CIWA works with over 150 business partners each and every year, and these partners make a significant impact in our community – by volunteering their time, their knowledge and insights, their space, or offering employment to newcomers in Calgary.
For the month of December, we would like to sincerely Lina’s Italian Market. Lina’s Italian Market is a local specialty store with a focus on Italian and European items. They have been operating in Calgary for 28 years, providing simple but amazing food to customers and the community.
Lina’s goal is to introduce everyone to Italian meals, culture and goods. Their staff are kind and helpful, and offer great customer service. Shopping at Lina’s is relaxing and fun, and they carry lots of unique items, both Canadian and international. Lina’s believes that supporting local businesses is extremely important, which is why local items from Calgary and Alberta can be found in their stores. Moreover, Lina’s provides home deliveries of house made treats. Lina’s reflects diversity at the workplace as their employees are from all over the world.
Lina’s Italian Market has been a partner with CIWA for over 2 years, since June 2018. Lina’s partnership with CIWA started with Matthew Rai, General Manager, who hosted the participants of our Retail Training Program as practicum students. Lina’s Italian Market now partners with CIWA as a practicum host, guest speaker and an employment partner. To date, Lina’s has hosted 23 clients of the Retail Training Program, hired six full-time, and two part-time employees from our graduates.
Lina’s acknowledges the excellent training offered by the Retail Training Program. During the employer evaluation, when asked what areas CIWA could improve on to better prepare participants to work at Lina’s, Matthew Rai answered ‘Nothing, if possible, I would send all my staff to train at CIWA’.
The opening of the South East Calgary location, Lina’s Italian Supermercato, increases the number of work experience options for our clients and reinforces the partnership that Lina’s Italian Market has with CIWA. Thank you, Lina’s Italian Market, for supporting the economic security of immigrant and refugee women in Calgary!
To learn more about Lina’s Italian Market, please visit their website at www.linasmarket.com.