The Metro Vancouver immigrant services organization, Mosaic, is hosting a free full-day conference in Surrey on Nov. 5 to help immigrants and new Canadians kickstart their careers.
Finding a suitable job is “a big problem,” Mosaic spokesman Abraham Asrat said last week. “A lot of our clients are ending up in entry-level (job) positions because their credentials are not recognized and their professional experience isn’t valued. So they have to restart their careers, either from scratch (in their chosen field) or in completely different areas from what they’re trained to do.”
Mosaic cited a Statistics Canada study that found only 22 per cent of foreign-educated immigrants in B.C. were working in the regulated profession for which they had trained, compared to 62 per cent of those born in Canada.
Mosaic said that is despite over 40 per cent of newcomers having university degrees.
Asrat noted, for example, that an immigrant’s engineering background would have to be evaluated by a local accrediting body. “That might take years.”
“We work hard to keep their spirits up, and the most effective way to do that is by empowering them to help themselves, which includes learning about the labour market and related fields of work, additional training, understanding of Canadian workplace practices and cultures, etc.”
He said the Immigrant Professionals Conference will help immigrants think about alternative careers and meet others who have successfully transitioned their careers or returned to the professions they had back home.
The conference includes panels with successful immigrants as well as HR experts, industry professionals and career coaches. Sessions include: Improving Your Cultural Communication in the Canadian Workplace; First Steps to Becoming an Entrepreneur; Using Technology to Sell Your Skills; and The Art of Selling Yourself.
Details of the conference at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel are available at mosaicbc.org.
