Employer Spotlight: Institute of Diabetes & Endocrinology
Dr. Tharsan Sivakumar, Director of the Institute of Diabetes & Endocrinology, provided a doctor from Pakistan with training and support through the YMCA of Greater Toronto's Employment Services.
Irum Siddiqui was able to pursue her passion and further her medical aspirations after moving to Canada thanks to the help of the YMCA and Dr. Sivakumar. The Institute was pivotal in making Irum’s employment a true success story.
According to Dr. Sivakumar, several specialists and diabetes educators work at the Institute, which has been serving the Ajax and Scarborough communities for the past 6 years. Sivakumar says the Institute began using the Y’s employment services about 3 years ago.
"We were looking to hire more staff and this seemed to be a great resource to explore," he says.
Assistant managers, medical assistants, and medical secretaries are positions that the Institute has hired through the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
Dr. Sivakumar feels the YMCA does a great job screening applicants and finding the right person for each position. "We've hired some excellent staff who were referred to us through the YMCA program.”
Knowledgeable, dependable, and dedicated are words Dr. Sivakumar uses to describe these staff – and at the Institute, the support goes both ways.
"We support our employees and do whatever we can to help them sort out their long term career paths, as well as provide them with education while they're here," he says." I think people learn a lot just from the experience of working here."
"I think it gives both employers and employees a good opportunity to interact and meet each other,” explains Dr. Sivakumar. “I wish more people knew about this particular YMCA service."
GTA employers interested in partnering with the YMCA of Greater Toronto can learn more on our website. Read more about Irum’s employment success story.