Provincial Government Announces Projects to Help Newcomers Secure Employment in their Fields

The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, today announced the first successful applicants for funding through the federal-provincial Foreign Qualification Recognition Agreement, which will help newcomers secure employment in their fields.

The agreement is supported by $800,000 in federal funding to be allocated over a 24-month period, helping achieve a key commitment in The Way Forward on Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador to enhance foreign qualification recognition. The agreement also builds on the strong partnership between the Provincial and Federal governments and supports the Atlantic Growth Strategy.

The first approved projects focus on assisting internationally trained healthcare professionals as well as newcomers with limited experience in a Canadian workplace. They include:

• The Association for New Canadians will receive $50,000 to design a Workplace Communication and Integration Module to help internationally trained workers be confident in their new Canadian workplace, including how to give and receive feedback, business communications, time management, and professional writing.
• The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador will receive $48,875 to conduct a national assessment of the current guidelines by which international medical graduates may practice in Canada.
• A review of online education modules for internationally-educated nurses by Eastern Health’s Centre of Nursing Studies will be supported with $39,675 in funding.
• The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador will get $18,000 to develop an interactive eLearning tool.
• The Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals will receive $9,085 to enhance existing foreign qualification recognition for internationally-educated health professionals.

A second call for proposals for project funding through the Foreign Qualification Recognition Agreement will be issued during this summer.

Quotes

“When we help internationally trained workers get their foreign credentials recognized, we enable them to successfully integrate into the province’s workforce and fully contribute their expertise and skills. This supports immigrant attraction and retention, a key objective of The Way Forward on Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour

Source: releases.gov.nl.ca