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Preparing Newcomers for a Career in Canada
Calgary, Alberta — Ever since she completed her university degree in 1997, Christine Oliveria’s dream has been to come to Canada. In 2007, Christine migrated, leaving everyone she knows in the Philippines. The lack of relatives, friends and acquaintances in such a foreign place did not deter her.
Christine did everything she could to improve her professional qualifications and chances of becoming a Canadian citizen before leaving for Canada. To prepare, she attended a seminar organized by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges’ Canadian Immigration Integration Project (CIIP), which is funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s (HRSDC) Foreign Credential Recognition program.
Christine says: “CIIP helped me prepare myself to enter the labour market and gain practical knowledge about living in Canada.”
Christine’s transition to Canadian life was relatively easy and comfortable thanks in part to what she learned from the CIIP.
With a degree in food technology, Christine hoped to continue working in this field once in Canada. Upon arriving, she took a part-time job in the evenings at Tim Horton’s. During the day, she devoted most of her time to searching for employment and attending job finding clubs that were referred to her by the CIIP. Soon after, Christine obtained a job as a quality control technician, an entry-level position in her line of work. Three months later, Nestlé Canada offered her a job as a quality assurance/sensory analyst. Today, Christine is based in Calgary as a product development coordinator for Canada Safeway Limited Consumer Brands, a career opportunity in her field that she obtained only nine months after arriving in Canada.
Christine believes that the CIIP helped her get where she is today. “It was a really good experience. I am very thankful that there was this program and that I was a part of it. I hope to inspire others who want to immigrate,”
says Christine.
HRSDC’s Foreign Credential Recognition program helps integrate internationally trained workers into the labour market by working with key stakeholders to improve the assessment and recognition of newcomers’ qualifications.
Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government is investing $50 million over the next two years to develop a pan-Canadian framework on foreign credential recognition with the provinces and territories. The goal is to ensure that internationally educated professionals have their qualifications assessed and recognized in a fair, consistent, accessible and efficient manner. With the support of the Foreign Credential Recognition program and the Foreign Credentials Referral Office, real progress is being made in addressing barriers to foreign credential recognition in Canada.