Canadian HR Reporter

CanaDian hr reporter november 17, 2014 16 feaTuRes ImmIgratIon Gaining recognition Canada is hoping to speed up credential assessments for 10 new jobs By Nir Rozenberg c anada has been attracting hundreds of thousands of skilled workers from abroad in high-priority occupa- tions for decades. immigrants approved for permanent resi- dence arrive in canada seeking employment in their field. But there's a problem: For regu- lated occupations, new immi- grants often wait years for their foreign-obtained credentials to be assessed. As a result, they are not guaranteed to be working in their field — at least not until they have been authorized to do so by the regulatory body or governing agency. In response, Canada recently committed to enabling immi- grants in 10 new occupations to have their credentials assessed within one year. Background Foreign credential recognition has been a hot topic since the early 1990s and while the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) was implemented to help assess foreign credentials quickly, it is not fast enough. e program is accessed by regulatory bodies and governing agencies that over- see the certification of specific oc- cupations across Canada. While Citizenship & Immigra- tion Canada (CIC) has offered immigration programs to attract skilled workers from around the world, the overall process to ob- tain foreign credential recogni- tion has been incredibly lengthy; in some cases, as long as two years or more. Employers looking to hire can- didates in regulated occupations must wait until the candidates are certified in Canada before being allowed to perform the regulated work. As a result, new immigrants possessing the skills and experi- ence Canada requires find them- selves working in low-skilled, low- paying jobs until their credentials are assessed. eir skills and ex- perience could even become irrel- evant or deteriorate, making it less likely they will secure a job. The popular Federal Skilled Worker program (FSWP) sup- ports Canada's objective to select high-skilled individuals based on their potential to become eco- nomically established in Canada and to assist employers in meet- ing their labour shortages. But since the barriers to securing a job in Canada also include high costs and lengthy credential as- sessment times, new immigrants seek temporary jobs, often times never working in their field. 24 occupations e FCRP was implemented to speed up the recognition of and integrate skilled immigrants into the Canadian economy. Originally launched with 14 occupations — including dentists, pharmacists and medical laboratory technolo- gists — the list now includes an additional 10 occupations: •geoscientists •carpenters •electricians •heavy duty equipment technicians •heavy duty equipment operators •welders •audiologists and speech language pathologists •midwives •psychologists •lawyers. rough Canada's Economic Action Plan and in partnership with the provincial governments, Canada's goal is to streamline foreign credential assessment and recognition for 24 priority occupations so these new im- migrants can go to work in their professions and fully contribute to the economy. is new policy will ensure foreign nationals who submit their applications, along with supporting documentation and applicable fees, will have their credentials assessed within one year. "Anything that speeds up the recognition of internationally ob- tained credentials is a good thing because lack of international cre- dential recognition is one of the major barriers to immigrants be- ing able to work according to their skills and abilities and experience in Canada," says Joan Anderson, director of employment and lan- guage programs at Vancouver's Mosaic, a non-profit organization that addresses issues affecting im- migrants and refugees. By allowing for faster creden- tial assessments, Canada's ability to use human capital is greatly en- hanced, and it allows for a more talented and accessible pool of candidates. Employers seeking to fill critical labour shortages will be able to employ more Canadi- ans and permanent residents and slowly shy away from the Tempo- rary Foreign Worker program. Express Entry Canada also plans to introduce an Express Entry (EE) system in January 2015. is seeks to di- rect employers to "immigration- ready" candidates who will be fast-tracked so they can come to Canada in under six months. This would suggest creden- tial assessment and recognition would no longer pose a problem as Express Entry will eliminate the issue of underutilization of immi- grants' skills. Still, there are hundreds of thousands of recent immigrants and many thousands more still in the processing queue who will benefit from the addition of these 10 occupations. Nir Rozenberg is director of the Cana- dian Association of Professional Im- migration Consultants in Toronto. He can be reached at (416) 665-3939 ext. 222 or nir@theimmigrationteam.com. Hr CErtIFICatIon CHRPs for IEPs Verifying credentials, experience can make certification challenging By Erin Breden T he certified Human Re- sources Professional (cHRP) designation is the professional standard for HR knowledge and expertise for most of canada. For people immigrating to Cana- da, it's also an opportunity to be recognized at the same calibre as those whose education and expe- rience is from within Canada. It was an opportunity seized by Petra Tregillus. A Czech citizen and Canadian resident, she holds a master's degree in international relations and HR management from the University of Econom- ics in Prague. Tregillus discov- ered the CHRP designation when researching immigration. "I wanted to pursue (the CHRP) just to be recognized the same as other HR professionals in Canada, with no difference as to whether I have my experience and edu- cation from outside of Canada," says Tregillus, an HR and training co-ordinator at Canadian Tire. "It was to get on the same level and the same page." When reviewing the require- ments, Tregillus found she easily met most of the criteria, which is the same for internationally edu- cated professionals (IEPs) as it is for those educated within Canada: 1. Become a member of a provin- cial association. 2. Pass the National Knowledge Exam. 3. Meet the degree requirement. 4. Pass the experience assessment. "It is critical for many reasons that the granting bodies for the CHRP recognize international experiences and education and are consistent with Canada's overall approach to welcoming internationally trained profes- sionals," says Christian Codring- ton, director of regulatory affairs and member value at the Human Resources Management Associa- tion (HRMA) in Vancouver. "Our labour force needs it and Canadian businesses benefit from that diversity." Credentials, experience While the designation does not discriminate, IEPs may stumble when it comes to verifying inter- national credentials or earning one year of work experience. Those working towards the CHRP must hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accred- ited college or university. People educated in Canada are able to request a transcript from their university for a $10 to $15 fee. If the degree was completed outside of Canada, a basic report must be obtained from the Inter- national Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) or World Educa- tion Services. e cost is about $125. For Catherine Ashford, a certi- fication candidate originally from Surrey, U.K., the verification of her credentials wasn't a challenge. "I wouldn't say there's any hin- drance at all," says Ashford, man- ager of employee engagement at Deloitte. "I had to request my transcript be sent to ICES and then request the report be sent to HRMA." e final step in earning the designation requires the certifi- cation candidate to demonstrate three years of professional experi- ence in human resources. At least one year of experience must be from an organization in Canada. For Tregillus, this was the only certification criterion she did not initially meet. "It definitely is challenging to get your foot in the door and find that first opportunity," she says. "Maybe it still plays a certain role that you're coming from a differ- ent country, especially when it's a non-English-speaking country — English is not my first language." But with some networking and time spent familiarizing herself with the profession in Canada, it wasn't too long before Tregillus found that first opportunity — at Canadian Tire, hired full-time af- ter a temporary position. e experience was similar for Ashford. "I knew I needed to get used to the Canadian business envi- ronment because, even though everyone speaks English, it's still different," she says. "I took a temp job for a few weeks and then they hired me. at's how it all began." It was several years after land- ing that first job — and complet- ing an HR management certificate — that Ashford decided to earn the designation. "I felt that it was really impor- tant to have on my resumé," she says. "Considering my degree is unrelated to HR, and my ad- ditional HR education, I felt that (the CHRP) tied it all up. It gives me credibility." Codrington agrees: "The knowledge component of the designation — the National Knowledge Exam — can serve to assuage employers that interna- tionally trained HR professionals also know the nuances of Cana- dian practices; while the enabling competencies help to demon- strate that the professional with the CHRP possesses the soft skills necessary for success." Employers are looking for the designation, says Tregillus. "Generally, it's expected throughout Canada," she says. "When you look at the postings for HR jobs, every single one mentions the CHRP designation as an asset or preferred. It opens more opportunities if you have the designation." "It takes a lot of time and en- ergy," she says. "But... it's worth it." Erin Breden is a communications specialist at the B.C.-based Human Resources Management Association (HRMA) in Vancouver. Visit www. hrma.ca for more information. By allowing for faster credential assessments, Canada's ability to use human capital is greatly enhanced. COST: $69 + applicable taxes LIVE WEBINAR TIME: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET REGISTER ONLINE: www.HRReporter.com/CPDCentre For more Live and On-demand Webinars, visit us online. WEBINAR SERIES WHY ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT MATTERS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION Curbing attendance issues can be a complex process but it's important to the effective running of a business. 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