Final report summary: Challenge Factory

Overview:

With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund, the Toronto-based Challenge Factory developed a playbook to promote Veterans as a source of talent for small- and medium-sized businesses. The playbook also adjusts best practice programs, tools and processes that are used in larger companies for small- and medium-sized businesses with limited human resources and recruitment capacity.

Project goals:

This project’s goals were to develop a resource that:

• Raises awareness that Veterans can alleviate recruitment challenges and fill labour shortages; and
• Modifies best practice programs, tools and processes used in large enterprises for employers with limited human resources and recruitment capacity.

Project activities:

The playbook was developed through the following activities:

• Reviewed existing program practices and materials for hiring Veterans within five large enterprises.
• Incorporated Challenge Factory’s previous research into leading practices, templates and data related to hiring Veterans and small business recruitment practices.
• Designed and tested the playbook for small- and medium-sized enterprises.
• Created and distributed the final version of the playbook.

Project results:

Challenge Factory successfully created The Canadian Guide to Hiring Veterans, an easy-to-use booklet to help employers find, hire, and retain Veterans. It includes practical, reusable tools for hiring Veterans such as a hiring checklist, interview guide, and onboarding framework. The booklet also includes research about Veterans in the civilian workforce, and additional resources for connecting with Veterans, job services, and other human resources tools.