FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, Ontario, November 13, 2007 Parliamentary Secretary Lynne Yelich, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced its support for an initiative that addresses the difficulty of internationally trained architects obtaining credentials recognition here in Canada.
"The Government of Canada is committed to creating the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world," said Parliamentary Secretary Yelich. "This project is part of our plan to help new Canadians succeed and will further strengthen our economy by helping internationally trained architects get their credentials recognized faster and by making sure that we have enough architects available to meet the needs of Canadians."
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) will receive funding of over $400,000 through the Government of Canada's Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) program. The RAIC will work with provincial licensing bodies to develop a nationally accepted system that will assess the educational qualifications and professional experience of internationally trained architects. In addition, they will develop a multilingual web portal to provide detailed information on the Canadian system of professional qualifications and on the Canadian architectural industry in general, as well as online learning courses to facilitate entry into the field.
"The RAIC is thrilled with the support it is receiving from the Government of Canada," said Jon Hobbs, RAIC Executive Director. "Today's announced funding will enable us to create a fairer, more transparent system for integrating internationally trained architects into our profession, and improve their access to labour market information and learning tools that are vital to their success in Canada."
The Government of Canada is improving the integration of internationally trained workers into Canada's work force, and has fulfilled its commitment to introduce a Foreign Credentials Referral Office to help internationally trained individuals get their credentials assessed and recognized more quickly.
Immigration plays a vital role in helping to strengthen and grow the Canadian labour market and, in this manner, it contributes to the productivity and competitiveness of the Canadian economy and standard of living of all Canadians.
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Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
(819) 994-5559
