Preparing newcomers for a career in Canada

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 the Phillipines. 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.” Her 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 had 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 to Canada,” 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.

Attracting the best international talent is important to Canada’s long-term economic success. That's why Canada’s Economic Action Plan invested $50 million over two years to work with partners to develop a common approach to foreign qualification recognition so that immigrants can put their training and knowledge to work sooner. That partnership with the provinces, territories and other stakeholders, such as employers, resulted in the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications that was announced last November. This new framework will help foreign-trained professionals overcome barriers to finding jobs in their career of choice in Canada.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s mission is to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives, and to improve Canadians’ quality of life.