Government of Canada helps foreign-trained professionals find work in environmental sector

CALGARY, ALBERTA, February 10, 2010—The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State (Seniors) and Member of Parliament for Calgary–Nose Hill, announced today, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, that the Government of Canada is supporting a project to help better integrate foreign‑trained workers into the Canadian workforce through an initiative with the environmental sector.

The Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada) will receive $1,294,865 in Foreign Credential Recognition Program funding for its Environmental Sector Immigration Strategy.

“Our government is committed to helping newcomers succeed in Canada,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is taking action to improve foreign credential recognition so that newcomers can maximize their talents. We are proud to support ECO Canada’s Environmental Sector Immigration Strategy, because attracting the best international talent is vital to Canada’s long-term economic success.”

The funding will enable ECO Canada to create an assessment and job matching system that will help foreign-trained workers to find jobs in the environmental sector. This system will place skilled immigrants in areas with the highest demand, and will enhance their employment opportunities in Canada.

“ECO Canada is pleased to be part of this project as it aligns with our mandate of ensuring a sufficient supply of skilled professionals to address the labour requirements of the Canadian environmental sector,” said Mr. Grant Trump, President and Chief Executive Officer, ECO Canada. “The Bridging component of this project provides an effective vehicle to link the environment sector’s labour market demands with competent immigrants arriving in Canada with environmentally related education and experience.”

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. This investment directly contributed to the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which was announced last November.

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. TheFramework 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.