Canada sees immigration as a priority to help the economy recover from the pandemic, but barriers still remain to keep skilled immigrants away from career advancement.
A Richmond-based organization aims to bridge that gap by launching a 17-week, free full-time training program for immigrants this summer.
Anna Price, manager of Back in Motion’s career path for skilled immigrants program, said the training session - fully funded by the provincial government – is aimed at preparing skilled immigrants to find sustainable, high wage opportunities in the growing cybersecurity sector.
“Some immigrants came to Canada with a bachelor, master's degree or PHD, but they faced some challenges to find the most appropriate job opportunities which fit their talents and skill sets,” said Price.
“It could be they don’t have licensed qualifications recognized by the Canadian companies or they just need a bit of financial kick to help them get back on track,”
“Our program aims to help skilled immigrants to get back to their original profession and be successful through utilizing their original skill sets.”
Price, an immigrant herself, said she understands the struggles most immigrants have experienced during the job-hunting process.
She arrived in Canada with a PHD degree in sociology from the largest university in Slovakia, but her qualifications didn’t help her go that far in the Canadian job market.
Price also noticed there wasn’t enough support or resources to help immigrants navigate the market, which motivated her to empower more immigrants over the past 14 years.
“I started myself as a frontline worker and I went through everything on my own. I understand people who come to Canada have lots of talents, sometimes they just need a bit of encouragement and motivation to get there,” said Price.
Founded in 2007, Back in Motion’s career path for skilled immigrants program provides support to help immigrant job seekers move into careers that match their qualifications.
All services provided by Career Paths are funded by the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
For more information about the program, visit: https://bit.ly/3rGqfOp.
