Remote work strategies for small businesses

This 5-week virtual course targets owners and operators of small- to medium-enterprises (those with fewer than 500 employees) who are most affected by COVID-19. Participants are primarily women and persons with disabilities.

Future Skills Centre is investing $68,876 in this 1-year project. Through 1 to 2 hours of weekly instruction, homework, and group discussions, students will learn the innovation skills to develop a long-term remote work strategy. In doing so, businesses will identify and realize sustainability goals, cost efficiencies and greater productivity and employee well-being.

Woman in wheelchair working from home looking at dual computer screens.

As a non-profit organization, pointA has spent nearly two decades working with businesses to develop sustainable, long-term programs that tackle the daily commute to and from work. These programs are customized to each organization’s needs and range from carpooling programs to personalized travel plans for each employee. The team applies behavioural economics to provide the knowledge, resources, and encouragement to try sustainable modes of transportation to decrease congestion in the Toronto Region, thereby improving the environment and health of communities.

Evaluation Strategy

This project is evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation focuses on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.

Featured Projects

Persons in conversation around a table
Project

Developing Women Leaders in the Digital Economy

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT), in collaboration with the Future Skills Centre and the Diversity Institute, implemented the Roberta Bondar STEM Career Development Program and, more recently, the Opening Doors program. These initiatives aim to equip women with the necessary skills, mentorship and networking opportunities to succeed in leadership roles.
Person concentrating on work at a computer
Project

Virtual Inclusive Learning Academy

Using a person-centred and culturally appropriate approach, the VILA hub aimed to provide life skills, academic and job training, engagement, and work opportunities to adults with intellectual disabilities across diverse communities in Ontario.
Silhouette of a woman completing a mathematics question on a white board
Research

Learning Together: STEM Outreach Programs for Indigenous Students

In Learning Together: STEM Outreach Programs for Indigenous Students, we were interested in free STEM programs, not run by the formal education system, that target Indigenous children in Kindergarten to Grade 12. We surveyed these programs across Canada to learn more about how they reach Indigenous youth.
View more