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November 23, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05-88
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA— The Honourable Raymond Chan, Minister of State, (Multiculturalism) and Member of Parliament for Richmond, on behalf of Belinda Stronach, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, today announced over $120,000 in funding, through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Program, for two projects being carried out by business and learning organizations based in British Columbia. Both projects will help integrate immigrants and internationally trained Canadians into the workforce.
The Business Council of British Columbia will assess employment barriers in non-regulated sectors. The Learning Innovations Forum will explore the development and implementation of a pan-Canadian “ePortfolio” system targeting skilled immigrants in sectors such as child care, petroleum production and wood manufacturing.
“With approximately 85 percent of occupations in Canada in non-regulated sectors, both of these projects being carried out by British Columbia organizations are an important step forward in enhancing the quality of life of immigrants and strengthening Canada ’s overall economy,”said Minister Chan.
“These projects announced today will help immigrants who are looking for employment to have the opportunity to make full use of their skills, and will also help employers in need of highly skilled workers,” said Minister Stronach.
The Government of Canada’s FCR Program works with provinces, territories and key stakeholder organizations, such as professional bodies, trade associations and sector councils. The aim is to improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the labour force by implementing projects that will facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in other countries.
Today’s announcement is linked to Canada ’s Workplace Skills Strategy, which seeks to help Canadians become the best-trained, most highly skilled workers in the world, and to ensure that employers’ needs are met.
The Government is providing $68 million over six years to implement the FCR program and to fund key activities from our partners aimed at improving FCR processes in Canada .
For details see attached backgrounder.
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For further information (media only):
M edia Relations Office
Human Resources and
Skills Development Canada
(819) 994-5559
Normand Bergeron
Special Advisor, Communications
Office of Minister Stronach
(819) 994-2482
BACKGOUNDER
Organization
Description of Project
Funding
Business Council of British Columbia
Foreign Credential Recognition in British Columbia : Assessing the Employment Barriers
This project will develop in-depth knowledge of factors that contribute to FCR barriers and challenges; identify best practices for FCR among non-regulated sectors; and develop recommendations, identify policy implications and communicate findings to relevant stakeholders.
$48,500
Learning Innovations Forum
Learning Innovations Forum ePortfolio for Skilled Immigrants: Recognizing Foreign Work
This project will explore the feasibility of developing and implementing a Canada-wide ePortfolio system targeting skilled immigrants. Preliminary efforts will focus on non-regulated professions, including trucking, child care, petroleum production, wood manufacturing and aviation maintenance.
$73,028
Total Projects
$121,528
