WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, January 18, 2010—The Government of Canada is helping newcomers better integrate into the Canadian workforce through a new initiative. Mr. Rod Bruinooge, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“Our government is committed to helping newcomers succeed in Canada,” said Mr. Bruinooge. “That’s why we’re taking action to improve foreign qualification recognition so that newcomers can maximize their talents right here in Manitoba and contribute to the local economy. I’m pleased to support the Workforce Integration project, because we know that attracting the best international talent is important to Canada’s long-term economic success.”
The Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils will receive over $1.3 million in funding from the Government of Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program to support the Workforce Integration of Skilled Newcomers in the Trades project.
The funding will enable the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils to match skilled newcomers with Manitoba employers in need of tradespeople. Through this project, skilled newcomers will receive one-on-one support to help them navigate through the accreditation system, develop a plan to fill any gaps in their training or language skills, and match them with employers facing labour shortages.
“The methods and practices being tested by the Workforce Integration pilot project will become the new norm for how we do business in Manitoba,” said Ms. Beverlie Stuart, Executive Director of the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils. “Newcomers will maximize their skills, employers will meet their labour needs and the overall system for integrating immigrants will be made more effective.”
Canada’s Economic Action Plan invested $50 million to work with the provinces and territories and other partners, such as employers, to address barriers to foreign credential recognition in Canada, and contributed to the recently announced Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
Under the Framework, foreign-trained workers who submit an application to be licensed or registered to work in certain fields will be advised within one year whether their qualifications will be recognized. The Framework is part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to have the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world.
With this $50-million investment, the Government will:
- develop the principles that will guide the process of foreign credential recognition;
- develop standards for the timely handling of requests;
- identify key occupations that will be the priority for developing recognition standards; and
- help people who want to come to Canada understand what they need to know before they arrive.
The Foreign Credential Recognition Program and the Foreign Credentials Referral Office are the key federal initiatives in place to support pan-Canadian implementation of the Framework.
To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
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This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
For further information (media only):
Michelle Bakos
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559
To help internationally trained workers find jobs in their career of choice, Canada’s Economic Action Plan is investing $50 million over two years to make the process of assessing and recognizing foreign qualifications more efficient.
The objective of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications is to articulate a new joint national vision, guiding principles and desired outcomes for improving the assessment and recognition of newcomers’ qualifications.
The Foreign Credential Recognition Program aims to improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the workforce. The Program provides funding to and works with the provinces and territories and stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, post‑secondary institutions, sector councils and employers, to implement projects that facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in other countries.
The Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO) was established in May 2007 to help internationally trained workers receive the information, path-finding and referral services, in Canada and overseas, to have their credentials assessed quickly so they can find work faster in the fields for which they have been trained. The FCRO works with federal, provincial and territorial partners, and foreign credential assessment and recognition bodies, to strengthen foreign credential recognition processes across the country. Internet services for internationally trained workers can be found on the FCRO Web site at the following address: www.credentials.gc.ca.
The Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils is a network of industry sector organizations that is funded by the Province of Manitoba. It focuses upon human resources development for small, medium and large organizations and their current and future employees.
