Ontario announced 31 additional bridge programs

Written by CNM Wednesday, 23 June 2010 16:33

Bridge programs are one of the most successful initiatives for immigrants who want to resume their careers in Ontario. They provide, among many other things, professional and language training and insight into the Canadian labour market. Immigrants who enrol in these programs are able to improve their professional network, learn about Ontario’s regulations, and sync their skills and experience with Ontario’s businesses demands. It doesn’t take long for graduates of these programs to get a rewarding job.

To keep helping immigrants get settle faster, the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Dr. Eric Hoskins, announced that the provincial government is investing in 31 additional bridge programs across the province, for a total of $ CAD 29.5 million. Divided into 22 new programs and 9 renewals, the bridge programs could help close to 5,500 more newcomers. The programs will help newcomers get training in areas such as health care, information technology, engineering, agrology, financial services, and land surveying.

“Many of our skilled newcomers need to cross an important bridge, a bridge between aspirations and achievements,” Minister Hoskins said. “It is the bridge to help highly skilled newcomers find job in their areas of expertise. Since 2003 the government of Ontario has provided approximately 145 million dollars in nearly 200 hundred bridge training programs [...] So far, these programs have helped more than 35,000 newcomers in Ontario to get the skills train they need to find employment in their field.”

Of the 31 programs just announced, 22 are brand new and nine are renewals of successful programs. Six of the bridge programs are “Systemic change” programs, research projects that would analyze the way in which internationally trained professionals integrate into some sectors — their goal is to make those sectors more accessible to skilled newcomers. Suzanne Gordon, Ontario Citizenship and Immigration’s Labour Market Integration Unit manager, explains that through these programs, Ontario is working with employers to help them establishing best practices to integrate newcomers into the work place effectively.

The programs focus on many sectors of the economy, from accounting and financial services to trades — among the new programs, a number of them focus on the green economy. Nonetheless, the biggest bridge program would be offered by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; a project designed for all those international trained  electrical workers who need to learn Canadian construction methods, health and safety standards and achieve technical proficiency.

“To succeed in the global economy, Ontario workforce must be ready to take on the world,” Hoskins said. “That means to ensure that newcomers who arrive in our Province with an advanced education and specialized skills are given the support they need. We cannot afford to waste their potential.”

Since 2003 (including these announcements) the Government of Ontario has invested 165 million dollars in bridge programs.