It is a well-documented fact that immigrant professionals who speak only French experience difficulties when trying to enter the Canadian workforce in their field of expertise. Alberta is no exception, and if we also take into account the language barrier, the challenge can be magnified significantly. Too often, they are left on their own to deal with the provincial system. First to obtain recognition of their training and certification by a professional licensing organization in Alberta, then, to perfect their command of the English language and adopt new job search strategies. In most cases, they find employment in positions where their training and skills are not fully utilized. As a result, our economy and society fail to benefit fully from these new immigrants, who, in turn, do not achieve their full potential. Both sides end up losing.
In fact, the Conference Board of Canada reports that over 500,000 immigrants could potentially earn an additional $ 4.1 to $ 5.9 billion a year if their experience and training were recognized in Canada.
In order to deal with this situation andto better serve the needs of its clientele, accès•emploi has launched a mentorship program to facilitate the integration of newly arrived French-speaking immigrant professionals in Edmonton. |