Funding announced to help immigrants integrate

Image via WikipediaThe province is partnering with Ottawa and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) on a new initiative to better prepare immigrants from China and the Philippines for life in Canada.
The new program was announced early today by Premier Greg Selinger, who is travelling in China, and federal Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.
Selinger said in an telephone interview Tuesday the new immigration program will better prepare immigrants for not only what to expect when they first arrive, but to channel them into jobs sooner.
"We have an obligation to prepare them for success," Selinger said. "They're coming because Canada has a good reputation in China. It's a safe place to live and they feel they're going to be welcomed."
Many families also come to Canada to see their children get a solid education in our country's universities and colleges, he added.
The pilot program will provide Manitoba nominees in China and the Philippines with pre-arrival settlement orientation and labour-market preparation services. These services will include the development of a career plan based on Manitoba-specific labour-market information and guidance on qualifications recognition procedures. It will then be adapted for provincial nominees destined to other provincial jurisdictions as well as for Manitoba nominees in other parts of the world.
These new services for provincial nominees will be delivered through Phase 2 of the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), funded through a $15-million contribution agreement from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
"Pre-arrival services are an essential part of our strategy to help newcomers succeed. ACCC's partnership with Manitoba to create province-specific CIIP information and services is an important step in our commitment to prepare immigrants before they arrive in Canada," said Kenney. "This pilot demonstrates our aim to meet specific needs of newcomers destined for provinces across the country."
"ACCC members play a vital role in the economic integration of newcomers in Canada," said James Knight, president and CEO of ACCC. "Through ACCC's overseas offices, they are also providing pre-arrival advice to federal skilled workers in their country of origin. Red River College has been delivering this service for three years and is now working with ACCC and the Manitoba government to develop overseas pre-arrival services for provincial nominees."
Before arriving in Canada, nominees will also have access to Manitoba's successful English online language program, which provides language training using Manitoba specific scenarios. Students will be able to interact with adult English-as-an-additional-language teachers based in Manitoba, who will provide one-on-one guidance throughout the student's training.
The initiative will begin in November with approximately 40 Manitoba nominees. CIIP services for provincial nominees will be available at all CIIP locations in the coming year.
Selinger is in China to also drum up more business for the CentrePort development at Winnipeg's airport and to lure more tourists to the province.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press

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Immigrants' job success linked to age of arrival: Study

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By Derek Abma, Financial Post September 14, 2010 

 

 

OTTAWA — Immigrants who arrive in Canada before the age of 18 have a better chance at job success than those who come as adults, according to a study released Tuesday.
The Institute for Research on Public Policy said immigrants who come to Canada as minors generally have similar success to those born in Canada, in terms of employment and pay levels.
The issue of Canadian employers recognizing foreign educational credentials was factored out by the study's methodology. It was based on Statistics Canada data on the employment status of people in 2005 who had completed Canadian post-secondary education in 2000.
"The earlier in life immigrants arrive, the more their academic paths will resemble those of their Canadian-born counterparts, and the easier it will be for them to master one of the official languages in Canada," said Maude Boulet, one of the study's authors and an expert in industrial relations at the Universite de Montreal.
Co-author Brahim Boudarbat, also an industrial relations specialist at the Universite de Montreal, said it comes down largely to linguistic ability and cultural integration of those who come to Canada at an earlier age.
"Those who learn (in the Canadian education system) very young make almost the same choices as Canadian-born," Boudarbat said in an interview. "They go through the same system, they learn the same information."
In some cases, immigrants who arrived in Canada as minors had better employment success rates than those born in Canada. People born in Canada with college diplomas had a 91.8 per cent employment rate, the study showed. Those who immigrated as a minor had an employment rate of 92.6 per cent, and those coming to Canada as adults were employed at a 90.6 per cent rate.
For those with bachelor's degrees, the employment rate was 91.5 per cent for those born in Canada, 94.2 per cent for those who immigrated younger than 18, and 81.6 per cent for those arriving at 18 or older.
Among those with master's degrees or doctorates, the employment rate was 93 per cent for Canadian-born people, 89.1 per cent for those who immigrated as youths, and 88.5 per cent for those who immigrated as adults.
Boudarbat said immigrants who came to Canada as youths tend to be more flexible in what jobs they will work than those born in this country and also those who arrive later in life. But this was also thought to be factor in the study's finding that younger immigrants are less likely to be in jobs related to their area of education.
The study recommends that immigrants of all ages more carefully consider their fields of study based on the needs of the labour market. It also calls on the federal government to favour younger newcomers in its labour-market-based approach to immigration. Boudarbat said this would include adult immigrants younger than 30, and also those with children. He said other studies shown that even younger adult immigrants tend to have more success in the labour market than older immigrants.

© The Financial Post

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Immigrants+success+linked+arrival+Study/3524079/story.html#ixzz0zYgfLmDM

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Immigration pilot program tested in Manitoba

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The Manitoba government is piloting a Canadian program designed to help new immigrants get a strong start when they arrive in the province.
Premier Greg Selinger made the announcement in Beijing Tuesday, where he is on a trade and tourism mission with Lt-Gov. Philip Lee.
The pilot program will offer immigrants from China and the Philippines a "pre-arrival" orientation to help people plan their training and employment before touching down in Manitoba, Selinger said.

'The more informed and prepared immigrants are before they arrive, the more likely they are to achieve their career goals and contribute to Manitoba's economic growth.'—Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger

The service, provided through the provincial nominee program, will include a career plan based on labour-market information and out-of-country job and education qualifications.
Qualified immigrants will also have access to Manitoba's English Online language program that provides facilitated English-language training using Manitoba-specific scenarios.
Students will be able to interact with language teachers based in Manitoba, who will provide one-on-one guidance throughout the student's training.
"Manitoba is dedicated to providing more supports to assist provincial nominees to begin their employment and settlement planning before they arrive in our province," said Selinger.
"The more informed and prepared immigrants are before they arrive, the more likely they are to achieve their career goals and contribute to Manitoba's economic growth."
The $15-million program is being funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
If proven successful, the program will then be adapted for provincial nominees destined for other provincial jurisdictions, federal Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney stated in a news release.
"This pilot demonstrates our aim to meet specific needs of newcomers destined for provinces across the country," he said.
The initiative will begin in November with approximately 40 Manitoba nominees.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/09/14/mb-immigration-pilot-program-manitoba.html#ixzz0zYKyjMmv

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