This section provides links to resources that employers can use to address specific aspects of the labour market integration process for internationally-trained workers.
Multi-stakeholder coalitions
Employers are increasingly being engaged in the development and implementation of strategies to help immigrants integrate into the workforce. The following are examples of multi-stakeholder initiatives that include employers.
Employment Access for Skilled Immigrants (EASI) Initiative
This initiative began in 2003 with a vision to build a more integrated system in British Columbia that better supports the needs of skilled immigrants seeking entry into the workforce. A broad range of stakeholders, including employers, are working together to promote a system that recognizes that skilled immigrants in BC potentially require a number of services offered by an array of service providers in order to find employment based on their qualifications.
Global Experience @ Work
This initiative of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) consists of seven local community projects to engage employers in the integration of internationally-trained professionals and tradespeople. The initiative is managed by over 80 community organizations and 9 local Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade.
Internationally Trained Workers Partnership
This partnership, formed in 2002 to develop a locally coordinated approach to integrate immigrants more effectively into Ottawa's labour market, brings together employers, business associations, labour, governments, educational institutions and immigrant serving organizations from across Ottawa. The partnership is implementing a project, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, to addresses the issue of integration of skilled immigrants from an employer perspective.
Skills Without Borders—Connecting Employers and Skilled Immigrants
Phase 1 of this program of The Brampton Board of Trade was designed to raise awareness about labour needs in North Peel and the ability of skilled immigrants to meet those needs. Phase 2 will be dedicated to creating employers' awareness about the benefits and challenges of developing and managing a culturally diverse workforce, focusing on the fact that cultural diversity is good for business.
Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)
This council was established in September 2003 to promote the integration of immigrants into the Canadian labour market. TRIEC’s stakeholders include employers, labour, occupational regulatory bodies, post-secondary institutions, assessment service providers, community organizations and representation from municipal, provincial and federal governments. TRIEC initiatives include:
Niagara Region Immigrant Employment Council (NRIEC)
NRIEC was launched in May 2007. It is funded by the Ontario government and is intended to link local employers with newcomers.
Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Council (WRIEC)
WRIEC is developing a local strategy to help ensure that the skills of immigrants are more optimally used to the benefit of immigrants and their families, the economy and the community as a whole. WRIEC has work groups that focus on employment initiatives, qualification recognition and enhancement, immigrant support, and investments.
Recruitment
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
This web site of Human Resources and Social Development Canada provides information on the federal government progam for the employment of foreign workers in Canada. A section on information for employers can be found on the site.
How to Hire a Temporary Foreign Worker—A Guidebook for Employers
This guidebook by Citizenship and Immigration Canada is available as a web document at the above link.
Go2 Foreign Worker Guide
This guide by go2, a non-profit industry association that assists BC’s tourism industry to recruit, retain and train employees to support industry growth, can help employers better understand the various programs available to hire foreign workers. The guide includes information on the Occupations Under Pressure and Expedited Labour Market Opinion programs, advertising and recruitment efforts required for both ‘high skilled’ and ‘low skilled’ occupations, and other programs such as the Working Holiday program, Student Work Abroad program, International Student programs and the Provincial Nominee program.
Provincial nominees: Who can apply
This site provides links to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in participating provinces and territories. The PNP is an immigration program that allow provinces to nominate immigrants who wish to settle in the province. Criteria for nomination are mostly based on meeting the needs of employers who are unable to fill skilled and select semi-skilled positions with citizens or permanent residents of Canada. In some provinces, employers can make application for a provincial nominee.
Centre for Internationally Trained Professionals & Tradespeople HIRE Solutions
This site provides employers in the Greater Toronto Area free access to pool of experienced professionals and tradespeople from a broad range of occupations who are available for work.
Skills International.ca—Connecting with global skills
This site provides access to a searchable database of candidate profiles dedicated exclusively to profiling the skills of immigrant job seekers in Ontario. Employers can perform a variety of searches based on relevant criteria including skills, experience and education to review the résumés of qualified candidates, helping to ease existing and looming shortages.
SkillsAdvantage.Com
SkillsAdvantage.Com, an initiative of Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) is designed to highlight the wealth of internationally-trained professionals that exist in Hamilton and to give employers the opportunity to hire from a pool of pre-screened candidates. SkillsAdvantage.Com is intended to be used in conjunction with the services of SISO's Employment Consultants, who specialize in meeting the needs of local employers.
Canadian Plastics Sector Council Promising Practices in Recruiting Newcomers
This link provides information on promising practices in recruiting newcomers and a set of questions for employers to assess their recruitment practice with regard to newcomers.
Credential assessment & recognition
Foreign Credentials Referral Office
The Foreign Credentials Referral Office provides information, path-finding and referral services to help foreign-trained workers succeed and put their skills to work in Canada more quickly. Its web site has a section on information for employers.
Programs and Services for Immigrants—Assessment and Foreign Credential Recognition
This section of the web site of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) outlines the assessment and foreign credential recognition services that colleges and institutes offer to immigrants.
Credential Evaluation
This section for employers on the web site of World Education Services, a credential assessment agency in Ontario, provides information on evaluation of international credentials.
Comparing Approaches To Recognizing The Skills And Credentials Of Foreign-Trained Workers
This link leads to a report on a conference on Foreign Credential Recognition by the Public Policy Forum.
Internationally Trained Workers Inventory
The Canadian Automotive Repair and Service Councils developed this listing of available programs and resources for employers looking to hire and retain internationally-trained workers. CARS also welcomes internationally-trained workers to assess their skills at www.carsability.ca to help them identify any professional development that would enhance their success when integrating into the Canadian workforce.
Language resources
Work Ready CLB Resource Kit For Counselling And Hiring Immigrants
This link provides information on resources under development by the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks to help counsellors and HR professionals with counselling, hiring, recruiting and retaining immigrants.
Bridge to work resources
Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification Program –Information for Industry & Employers
This link leads to information for employers on how they can take part in the Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification Program (IEEQ), a program that provides a route for immigrants with engineering credentials obtained outside of Canada to meet part of the licensing requirements for professional engineering practice in Manitoba.
Career Bridge
This web site provides information an internship program in Toronto, Vancouver, and Hamilton that addresses the dilemma of “no Canadian experience, no job; no job, no Canadian experience” that prevents many skilled immigrants from contributing to Canada’s economy. The web site has a section for employers.
Workforce Integration of Newcomers (WIN)
Workplace Integration of Newcomers (WIN) is an initiative of the Manitoba Sector Training Network (MSTN) that aims to match labour needs in selected high-demand occupations with the documented skills of newcomers.
Training resources
Education and Training Programs
This section of the web site of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) outlines the education and training programs that colleges and institutes offer to immigrants.
Training for newcomers in the Toronto area
The following organizations provide training for newcomers in the Toronto area:
- Skills for Change
Skills for Change is a non-profit agency providing learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees. It provides programs of interest to employers such as Language Training & Upgrading for the Workplace, Managing Diversity in Workplace, Mentoring for the Workplace, Employment Preparation for Retail Services and Computer Training.
- Working Skills Centre
This centre provides employment-related services for immigrant women, including skills training for a computerized office; job placement services; and an opportunity to gain work experience in World Service Cargo, a practice firm.
- Community MicroSkills Development Centre (MicroSkills)
MicroSkills provides programs that bridge skills gaps, and include language, workplace essential skills development (e.g., training in information technology, accounting, and customer service), and job search skills development programs.
Retention resources
Impact of Race and Immigrants Status on Employment Opportunities and Outcomes in the Canadian Labour Market
This research report outlines how race continues to be a major factor in the distribution of opportunities in the Canadian labour market and by extension in determining the life chances of racialized peoples and immigrants in Canada.
Unique software tool measures cultural IQ
This link provides information on a new web-based tool for assessing an individual’s cultural competence. The program evaluates cultural knowledge and cross-cultural skills such as perceptual acuity, tolerance for ambiguity, relational skills, adaptability, tolerance for uncertainty and empathy. It can also determine how well an individual attends to and adjusts to the cultural aspects of a situation.
Leveraging Immigrant Skills to Strengthen Canadian Business
This project at the University of Ottawa is developing and piloting test bilingual blended-learning modules to support Human Resource Management (HRM) professionals and highly skilled Canadian immigrants (HSCI) in Small and Medium sized Entreprises (SMEs) in Québec and Ontario to identify strategies to promote professional advancement of highly skilled immigrants in Canadian SMEs; develop and implement blended learning modules for mutual recognition and appreciation of cultural competencies in management, leadership, and communication for both Canadian SMEs and highly skilled immigrants; and reduce barriers to professional advancement for highly skilled immigrants in Canadian SMEs.
Report on Diversity—Priorities, Practices and Performance in Canadian Organizations
This report by the Conference Board of Canada presents a baseline portrait of diversity-related strategies, initiatives, programs and achievements in Canadian organizations.
Career Advancement In Corporate Canada: A Focus on Visible Minorities ~ Survey Findings
This report describes the findings from a national survey conducted by Catalyst and Ryerson University that focuses on the careers of visible minority managers, professionals, and executives working in corporate Canada today.
Skills for Change
Skills for Change is a non-profit agency providing learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees. It provides programs of interest to employers such as Language Training & Upgrading for the Workplace, Managing Diversity in Workplace, Mentoring for the Workplace, Employment Preparation for Retail Services and Computer Training.