National Partnership to Train Immigrant Professionals meets Workforce Needs

Bow Valley College (Calgary) in partnership with Vancouver Community College and Seneca College (Toronto) will be launching a new training program, Success in the Workplace, to up-skill working immigrant professionals who want to be more competitive and effective in the workplace.
Success in the Workplace; Communication and Business Skills Training for Immigrant Professionals, will target the areas that are often a barrier for skilled Immigrant Professionals in reaching their career goals. The program will work with foreign trained professionals including Engineers, Accountants, Geologists, Bankers, Architects, and Chemists. Using the Essential Skills framework as identified by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) as the basis for program development, participants will build skills in Oral Communication, Writing, Critical Thinking, and Working with Others. Through the use of case studies and simulation activities, participants will be coached in giving feedback, making presentations, communicating clearly and accurately, and finally writing professionally.
Conrad Murphy, Director of TOWES (Test of Workplace Essential Skills) and the Centre for Career Advancement at Bow Valley College, is enthusiastic about the potential of this program. “In order to have a competitive workforce now and into the future, Canada needs to address key gaps in this workforce. For years, we have advocated to our highly educated immigrant students that ongoing training and development is required to progress in the workplace. The Success in the Workplace Program will provide them the opportunity to continue on with their skills development.”
The unique aspects of this 16-week program are:
· A blended approach to training that includes both classroom and on-line instruction that will facilitate time flexibility on-line combined with face to face coaching and training in class.
· Employer participation that gives students real workplace feedback.
· Funding and support from the Government of Canada’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, HRSDC which has invested into the development of the curriculum and the launch of the pilot in September 2009. The pilot will be free of charge for participants.
· Recognition of the ongoing need for continuous learning and skill building within the population of Immigrant professionals who are working and contributing but not yet realizing their potential.
For further information www.bowvalleycollege.ca/crtp or email Laurel Madro: lmadro@bowvalleycollege.ca
Ted Hougham: thougham@vcc.ca or Amy Koning: Amy.Koning@seneca.on.ca