Newcomers to Canada often face the challenge of translating their skills, qualifications and experience into something local employers will value.
MOSAIC’s Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants program helps bridge that gap and transition immigrants and refugees into the workplace.
“If they’re an accountant, our goal would be to get them certified with CPA and have them get a job in accounting at the same level as they were before in their country,” said program coordinator Marina Gherman.
On average, newcomers spend anywhere between 11 and 22 months in the program.
“A big part of the program is connecting them to employers, to associations, to mentorship opportunities,” she said.
Clients also get a career services advisor, added Gherman, and clients attend workshops on resumé writing, interviewing, networking and team building.
MOSAIC also provides funding for newcomers who need that little extra certification to get them hired.
“With accountants, if they need some training in a particular payroll software that is used in Canada, even though they’ve done it before, we would be able to fund the training for that. If they need to do their credential evaluation to see how their credentials from back home, translate into something local, we would be able to fund that,” explained Gherman.
The program is funded through provincial and federal dollars, and replaces the previous Skills Connect program.
MOSAIC has been tasked with helping newcomers across B.C. who have backgrounds in accounting and administration, as well as those living in Burnaby and New Westminster who have a regulated or unregulated occupation.
Regulated professions are ones that require certificates (for example, a pharmacist), and unregulated professions are everything else.
Intake for the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants program occurs on an ongoing basis.
To qualify, clients must be a permanent resident for five years or less; be a skilled immigrant with more than three years of pre-arrival experience or one year for youth (19 to 30 years old) in a regulated or unregulated occupation; unemployed or underemployed (working more than 20 hours a week); have a Canadian language benchmark of five or greater; and don’t receive EI or B.C. employment and assistance.
“If you are a newcomer to New Westminster and you need help with your job search, come to MOSAIC,” said Gherman, adding the program is run out of MOSAIC’s Burnaby office at 5902 Kingsway.
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/CareerPathsProgram.
