PEOPLE with international credentials will be better supported to get their professional credentials recognized in B.C. and start working sooner in their field, the Province announced on Monday.
“We know that many internationally trained professionals are struggling to have their credentials recognized in their chosen profession,” said Andrew Mercier, Minister of State for Workforce Development, said. “This is about fairness and making sure that people who have the skills and expertise can access supports and services provided through their local non-profit and immigrant service organizations.”
The Government of B.C. is providing $1.5 million to the Association of Service Providers for Employability and Career Training (ASPECT) for new grants to organizations that help internationally trained professionals get through the credential recognition process.
“This investment will provide critical support to newcomers going through the credential recognition process to use their skills and knowledge in in-demand jobs and help reach their fullest potential,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “In addressing the workforce challenges through this investment and our StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, our government is making education and training more accessible for people who call B.C. home.”
The Province held a series of public surveys and discussions aimed at identifying clearer and faster pathways for skilled people who have immigrated to Canada. The resulting public report will be released in summer 2023 and will guide the international credential recognition legislation aimed at reducing barriers and supporting more internationally trained professionals.
“We are delighted by this provincial investment to enhance international credential recognition in British Columbia. Employment service organizations are connected to internationally trained newcomers and their communities,” said Janet Morris-Reade, CEO, ASPECT. “They can facilitate removing barriers for newcomers to navigate connecting to their chosen profession more quickly than without support. This vital funding will enable more newcomers to gain access to credential recognition and workplace success.”
B.C. is expecting one million job openings over the next decade, 387,000 of which are expected to be filled by newcomers to the province. Investing in credential recognition for internationally trained professionals aligns with the StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan. The action plan is supported by a provincial investment of $480 million over three years.
This funding will complement other provincial programs and services for newcomers, such as the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants program, which helps newcomers find employment in their field.
Reetinder Kaur, doctoral student and project director, Providence Health Care Research Institute, said: “As an internationally trained professional, finding a suitable job in my profession was a challenge, but through the support of programs such as the International Credential Recognition Fund, the process will become much easier. I personally overcame these challenges through support in 2020 from Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society’s Foreign Credential Recognition program.”
Learn More:
For information about StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, visit:
https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/
To learn about ASPECT, visit:
For information about the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants program, visit:
https://www.welcomebc.ca/Work-
BACKGROUNDER
Foreign credential recognition in B.C.
* Many immigrants arrive in B.C. with valuable education, experience and skills. Internationally trained professionals need to have their qualifications recognized by a professional regulatory authority to work in their chosen profession.
* The process of having education, skills and work experience from outside Canada assessed against Canadian standards is often referred to as foreign credential recognition.
* Professional regulatory authorities serve an important role in B.C. for health, safety and consumer protection. In B.C., more than 50 regulatory authorities are responsible for assessing and recognizing professional qualifications for approximately 235 regulated occupations.
* The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills invited people in British Columbia to share their views on the credential recognition process and identify barriers via an online survey from April 19 until May 26, 2023.
* Information was gathered from virtual roundtables where more than 120 people provided their perspectives and experience with foreign credential recognition. In addition, more than 1,300 responses to the online survey were submitted.
* In 2022, more than 150,000 people immigrated to B.C.
* Over the next decade, 387,000 newcomers are expected to enter the B.C. workforce, filling 38% of the one million job openings expected by 2033.
* Almost all these jobs will require occupation specific training or post-secondary education, including:
– bachelor, graduate or first professional degree – 36%;
– diploma or certificate – 29%;
– apprenticeship – 12%; and
– high school or occupation specific – 20%.
