Survey: more support needed for foreign tradespeople

Key Takeaways:

• Officials heard feedback from 1,450 people regarding the international credential-recognition process.
• Respondents said they want a faster, simpler and more accommodating process to recognized foreign skilled workers who want to work in Canada.
• Feedback gathered from the public engagement will be used to help make adjustments to the program.

The Whole Story:

Stakeholders in B.C. want an easier process and more supports for international tradespeople to get their credentials recognized.

The province released the results of a survey of more than 1,450 people who gave feedback on the international credential-recognition process.

Feedback from the province’s engagement is available online and will be used to inform future legislation to improve credential recognition for newcomers to B.C.

In spring 2023, the province asked internationally trained professionals, educational institutions, immigrant-serving organizations, business associations, health-care associations, regulatory authorities and members of the public for their feedback about international credential recognition through a series of roundtables and an online survey.

“We’ve heard from regulators, post-secondary institutions and internationally trained professionals that the system isn’t working,” said Andrew Mercier, minister of state for Workforce Development. “This is a question of fairness and about making sure that internationally trained professionals have the support they need to succeed and practice in B.C.”

More than 1,450 British Columbians participated in this public engagement through roundtables and an online survey about how to improve the credential recognition process and remove unnecessary barriers for newcomers to Canada.

“Mosaic would like to express its appreciation to the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and the Minister of State for Workforce Development Andrew Mercier and his team for taking the time to hear directly from the many immigrant professionals we work with, whose direct experience with the barriers to credential recognition will inform improvements to these processes,” said David Lee, director of employment at Mosaic, an immigrant-serving organization. “We look forward to how we can support newcomers to B.C. in connecting to employment in a way that takes full advantage of their skills and experience.”

The report identified eight themes for improvement:

• improving the accessibility, consistency and transparency of information about the licensure process and requirements;
• streamlining complex processes and shortening timelines;
• exploring alternative pathways for credential recognition;
• exploring more flexible approaches to demonstrate language proficiency;
• introducing performance standards for data and reporting;
• increasing financial and other supports for internationally trained professionals and regulatory authorities;
• improving co-ordination between government and regulatory authorities at the provincial and federal levels; and
• strengthening collaboration between regulatory authorities, educational institutions, employers and immigrant-serving organizations to support licensure and integration.
  

Feedback gathered from the public engagement will be used to help streamline the international credential-recognition process and work toward new legislation.