McGuinty Government Invests $600,000

More adult newcomers will receive the language training they need to land jobs that match their skills and experience thanks to a $600,000 investment, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle announced today. "Strong language skills are the imperative for newcomer success in the job market," Colle said at the Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA) conference. "We're breaking down barriers for newcomers. This investment will enable school boards to re-focus language training on the workplace, to help newcomers land jobs that reflect their qualifications." More than half of newcomers to Ontario last year have postsecondary education, but 25 per cent of those do not speak English or French. The new program will enable school boards to offer specialized language training courses that focus on sectors such as information technology, hospitality, business communication. Colle's announcement brings the McGuinty government's commitment to adult, non-credit English and French as a Second Language programs to more than $50 million this year. This funding is in addition to the $2 million announced yesterday by Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne to make it easier for learners to navigate the adult education system and upgrade their knowledge and skills.

This $600,000 investment in occupation-specific language training is part of the McGuinty government's comprehensive plan. This includes: Negotiated the first-ever Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, which quadruples federal spending on language training and settlement services and brings an additional $920 million to assist Ontario newcomers over five years; Introduced Bill 124, the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act which, if passed, would help break down barriers facing newcomers seeking to work in their fields by mandating fair registration practices in regulated professions; Developed 'About Ontario,' a new citizenship curriculum resource to be added to language and citizenship classes in early 2007 to help newcomers learn about Ontario's history, geography, their roles and responsibilities, and to promote civic participation - from voting to volunteering; Invested over $34 million in more than 60 Bridge Training Programs, helping thousands of newcomers work in over 100 trades and professions; Launched immigration web portal, www.OntarioImmigration.ca, which is designed to support newcomers both in Ontario and abroad, prior to arrival; Established the first Provincial Internship for the Internationally Trained. Administered by Career Bridge, newcomers with a minimum of three years international work experience will be placed for six-month paid assignments within the Ontario Public Service and Crown Agencies; Created a Foreign Trained Professionals Loans program of up to $5,000 per person to cover assessment, training and exam costs, in partnership with the Maytree Foundation; and, Total annual investment of $130 million, more than any other province in Canada, on programs to help newcomers upgrade their language skills, settle and find work. "Newcomers have global education and experience that can help keep Ontario's economy growing," Colle said. For more information see >> www.citizenship.gov.on.ca OR www.OntarioImmigration.ca

Hiring foreign-trained Newcomers

source: www.stoneycreeknews.com

For Mohammed Amjad, the chance to take part in a job mentorship program turned out to be the break he needed. For TD Canada Trust, taking the foreign-trained accountant under its wing didn't just land a promising new employee, it made good business sense. Mr. Amjad, who arrived in Hamilton from Pakistan one and a half years ago, now works out the bank's Centennial Parkway branch and is expected to rise into senior ranks. The program worked on his job-seeking and interview skills - including by addressing a key cultural difference. In Pakistan, it's seen as bad form to follow up a resumé with a call to prospective employers, while here it's considered essential. "I feel it is a dream coming true," Mr. Amjad said at an employer-recognition luncheon hosted by the Settlement and Integration Services Organization, which helps new immigrants adjust to life in Canada. "I had a really sincere mentor and she helped me a lot. I was feeling that probably it was impossible to go to a bank because I was sending résumés, I was meeting people and I was having interviews, but (getting) no after-call. I was feeling very frustrated." TD Canada Trust regional manager Dave May said the mentorship program is so successful it is being expanded to 18 placements. Four of an initial nine participants were hired and three found jobs elsewhere.

While his bank was among 15 area employers honoured by SISO for their efforts, Mr. May said the mentorship program "is good business" because it helps his company adjust to the city's changing demographics and tap a readily available talent pool. "It simply makes good sense," he said. "If our future customer base is going to experience change, we had better make sure our employee base is also representative of that change." Abdul Khan, the city's manager of water treatment, said his department's paid internships are helping overcome a shortage of operating engineers. Of 12 interns hired over the past year, four are now permanent employees and more are expected to follow suit, he said. The interns are also being marketed to contractors and consultants. "We are having serious problems filling our positions. There is such a shortage of good engineers in our our industry," Mr. Khan said. "Many of them - I personally talked to them - they were working either as security guards or delivering pizza, all kinds of odd jobs, and they were excellent professionals," he said. "Some of them were brilliant engineers and you just shake you head at why they would do that. Now they're working as engineers in our industry and we really feel encouraged." Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle praised the mentorship programs and said he expects adjusting to the job market to become easier for foreign-trained workers as a result of $920 million in new federal funding that rectifies previous inequities.

Until now, newcomers who went to Montréal, for instance, were able to receive $4,000 worth of federal services, compared to just $800 in Hamilton, he said. The new funding should help reverse the "brain drain" that costs the Canadian economy an estimated $5 billion a year in lost potential, he added. "Ultimately, newcomers, what they want is a chance to demonstrate their talent or skill. They want to work, they want to contribute, they want to pay taxes, they want to sweat. They're not afraid of that," Mr. Colle said. "We are going to benefit economically, socially, and our communities are going to be much more harmonious and much more positive in their outcomes when we embrace people." Mayor Fred Eisenberger said non-government organizations like SISO are critical to help immigrants to adjust, but more needs to be done - including on recognition of the credentials of foreign-trained professionals. "We have a critical doctor shortage in this town. We have 60,000 people that don't have doctors," he said. "If we could find a way of getting the doctors that are from foreign places accredited more quickly, we're going to be the better for it."

Province urged to Force Professions to Speed Accreditation

by Carmela Fragomeni (cfragomeni@thespec.com)

Two Hamilton immigration experts are urging the Ontario government to fast-track legislation to help newcomers get professional jobs in their field. Morteza Jafarpour, of the Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO), and Madina Wasuge, of the new Hamilton's Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), want Bill 124, the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act, proclaimed into law without delay, despite calls from others to amend it first. They don't want the bill to die before the current session of the Legislature ends at the end of this month; or to see a repeat of years-long delays on previous measures to address the problem. Improvements can be made after the bill becomes law, they say. "We need to start somewhere," says Jafarpour, SISO's executive director. The legislation requires the province's 34 regulated professions - from architects and engineers to doctors and lawyers - to have a fair, clear and faster system of assessing credentials of foreign-trained immigrants applying for licences to practice in Ontario.

Only some professions now explain their requirements, and some take months to assess a newcomer's work experience and credentials. "This bill represents one of the boldest attempts by the provincial government to address inequities that confront newcomers," said Wasuge, HCCI's executive director. There are countless stories of foreign-trained doctors, engineers, nurses and other professionals unable to get jobs other than driving taxis, delivering pizzas and other low-income jobs. In Hamilton, Wasuge says the result is that 52 per cent of immigrants live below the poverty line. "In many cases, their education and previous experience could bring invaluable contributions to our local economy." Both Wasuge and Jafarpour are foreign-trained doctors who never got to practice in Canada and have found other career paths. Jafarpour said the bill, if correctly implemented, makes getting licensed and registered to practice a fair process without making regulatory bodies lower or ease their standards. Jafarpour and Wasuge were two of 11 presenters who made submissions yesterday to the standing committee studying the bill. The committee is chaired by Hamilton East MPP Andrea Horwath, whose NDP party is also calling for amendments. NDP critic Peter Tabuns calls the inability of foreign-trained professionals to get jobs in their profession a crisis. "Thousands of professionals from all over the world are working in survival jobs like driving cabs. We are wasting the talents and skills of thousands of people." Denise Brooks, executive director of the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre, also called on the standing committee to make amendments similar to those proposed by the NDP.

Speeding up assessment: Bill 127, the Proposed Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act, is aimed at breaking down barriers by mandating fair registration practices for 34 regulated professions. It will make Ontario's professional associations assess foreign credentials and education faster. Thousands of foreign trained immigrant professionals bring skills to Canada that never get used. Immigrants accepted into Canada are more skilled and experienced than ever, but many struggle to find work in their occupation. The Conference Board of Canada estimates this costs the economy $3 billion to $5 billion a year. One hundred foreign-trained doctors meet monthly at SISO to explore ways of getting to practice in Ontario. Ontario gets about 125,000 immigrants a year, more than half with university degrees. Within five years, immigrants will account for all Ontario's net labour force growth. Some amendments sought by various groups, including the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre and the NDP party: * Name all 34 regulated professions in the act. * Specify who will conduct internal reviews or appeals. * Spell out that the proposed Fairness Commissioner will be an independent official, not an appointee of cabinet. * Clearly define "transparent, objective, fair and impartial."

Ontario cuts red tape for temporary foreign workers

by Canadian Press

Foreign workers seeking temporary employment in Ontario in a variety of professional fields will have fewer bureaucratic hoops to jump through thanks to recruitment changes unveiled Friday. Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley announced changes to the province's Temporary Foreign Worker Program that are expected to make it easier and less expensive for employers to hire foreigners. Now, employers looking to fill jobs included on a provincial list of occupations deemed to be "under pressure," will only have to advertise on the federal Job Bank or its equivalent for one week as opposed to the standard one month before being allowed to look outside the country. "The creation of a list for Ontario will make it easier and two-to-four weeks faster for employers to hire temporary foreign workers," she said.

"This measure will effectively help employers having difficulty finding Canadian workers to fill their human resources needs while continuing to protect the access of Canadian workers to the labour market." The announcement is part of a cross-Canada initiative aimed at filling positions in which there's a shortage of local skilled labour. Finley, however, said each region has different needs and noted while Ontario may be looking primarily for foreigners with business, engineering and medical credentials, places like British Columbia will be looking to fast-track foreigners in the construction industry. HRSDC, in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, will determine which fields are experiencing a regional skill shortage based on ever evolving labour market information. "Over 50,000 temporary foreign workers come to Ontario every year and those 50,000 are a critical part of making this province work to its fullest capacity," said Ontario Citizenship Minister Mike Colle.

"Anything that can be done to get rid of the red tape and to make it more efficient and effective will be a great help to all employers." "I am very supportive of this announcement... because it is an integral part of who we are as a province and anything we can do to streamline matching jobs and temporary foreign workers is really a win/win situation for the province of Ontario." While the transferability of credentials has proven a major obstacle for many foreign trained professionals seeking employment in Canada, Colle said the Ontario government is attempting to fix that through its Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act introduced in June. The legislation would require Ontario's 34 regulated professions to ensure their licensing process is fair, clear and open. They would also be required to assess credentials more quickly. Finley said the changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers program, which typically involves job placements of one or two years, will also serve to help people seeking more permanent status in Canada. "One of the limitations that many new Canadians have is that to get their credentials recognized, they need to have Canadian experience," she said. "The foreign workers program is one way to help them get that experience... before they come here permanently."