by Maria Cootauco, The Leader Post
Two plus two will equal four in Egypt, in Canada, in China - anywhere. The math is simple, but add to the equation the complications of being a foreign-trained worker performing the calculation and the answer is not so obvious. A Public Policy Forum sponsored by the Saskatchewan government touched down in Regina this week, seeking to open the discourse around the way that the skills and credentials of foreign-trained workers are recognized. In attendance were government, educational and private sector individuals. "We're hoping to have them formulate some policy recommendations and suggestions for changes," said Yves Poisson, the public policy forum's director of special projects. "Immigration represents a very important contribution to our workforce, and there is a lot of difficulties still for people which are internationally trained to have their credential and experience recognized in Canada."
The issue is an important one. According to Statistics Canada, by 2030, immigration will account for all of Canada's population growth. Sudanese-born Ercoph Bongomin's immigrant story starts out as any other. He came to Canada with the hopes of giving his family more opportunities. "I was convinced by my wife because of the children, the future, (to) come," he said. When Bongomin and his family arrived, he could not secure a position like the one he had in Cairo because his business degree was not recognized. After several months of job-hunting, he landed only two interviews. "After that, I went back to university," Bongomin said. Two years and one student loan later, Bongomin earned his bachelor's degree in business administration - for the second time. He quickly found a part-time job, and within a few months, was hired for a permanent full-time position. Bongomin now works for the City of Regina as an accounting clerk.
"What I'm doing right now, I should have been doing it five years ago ... when I first came here," he said. "It is frustrating and time-consuming and costly as well because now I have to carry a loan which if I came with my education and started working, I would be debt-free looking after my kids' education ... While my children are growing, I don't have any savings for them because I have to pay my debt. So the cycle seems to be (that) my kids have to go through a loan as well." Suggestions for areas of improvement were the order of the day at the forum. "First, (we need) to acknowledge that there is something to do," said Andre Gariepy, director general of Conseil Interprofessionnel du Quebec. "(Regulatory bodies) sure need to work together. Those that are responsible for employment, those that are responsible for education and immigration, they need to work collaboratively because they are all responsible for a part of the sequence for the process of integration."
Two plus two will equal four in Egypt, in Canada, in China - anywhere. The math is simple, but add to the equation the complications of being a foreign-trained worker performing the calculation and the answer is not so obvious. A Public Policy Forum sponsored by the Saskatchewan government touched down in Regina this week, seeking to open the discourse around the way that the skills and credentials of foreign-trained workers are recognized. In attendance were government, educational and private sector individuals. "We're hoping to have them formulate some policy recommendations and suggestions for changes," said Yves Poisson, the public policy forum's director of special projects. "Immigration represents a very important contribution to our workforce, and there is a lot of difficulties still for people which are internationally trained to have their credential and experience recognized in Canada."
The issue is an important one. According to Statistics Canada, by 2030, immigration will account for all of Canada's population growth. Sudanese-born Ercoph Bongomin's immigrant story starts out as any other. He came to Canada with the hopes of giving his family more opportunities. "I was convinced by my wife because of the children, the future, (to) come," he said. When Bongomin and his family arrived, he could not secure a position like the one he had in Cairo because his business degree was not recognized. After several months of job-hunting, he landed only two interviews. "After that, I went back to university," Bongomin said. Two years and one student loan later, Bongomin earned his bachelor's degree in business administration - for the second time. He quickly found a part-time job, and within a few months, was hired for a permanent full-time position. Bongomin now works for the City of Regina as an accounting clerk.
"What I'm doing right now, I should have been doing it five years ago ... when I first came here," he said. "It is frustrating and time-consuming and costly as well because now I have to carry a loan which if I came with my education and started working, I would be debt-free looking after my kids' education ... While my children are growing, I don't have any savings for them because I have to pay my debt. So the cycle seems to be (that) my kids have to go through a loan as well." Suggestions for areas of improvement were the order of the day at the forum. "First, (we need) to acknowledge that there is something to do," said Andre Gariepy, director general of Conseil Interprofessionnel du Quebec. "(Regulatory bodies) sure need to work together. Those that are responsible for employment, those that are responsible for education and immigration, they need to work collaboratively because they are all responsible for a part of the sequence for the process of integration."
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