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2005-14
INVESTMENT IN ENHANCED LANGUAGE TRAINING PAYS OFF
TORONTO, April 25, 2005 — As part of
the Internationally Trained Workers Initiative,
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is helping newcomers
acquire the language skills they need to reach their
full potential in the Canadian labour market,
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe announced
today.
“Language is one of the main barriers to integration
into the workplace for many immigrants to Canada,” said
Minister Volpe. “This investment will help engineers,
trades people, doctors, nurses and workers in many other
fields who received their training outside of Canada to
find and keep good jobs that match the skills and
experience they bring to Canada.”
While most newcomers have adequate conversational
language skills upon arrival in Canada, many employers
report gaps in the specialized workplace language skills
and vocabulary that are required in many trades and
professions. The Enhanced Language Training (ELT)
initiative will provide job-specific language training
to enable immigrants to gain the language skills they
need to flourish in the workplace.
“I am pleased to report the progress we have made to
date on this important initiative and share with you the
list of projects that have been implemented across the
country in 2004–2005,” added the Minister. “This would
not have been possible without the successful
partnership we established with Ontario, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Nova Scotia and British Columbia on the
delivery of ELT projects in these provinces.”
The government currently spends about $140 million a
year on basic language training for about 50,000 adult
immigrants outside of Quebec. The Enhanced Language
Training initiative accounts for an additional
$20 million annually, and provides bridge-to-work
assistance, including mentoring, work placement and
other assistance in accessing the labour market.
The ELT initiative is an important component of the
Government of Canada’s efforts to attract highly skilled
workers and ensure more successful integration of
immigrants into the economy and communities. Other
measures include working with regulatory bodies and
sector councils to facilitate the development of
effective processes for the recognition of foreign
credentials and prior work experience, and the
development of the Going to Canada Immigration Portal to
provide better information to immigrants before they
come to Canada.
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For more information (media only):
Stephen Heckbert
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
(613) 954-1064
Maria Iadinardi
Media Relations
Communications Branch
(613) 952-0740
Enhanced Language Training (ELT) Funded Projects for
Fiscal Year 2004–05 (by Province or Territory)
British Columbia
A program will be developed to test and evaluate
employment-focused curriculum guidelines for adult
immigrants studying mid-level English outside of urban
areas. The program will be delivered through an array of
service provider types, including not-for-profit
agencies, school districts, public community and
university colleges and private sector schools.
Bridging initiatives will be undertaken where
language benchmarks will be established for selected
industries. Industry-specific curriculum guidelines will
also be developed to facilitate labour market entry for
persons whose mother tongue is a language other than
English. Existing benchmarks and curriculum guidelines
developed by other jurisdictions will be validated for
use within B.C. where possible.
A training kit will be developed to assist in
benchmarking applied programs within the B.C.
post-secondary institution system. The training kit will
consist of a “how to” manual, documents and templates
(including language samples), and two oral communication
task demonstration videos or DVDs.
Alberta
Bredin Institute
The Bredin Institute will provide an integrated
English-language program for internationally trained
pharmacists that includes classroom study, case
management and support during the College of
Pharmacists’ structured practical training. It will also
help participants review and prepare for Part II of the
qualifying exam.
Norquest College
Norquest College will deliver occupational language
training in the workplace that meets the specific needs
of professional employees who have been trained as
engineers but who are unable to fully use their skills
and knowledge.
Bow Valley College
Bow Valley College will offer a part-time language
program for internationally trained counselling
professionals through a combination of classroom
instruction and supervised work terms.
Keyano College
Keyano College will provide occupation-specific
English-language training to skilled immigrants in the
Fort McMurray area. In addition to the language
training, participants will undertake a project related
to their field guided by an advisory group of employers
and gain practical experience in the workplace. Upon
completion, the participants will be prepared for
employment in the oil sands industry.
Calgary Catholic Immigrant Society
The Calgary Catholic Immigrant Society will provide
occupational language training that targets the needs of
skilled trades people. The program will include job
search and labour market preparation workshops and
practical experience.
Brooks Community Adult Learning Centre
The Brooks Community Adult Learning Centre will provide
language training, computer training, and mentorship or
job shadowing specific to the career choice of the
participant.
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology will
provide a part-time language program and practicum to
internationally trained teachers in an effort to
increase their ability to obtain employment related to
their qualifications.
Calgary Immigrant Educational Society
The Calgary Immigrant Educational Society will provide
job-specific language training and a professional work
practicum for immigrants with a verified professional
degree, focusing primarily on the engineering,
accounting and IT sectors.
Maple Leaf Academy
The Maple Leaf Academy will provide both full- and
part-time language training, work placement and paid
work opportunities with a focus on immigrants with a
background in business/management, natural sciences,
engineering or oil and gas.
Saskatchewan
Enhanced Language Training projects in Saskatchewan
focus on four proposed priority sectors: health, trades,
sales and service, and natural and applied sciences. A
working group of program area experts has been assembled
that will assess the language and employment needs of
recent immigrants to Saskatchewan and identify the
competencies and professional development needs required
for the delivery of quality ELT services. This work will
inform the development of a strategy to deliver ELT
services in the province. The working group will also
identify Saskatchewan employers’ views on recruiting and
hiring immigrants, and providing language training and
other workplace supports needed to facilitate workplace
integration. Guides will be developed to help service
providers deliver mentoring, job training and networking
opportunities for immigrants.
Manitoba
Internationally Trained Teachers Initiative
The Internationally Trained Teachers Initiative will
deliver part-time English communications classes for
internationally trained teachers. It will also include
instruction on adapting to a new culture, workshops with
guest speakers on topics identified in curricula and
coordination of mentorship and job-shadowing
opportunities for participants. This initiative is being
developed in partnership with the University of Winnipeg
and the Winnipeg Education Centre.
Internationally Trained Doctors Initiative
The Internationally Trained Doctors Initiative enhances
the occupation-specific communications skills of
internationally trained physicians and other highly
skilled health-care professionals through the “Canadian
Communication for Physicians Trained Abroad” course.
This initiative is being developed in partnership with
Red River College and the University of Manitoba.
Red Seal Exam Preparation for Immigrant
Hairdressers
This program will develop and deliver a study skills
course for immigrant hairdressers preparing to write the
Red Seal exam. Partners include Winnipeg Technical
College and the Apprenticeship Branch.
Internationally Trained Engineers Initiative
The Internationally Trained Engineers Initiative will
deliver specialized English-language programs for
professional engineers that include a distance education
component and on-line support for professional
engineers. A Web site will be developed to enhance
accessibility in rural areas. Funding will also support
the Internationally Educated Engineers Qualifications (IEEQ)
Pilot Program at the University of Manitoba.
Credit Union Member Service Representatives
Program
The Credit Union Member Service Representatives Program
will develop and deliver a “Communication and Culture
for Member Service Representatives” course for
immigrants employed at the Assiniboine, Cambrian,
Steinbach, Portage and Astra credit unions.
Communications Course for Immigrant
Accountants
The Certified General Accountants Association of
Manitoba and Success Skills and Employment Projects of
Winnipeg will research, develop, design and evaluate a
communications course for immigrant accountants based on
the new CGA communications course.
Internationally Trained Nurses Initiative
The Internationally Trained Nurses Initiative will offer
a test preparation program for licensed practical nurses
that includes classroom instruction for
occupation-specific English-language instruction.
Partners include the College of Licensed Practical
Nurses of Manitoba.
Employment Readiness and Job Finding
This program aims to help immigrant youth overcome
barriers to entry into the labour market. It will
provide career counselling, English-language instruction
and programs to support and enhance the overall
employability of immigrant youth. Partners include
Fatima Soares and Associates, Manitoba Advanced
Education and Training, Manitoba Education, Citizenship
and Youth, and Human Resources and Skills Development
Canada.
Child Care Workers
This program involves the development of an on-the-job
competency-based assessment for immigrants with
child-care backgrounds whose academic credentials do not
match the required credentials for employment in the
field. Occupation-specific orientation sessions and
mentoring will also be offered. Partners include
Manitoba Childcare Association and the Manitoba Child
Daycare Office.
Call Centres Initiative
This initiative involves the development, planning and
delivery of an advanced occupation-specific
language-training program for customer service
representatives. The program will address the specific
communication needs of customer service representatives
and prepare them to take the “Communication and Culture
for Customer Service Representatives” course. Partners
include Advanced Education and Training and the Manitoba
Customer Contact Association.
Trucking Pilot for Experienced International
Tractor Trailer Drivers
The pilot includes the development of criteria, an
assessment questionnaire and a work plan for an
industry-driven pilot program for immigrant truck
drivers. Partners include Prairie Global Management,
local commercial truck-driving companies, Advanced
Education and Training, and the Steinbach Chamber of
Commerce.
Ontario
The Centre for Skills Development and
Training
The Centre for Skills Development and Training will
provide higher-level language training to help
participants make the transition to the Job Shop or
Career Explorations programs.
Mohawk College
Mohawk College will develop and deliver job-specific
language training and facilitate appropriate job
shadowing, mentors, work placements and internships.
Centre for Language Training and Assessment
Inc.
The Centre for Language Training and Assessment Inc.
will provide newcomers who have basic to intermediate
language abilities with higher levels of English courses
through flexible and user-friendly delivery methods. The
Centre will also develop assessment tools to help place
learners with higher levels of English-language
proficiency in appropriate language-training programs.
Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre
The Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre will provide
higher-level and job-specific language training for
immigrants seeking employment in the business
administration and management sector.
Peel Adult Learning Centre
The Peel Adult Learning Centre will develop and
implement higher-level language training to help
newcomers find employment commensurate with their skills
and competencies.
Centre for Language Training and Assessment
and Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks
The Centre for Language Training and Assessment and the
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks will develop an
on-line assessment tool to determine the language skills
of immigrants seeking higher-level language training.
Halton Multicultural Council
The Halton Multicultural Centre will develop and deliver
higher-level language training and job-specific language
training for the office management and education
sectors.
Algonquin College
Algonquin College will develop higher-level language
training curricula in the following sectors: advanced
technology, business, health care, construction trades
and transportation.
Graybridge Malkam
Graybridge Malkam will provide job-specific language
training for law enforcement.
George Brown College
George Brown College will develop and test higher-level
language training curricula for immigrants pursuing
information technology and microelectronic programs.
Toronto District School Board
The Toronto District School Board will provide
higher-level language training to help immigrants make
the transition to the Newcomer Opportunities for Work
Experience (NOW) program.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto will develop and test a
higher-level language training curriculum for
pharmacists.
Intercultural Neighbourhood Social Services
The Intercultural Neighbourhood Social Services will
deliver occupation-specific language training with
components of mentoring and work placements.
The Michener Institute of Applied Science
The Michener Institute of Applied Science will develop a
standardized job-specific language assessment tool to
accurately determine the language skill levels of
internationally trained health technologists and
therapists.
Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care
The Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care will develop a
comprehensive nursing-specific language curriculum.
Riverdale Immigrant Women’s Centre
The Riverdale Immigrant Women’s Centre will deliver
higher levels of language training to immigrants and
Convention refugees in the Toronto area in hopes of
facilitating their participation in the Canadian labour
market in occupations commensurate with their skills and
experience.
Centre for Information and Community Services
Ontario
This project will assist immigrant internationally
trained professionals in Toronto to integrate
successfully into the Canadian workplace and thereby
into Canadian society by providing higher levels of
language training pertinent to their employment needs.
It hopes also to establish a unique and effective
pathway of employment for immigrants with a professional
background and encourage volunteerism among established
immigrants as mentors to assist fellow immigrants. This
is an important educational process for established
immigrants to assist them in learning about the Canadian
value of volunteerism, thus facilitating their
integration into Canadian society.
The Working Centre
The project aims to bring newcomers together to learn
workplace-based English skills, sector-specific
terminology and workplace culture in an active learning
environment.
Nova Scotia
The governments of Canada and Nova Scotia are working
in partnership with the Metropolitan Immigrant
Settlement Association to provide an integrated range of
initiatives that bridge the gap to employment for
immigrants in Nova Scotia.
Employability Support Stream
The Employability Support Stream targets all newcomers
destined for the work force in Nova Scotia. It aims to
improve employment possibilities and promote the
economic integration of immigrants through a range of
supports related to acquiring enhanced language skills.
Health Care Sector Language Pathway Stream
The Health Care Sector Language Pathway Stream provides
access to occupation-specific language and cultural
training for internationally trained health-care
professionals and creates greater awareness in the
health-care profession about the barriers facing
internationally trained health-care professionals. The
project will be used to develop a model for use by other
professions facing the same challenges.
Prince Edward Island
Holland College, Charlottetown
Holland College will provide newcomers, who have some
level of trade or technical skills, with advanced
language training and career-bridging services,
including simulated work projects and on-the-job
training. This program will help them further develop
life and employability skills.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Association for New Canadians
The Association for New Canadians will deliver a
comprehensive Enhanced Language Training program and
partner with the Career Services Centre to offer
employment and career-bridging services. The program
will increase the language competencies of the client
base and better equip newcomers in their career
transitions.
National
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks –
CELBAN
The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks will develop
a pan-Canadian tool that will assess the language
proficiency of internationally trained nurses prior to
taking the Canadian English Language Benchmarks
Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) test to prove their
ability to communicate at the level required by the
provincial nursing regulators.
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks – NAC
(National Advisory Committee)
The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks will
establish a multi-stakeholder review committee to
provide advice and evaluate proposals for the Enhanced
Language Training initiative.
Centre for Language Training and Assessment
The Centre for Language Training and Assessment, in
partnership with the Centre for Canadian Language
Benchmarks, will develop a self-administered on-line
English/French language assessment for immigrants. The
project will include the development of Canadian
Language Benchmarks-based test specifications for
on-line testing.
Public Policy Forum
The Public Policy Forum held a roundtable to present the
findings of new survey research entitled Bringing
Employers into the Immigration Debate. The
multi-stakeholder environment provided an opportunity
for participants to discuss the public policy
implications of all findings. An outcomes report of this
roundtable was prepared and distributed to relevant
stakeholders.
Canadian Labour and Business Centre
The Canadian Labour and Business Centre organized a
series of roundtables to engage employers, labour and
other immigration stakeholders. The findings of the
roundtables will be used to develop a report on the
challenges and best practices in the integration of
immigrants into the workplace.
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