Six agencies have been chosen to administer British Columbia’s new program to help highly skilled immigrants get jobs that match their qualifications more quickly.”For too long, immigrants have been frustrated by long wait times and barriers to getting the jobs that match their skills,” said Economic Development Minister Colin Hansen.

“If immigrants move to British Columbia to work in a field where there is a shortage then we need to help them get their training and credentials recognised, which is exactly what these service providers will help do.”

The B.C. Skills Connect for Immigrants Program will consist of career assessment and planning, workplace language upgrading and orientation, skill enhancements, and a mentor-ship component.

Many immigrants to British Columbia have skills in shortage occupations but find it hard to find their way through a complex labour market entry system and language barriers. They also have difficulty getting their credentials recognized and suffer from a lack of employment networks.

Through the agencies, it is expected that over 5,000 immigrant will be employed in the next three years in areas related to their skills and qualifications.

The program will begin by focusing on connecting immigrants with employers in the:

• construction industry
• transportation industry
• energy industry
• tourism and hospitality industry

Over the coming months the program will be expanded to include health care. Services through the Skills Connect program are available across British Columbia through the following service providers:

• ASPECT :- providing services throughout the province
• Back in Motion :- providing services in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland
• Camosun College :- providing services in the Capital Regional District
• Douglas College :- providing services in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley
• Multicultural Helping House Society:- providing services in the Lower Mainland
• Surrey Delta Immigrant Services Society:- providing services in Surrey and the Fraser Valley

20 May 2006

As a result of the commodities boom, the Canadian economy is producing record numbers of jobs – jobs that are not being filled.

Production lines, research labs, truck depots and medical centres are short-staffed, to cite a few examples.

This, according to Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, is a risk to Canada’s prosperity.

A vast array of foreign workers want the chance to show that they can do these jobs. Canadian employers have to be able to use their employees’ full range of skills, and hire the additional skilled workers needed for success.

Mr Solberg said that the government is determined to take steps to address this issue.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program can be part of the solution. Through this program, Canadian businesses have hired 95,000 temporary workers in the last year, to cover a wide range of jobs from seasonal agricultural workers to people with highly specialized training.

Mr Solberg said the government was determined to revitalize the immigration system, hence strengthening the economy and enriching Canada’s society.

7 May 2006