewing job offers for displaced talent, and addressing barriers to exit.

These activities require managing organizations to work within the Talent Catalog and undertake daily case management tasks. Most managing organizations hire a team of at least two staff members whose roles are solely focused on labour mobility, meaning that funding is generally necessary in order for an organization to commit to a managing role.

If you contact TBB about becoming a managing organization, you can expect to join a dedicated capacity-building program with intensive support from a TBB staff member. Many of the modules in the capacity building program draw on content that is covered in the Displaced Talent Hub.

Whether you decide to become a referral or a managing organization, be sure to set realistic targets and remember that part of your purpose is to test the solution and learn about what works – and what doesn’t. It is just as essential for talent-facing organizations to manage their own expectations as it is for them to manage the expectations of displaced talent.  

Talent-facing organizations have input into some, but not all, elements of the labour mobility process. While it is helpful to understand the ‘big picture’ of labour mobility, their work will have the most impact if they concentrate on the specific parts of the process that they can directly influence.

Recommended focus areas for talent-facing organizations include: