Ontario Bridge Training ProgramsOntario Bridge Training Programs

Building a better bridge: Building a better bridge: Working to support newcomer successWorking to support newcomer success

Suzanne GordonLabour Market Integration Unit

Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration

Presentation overview

1. Context for bridge training in Ontario

2. Evolution of bridge training in Ontario

3. Key components of successful bridge training programs: Lessons from Ontario

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1. Context for bridge training in Ontario

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Immigrants in Ontario’s labour force

• 30% of Ontario’s labour force are immigrants.

• 55% of Canada’s immigrant labour force is in Ontario.

• 40% of Canada’s immigrant labour force is in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey – January 2010

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

CA NF PE NS NB QC ON MN SK AB BC

Percen

t of Labou

r Force

Very Recent (< 5 yrs) Recent (5 ‐ 10 yrs) Established (> 10 yrs)

Ontario ‐ 30%

Canada ‐ 21%

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Trends that affect bridge training in Ontario

Immigration trends• Immigrants arriving in Ontario are highly educated:

– Nearly half of the immigrants that landed in Ontario in 2008 held an undergraduate degree or higher qualification.

• The proportion of immigrants arriving in Ontario intending to work in a regulated occupation has declined in recent years:

– In 2008, 8.3% of arrivals intended to work in a regulated occupation, down from 12.1% in 2004.

Economic trends• Economic outcomes of newcomers have been declining in recent years

– Immigrants are more likely to be under- or unemployed than the Canadian-born.• The recent economic downturn disproportionately affected Ontario, and its

recent immigrants– Over half of recession-related employment losses in Canada occurred in Ontario.– At the peak of the recession, unemployment rates for recent immigrants were

twice that of Canadian-born Ontarians.6

2. Evolution of bridge training in Ontario

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Bridge training: In the beginning

Pre-Licensure Licensure

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Bridge training: 2006 to 2008

Pre-Licensure EmploymentLicensure

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Bridge training: Moving towards workforce integration

Pre-Licensure EmploymentLicensure

Workforce Integration

• Career advancement• Promotion• Employee and employer satisfaction• Retention

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Categories of bridge training programs• MCI funds bridge training programs in the following three categories:

1. Getting a License – Provide training to assist internationally trained individuals to obtain licensure and employment in regulated professions.

2. Getting a Job – Provide training to assist internationally trained individuals to obtain employment in non-regulated professions, as well as individuals who have already obtained licensure and are now seeking employment.

3. Changing the System - Initiatives that create change on a system-wide or sector-wide basis to improve the integration of internationally trained individuals into the labour market.

• Since 2003, nearly 200 programs have been funded, totalling over $145 million, serving more than 35,000 skilled newcomers.

• Wide range of targeted occupations and delivery partners.

• New projects are proposed through an Invitation for Proposals (IFP) process.

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Bridge training: A broad continuum of services

Workforce Integration Networking Mentorships

LabourMarket

Orientation

Assessment of:Prior Learning

Work ExperienceLanguage Skills

Job SearchResumeInterview

NetworkingMentorshipWorkplace

Culture & Communication

CanadianWork

Experience Orientation

JobPlacement

AcademicTraining

Orientation

Occupation-Specific

Language Training

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Bridge training for employment

Target Employment

Internship/Apprenticeship

Workplace Practice/ Clinical

PracticumLicensure/

Certification

EXAM

Qualification Recognition

Bridge training: A broad continuum of services

Workforce Integration Networking Mentorships13

Bridge training for licensure

Target Employment

Target Registration

LabourMarket

Orientation

Assessment of:Prior Learning

Work ExperienceLanguage Skills

Job SearchResumeInterview

NetworkingMentorshipWorkplace

Culture & Communication

CanadianWork

Experience Orientation

JobPlacement

AcademicTraining

Orientation

Occupation-Specific

Language Training

Bridge training for employment

Bridge training: Supporting systemic change

TRIEC model

• Strategic outreach to raise employer awareness

• Employer toolkits, workshops and conferences

• The Mentoring Partnership

Ontario bridge training projects targeting systemic change can involve:• Research and gap analysis• Development of assessment tools and procedures• Capacity building

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HIO model

• Local collaboration

• Direct connection between employers and immigrant-serving agencies

• Employment results

Regional Newcomer Employer Networks (RNENs) in Toronto, Niagara, Ottawa and Waterloo are helping more than 500 Ontario employers to attract, hire and retain skilled newcomers in their communities.

3. Key components of bridge training programs: Lessons from Ontario

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Success factors in developing effective bridge training programs

• Effective program design– Target a specific occupation– Recruit the right participants– Provide program flexibility and support innovation – Consider financial access

• Measure and clearly communicate success• Build and maintain strong partnerships

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Effective program design: Key services• MCI’s Invitation for Proposals (IFP) process sets out a program design model• Successful programs offer a range of modular components:

– Assessment and recognition– Academic and technical training (i.e., “hard skills”)– Workplace culture and communication training (i.e., “soft skills”)– Occupation-specific language training– Work experience (e.g., internships, mentorship, clinical placements)– Employment services (e.g., labour market orientation, job search skills, interview

preparation)– Licensure exam preparation– Workforce integration (NEW)

• Target a specific occupation• Ensure that participants have appropriate language skills• Allow flexibility to support innovation• Consider student financial aid options during program design

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Effective program design: Build strong partnerships

PROVINCIAL MINISTRIES AND AGENCIES

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

EMPLOYERS

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

OCCUPATIONALREGULATORY BODIES

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

NEWCOMERS

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Effective program design: Measure success

• The three IFP application categories have allowed LMI to develop clear, straight-forward performance measures to better assess and communicate the benefits of bridge training for participants.

• Key performance measures include the number of internationally trained individuals who:– Access and complete bridge training programs– Get licensed in their occupation– Find employment in their field.

• LMI can also quantify the individual impact of bridge training programs targeting systemic change.

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Effective program design:Communicate results

Keys to communicating the impact of bridge training:

• Develop clear, easily understood performance measures

• Use plain language to articulate:– Program descriptions– Licensure and employment outcomes– The benefits of bridge training to Ontario

• Focus on success at:– The program level– The individual participant level

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Communicating project success

Pharmacy

• The International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) Ontario Bridge Training Program at the University of Toronto has improved the pass rate on the pharmacy licensure exam from 20% to 92%.

• The IPG program has an employment success rate of almost 100%, helping to meet Ontario’s demand for qualified pharmacists.

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Focus: licensure & employment outcomes, meeting Ontario’s labour market needs

Communicating individual success

Engineering

• Bharat Kumar Karki came to Canada from Nepal with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and 15 years work experience. He had been in Canada for 1.5 years and could not obtain employment in his field. Thanks to the Engineering Connections bridge training program delivered by Humber College, he is now working as a Highway Engineer for Engconsult Limited In Toronto.

Optometry

• Clara Patricia Hernandez-Luna had a private optometric practice in her native Colombia and was also a university professor. Thanks to the International Optometric bridge training program at the University of Waterloo, she is now a licensed optometrist in Ontario.

Focus: Successful transition from unemployment/under-employment to high-skilled, professional level employment

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The road ahead