The Belong initiative will strengthen tourism's capacity to offer inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, leading (IDEAL) workplaces.
The project seeks to increase the awareness of disability inclusion and enhance the understanding of the significant benefits of hiring, retaining, and promoting persons with disabilities.
Belong is a three-year, pan-Canadian initiative generously funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) under the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.
As part of the initiative, Tourism HR Canada will undertake a suite of activities, including:
Accessible, Inclusive Employment Training
A suite of online, on-demand courses and facilitated workshop modules
Employer Disability Inclusion Toolkit
Resources dedicated to supporting tourism workplaces in becoming accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities.
Research, Surveys, Focus Groups
Exploring and sharing how disability impacts people in tourism workplaces.
Train-the-Facilitator Workshop
This in-person session will empower qualified facilitators to effectively deliver the Belong training program across Canada.
Workplace Accessibility Clinic
One-on-one advisory services tailored to the specific needs of individual tourism employers, covering disability-inclusive recruitment and retention, accessibility, accommodations, and compliance assistant, plus mentorship support.
Belong Connections
A range of events to assist tourism employers in attracting skilled individuals with disabilities by establish meaningful relationships with community organizations. Coming up: webinars, a National Service Provider Expo, and regional Community Connection events.
National Workplace Accreditation Program
Acknowledging tourism businesses for their commitment to workplace disability inclusion by adhering to industry-validated standards.
Tourism HR Canada will work closely with national, provincial/territorial, and local stakeholders to promote the project, recruit participants, and identify and support the needs of employers, community associations, and persons with disabilities.
Upcoming Events
Tourism HR Canada is pleased to be partnering with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) to host Belong Café Circles at its upcoming Regional Roundtable Series of events.
The Belong Café Circle is an interactive session fostering networking, collaboration, and community-building among tourism businesses, associations, and disability employment service providers. Through discussions and lightning talks, this session will explore Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) in tourism workplaces and highlight resources to attract and retain talent from underrepresented workforce pools.Â
Watch for resources, training, services, and more to support the long-term labour market integration of persons with disabilities across Canada’s tourism sector.
