Education/training
Giving newcomers a helping handMaria Antonietta Valverde's story starts the same way as that of many newcomers to this country -- but ends very differently. |
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 [ 2008-01-16 ] |
Found help at SkillsInternational.ca
Eager to escape the increasingly volatile political situation in her native Venezuela, Valverde emigrated to Toronto with her three-year-old daughter in the summer of 2006. An OBGYN with 15 years of experience, she was confident she'd easily find work as a doctor.
Instead, she quickly learned the hard truth that most foreign-trained professionals face when they move here: she'd have to go through years of Canadian retraining to be able to practise.
"I was told by one employee at a newcomer settlement agency that I was doomed to end up driving a taxi or working in a factory," recalls Valverde, in her 40s. "I couldn't believe my ears. At that point I became very distressed and anguished."
Valverde sought out career support from a total of seven agencies, and was continually told the same thing. She realized that to work in health care in some capacity, she'd have to switch gears. She took an online clinical research associate course that would offer her a gateway into the pharmaceutical industry.
Along the way, she was introduced to SkillsInternational.ca, an employment website geared towards helping internationally trained professionals find meaningful work in their field.
A few months later, she was contacted by MDS Pharma Services, a global drug research and development company based in Mississauga, which was seeking a Spanish-speaking project co-ordinator. She was quickly hired and began working there last August.
"When I look at the situations of so many other doctors who've come here, I know I'm blessed," says Valverde, who's involved in facilitating laboratory tests. "I managed to escape being in a menial job, so I feel very fortunate -- this is a great break for me."
Launched in March 2006, SkillsInternational.ca -- which is run by the Waterloo Region District School Board, WIL Employment Connections and COSTI Immigrant Services and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation -- is the first web tool that unites pre-screened, internationally educated professionals in Ontario with employers that need their skills.
The website features searchable resumes supplied by more than 79 immigrant employment agencies who have screened candidates to ensure they're ready to work in a field related to their education and experience. Employers may perform a variety of searches based on the skills, experience and education they're seeking in candidates.
"Skilled immigrants who come to Canada are underemployed compared to their Canadian counterparts," says Sohail Kahn, project manager with Skills International. "This site is trying to address the issue of finding them relevant employment in their field of expertise."
The website covers all employment categories and, reflecting the backgrounds of many newcomers, includes many resumes of engineers, accountants and IT professionals. Candidates may also post additional documentation that supports their professional and educational experiences, including degrees and letters of previous employment.
Currently, more than 3,000 candidates and 360 employers are registered with the site, and so far, 385 candidates have found work in their field or in a related field through the site.
With $248,000 in new funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the site will evolve to include a job interview support component that lets candidates videotape their answers to typical interview questions and receive feedback from Skills International experts.
With Canada's low birth rate and decreasing labour force due to an aging population, the country needs to leverage the experience and expertise of its skilled immigrants. Given that Toronto receives 60% of the country's immigrants, the city's employers are well-poised to use this pool of talent to their advantage.
"Our candidates are very educated -- 89% have bachelor's degrees or above," Khan says. "These individuals bring a different perspective to issues or problems at an organization. Employers also tend to find that loyalty and retention is a little higher, as they're grateful for the opportunity and are very committed."
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