Education/training
Options for engineersShortly after Karolina Saraginova came to Canada two years ago from Macedonia, she took a job as a cashier at a grocery store. PHILIP LEE-SHANOK |
|
 [ 2005-10-05 ] |
Customers were surprised to learn that the woman working behind the checkout counter was a mechanical engineer with 10 years experience.
Saraginova, 40, says even with her training and experience as an engineer, she could only find so-called "survival jobs." Saraginova also worked in a warehouse as a general labourer until she found the Options program.
Jointly managed by the Centre for Education and Training (CET) and the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT), Options helps professionals in engineering technology and applied sciences who are trained outside Canada to move forward in their chosen profession. It is also supported by funding from the Government of Ontario.
The program was set up in response to the large number of skilled and experienced newcomers, like Saraginova, who ended up working in survival jobs after arriving in Canada.
Carolyn Cohen, a senior manager at CET, observed that more and more clients of CET's Newcomer Information Centres who had related training and experience from outside Canada were not working in engineering-related fields.
"One client was working as a labourer, another in retail," she says. "They were underemployed."
In fact, a 2004 survey conducted by the Council for Access to the Profession of Engineering found that only 17% of all internationally trained engineers in Ontario are employed in engineering-related jobs. Many of these internationally trained professionals say they face major employment barriers in Canada, including no recognition by employers of their international qualifications, no Canadian engineering-related work experience, language barriers with prospective employers, and few Canadian networking contacts.
Cohen says CET saw the need for a bridging program for newcomer engineering technology professionals and partnered with OACETT to develop the Options program.
Options includes an intensive eight-week training program for internationally trained engineering technicians and technologists that is designed to break down barriers so newcomers can establish careers in this country. "Options looks at academic credentials, work experience and language proficiency to determine client needs," Cohen says. After an evaluation is completed to determine if a newcomer is qualified, OACETT decides if their qualifications meet provincial certification standards.
After meeting all requirements for OACETT certification, candidates receive their designation as a Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.), Applied Science Technologists (A.Sc.T) or Certified Technician (C. Tech) -- which are nationally recognized.
Options also helps clients to market themselves to engineering firms and other employers in the technology and applied science sectors. That means having a proper resume, cover letter and polishing up on interviewing skills.
Cohen says often a newcomer's resume will not be fully understood by, or written in terms relevant to, Canadian employers. "Many employers will look at a foreign resume and say, 'What does this mean to me?'" she says. Options helps clients with the tools for their job hunt and, most importantly, that means making networks and contacts.
Participants have access to personalized job search support including an engineering technology job board called CTEN, networking opportunities at events and job placements. That's what Saraginova appreciates the most.
An Options job placement connected Saraginova with AMEC Americas Ltd.
She's been there now for more than half a year and is well on her way to achieving certification with OACETT.
That's far cry from where she was just last year -- working the checkout line at a grocery store.
Cohen says Saraginova is not alone. So far, between 70 and 80% of Options clients have gone on to secure gainful employment in engineering and applied sciences technology.
Does your employer subsidize your commute to work?