MINISTRY OF CITIZENSHIP, CULTURE AND RECREATION ACCESS TO PROFESSIONS AND TRADES INITIATIVE
Submitted by the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation,
The lack of tools for assessing what people know and can do has been identified as a barrier for foreign-trained individuals seeking to access their occupation in Canada.
Each year, Ontario receives approximately 100,000 new immigrants, many of them highly skilled professionals and tradespeople who want to work and are capable of making a significant contribution to the economic growth of the province. Yet because their skills and qualifications are not fully recognized, they are unable to get licensed to practise the occupation in which they have been trained.
"From the COU perspective, PLAR can provide one means to facilitate lifelong learning in an evolving knowledge-based economy."
The consequences in both human and economic terms are considerable. Besides lost production and tax revenues, there is further waste of time and resources if newcomers must repeat training and education to acquire skills and knowledge they already have. Or, there may be skill shortages in some industries while foreign-trained workers with the needed skills remain unemployed, under-employed or on social assistance.
Through the Access to Professions and Trades Unit, the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation is working on several initiatives to promote access to the labour market for foreign-trained individuals. As part of the Ontario Government's Equal Oppor-tunity Plan, the Ministry works in partnership with various stakeholders to find innovative ways to promote fair licensing and certification practices for people with overseas qualifications. Key partners are occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, community agencies, foreign-trained individuals and ministries with legislative responsibility for regulated occupations. Employers are assuming an increasingly important role.
Several of these joint projects incorporate the development and use of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) as a means to evaluate both formal and informal learning. To evaluate overseas degrees and diplomas against Ontario standards, the Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Education and Training to develop improved academic credential assessment services. Other partnership projects address competencies such as skills, knowledge and/or personal attributes, that may have been gained on the job, in training courses, through voluntary work, private study or other kinds of experience.
Sector-Specific Orientation, Terminology Training, Information & Counselling (STIC)
One such project is the Sector-specific orientation, Terminology training, Information & Counselling (STIC) project. STIC assists skilled newcomers to speed up entry to their occupational field. Through this four-component program, people learn about their occupation in a Canadian context including licensing/certification requirements and labour market conditions. They also learn the terminology of their occupation as it is used at work, in job advertisements and in testing/licensure.
A unique component of the program is a computer software application that has been designed specifically for the project. Detailed job profiles identify the competencies and skills required to practise in regulated occupations in Ontario. Using this software, individuals create a computerized inventory of their skills and knowledge and compare them to the job profile in order to identify gaps or next steps. A model for researching and developing such profiles is among several products resulting from the project that are easily adaptable for use with other occupational sectors.
With individual counselling and assistance, each participant develops an individual career action plan. This includes the identification of additional training needs, or alternate occupations that use existing skills and competencies. For the recently completed pilot project, four occupational sectors were highlighted- health care, accounting, engineering and automotive mechanics. Occupational regulatory bodies, employers, foreign- trained individuals and educational institutions worked closely with project designers and, as a result, the program offers current and realistic information that is immediately useful to skilled workers and has the support of many decision-makers. About 240 people took part in the pilot phase and report positive results.
The STIC project was designed and developed by Skills for Change, a community-based agency, in collaboration with the Ministry. The Ministry was instrumental in the design of the specialized software and liaison with the occupations involved in the pilot phase. Funding was provided by Human Resources Development Canada.
PLAR in Ontario's Universities
Foreign-trained individuals having difficulty getting licensed or finding employment in their occupation may opt to return to university to upgrade their qualifications. To find out what Ontario's universities are doing with respect to PLAR in professional programs, the Ministry is partnering with the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) on a research study. The study is exploring whether current policies and practices allow students to earn credit for some portion of their professional program by assessing and recognizing learning that has occurred outside of formal educational programs -- such as work experience, on-the job training, or formal training programs offered by employers or other organizations besides post-secondary institutions.
From the COU perspective, PLAR can provide one means to facilitate lifelong learning in an evolving knowledge-based economy. The Ministry's particular interest is the status of PLAR for foreign-trained individuals, including the approach to education received at foreign institutions but not recognized for advanced standing through the usual foreign credential evaluation process.
An advisory committee of key stakeholders brought expertise from the university sector, professional schools, PLA practitioners and advocates, occupational regulatory bodies and community agencies working with foreign- trained individuals.
Results of the study should be available in late 1998.
Good Practice Models
The Ministry has supported several projects based on the use of PLAR that can be used as models and adapted for use in other trades and professions. To date, project partners have included the College of Midwives of Ontario, the College of Physiotherapists and Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Hamilton.
Midwives
In partnership with the Ministry, the College of Midwives of Ontario recently completed the development and implementation of a process for assessing the skills and qualifications of foreign-trained midwives applying for registration in Ontario. The first stage of the process is Canada's first occupation-specific language test, designed to test the language skills that midwives are likely to need on the job. Candidates who pass this test then move through 24 different stages in which they demonstrate they possess the clinical skills required for licensure.
As the licensing body for a profession that only recently came under provincial regulation, the College initiated its PLA process from scratch. Twenty-seven foreign-trained midwives have successfully completed the program, and, as of August 1998, 23 were registered and practising midwifery in Ontario. A future edition of "The Hub" will carry a more detailed article on this project.
Physiotherapists
The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, on the other hand, has been in existence for more than 30 years. With Ministry assistance, the College recently undertook a two-stage project to develop barrier- free processes for assessing foreign-trained applicants, and produce a "how to" manual for interested regulatory bodies and other stakeholders.
The first phase, in cooperation with the Alliance of Physiotherapists, revamped the assessment of foreign academic credentials. In phase 2, the College developed PLA tools and processes including barrier-free language tests. The College is also working with universities on upgrading opportunities for individuals with gaps in their training and a draft manual is currently under review.
Auto Mechanics
Supported by the Ministry, Mohawk College has developed an interesting outcome-related model for the trades in Ontario. To become certified in the province, auto mechanics must pass a written, multiple-choice exam. This exam can be a barrier for foreign-trained auto mechanics if they lack the level of language skills required to write the exam.
The Motive Power and English Departments at Mohawk College collaborated on a skills demonstration test as an alternative to the Certificate of Qualification exam. The new test assesses the knowledge and skills required of auto mechanics, and, in addition, an intercultural training component assists test-givers in understanding the challenges faced by foreign- trained auto mechanics. Two manuals resulted from the project: one prepares foreign-trained auto mechanics to take a skills-based test; the other helps instructors ensure consistency and fairness in the application of the test.
More Information
For information on these and other Access to Professions and Trades activities, visit the Ministry's Equal Opportunity Web site at:
http://www.equalopportunity.on.ca
You may also contact Nadine Gilmour by telephone at
(416)326-9714 or by e-mail at nadine.gilmour@mczcr.gov.on.ca
