Job Connect to help more new immigrants

Job Connect To Help More New Immigrants

The Ontario government is breaking down barriers to help internationally trained individuals find work in Ontario, Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Mike Colle, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, said this week.

Bentley and Colle were attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Brampton, where Accessible Community Counselling and

Employment Services (A.C.C.E.S.) is one of three new sites providing Job Connect services for adults, with a special focus on helping newcomers.

“The McGuinty government is committed to helping newcomers succeed,” said Bentley. “The employment services provided by Job Connect can

help them find positions that match their education and skills.”

Approximately 125,000 newcomers arrive in Ontario each year. The majority are highly trained - more than half of those arriving in the past two years have university degrees - but many struggle to find jobs that match their skills and abilities. Job Connect provides services to help over 15,000 newcomers a year develop pathways to employment commensurate with their

education and skills.

This year, the government has invested $10 million to expand Job Connect services, including $1 million to fund the three new Job Connect centres. The new sites are located in communities that were formerly underserved in relation to the size of their newcomer populations.

Expanding Job Connect complements the work done by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration to break down barriers to the internationally trained.

“Newcomers with global experience come to Ontario each year, and we want them to be able to contribute their knowledge and expertise to our economy,” said Colle. “That’s why our government has introduced a number of ground-breaking initiatives including

Bill 124, the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act - to make sure everyone has a fair opportunity to work in their field.”

“Every year Brampton attracts a large and growing pool of skilled immigrants,” said Linda Jeffrey, MPP Brampton Centre. “These expanded services will give newcomers the tools to contribute significantly to our province’s economy.”

Ensuring fair admission procedures to the regulated professions and helping place newcomers in jobs are just two of the ways the McGuinty government is breaking down barriers impeding internationally trained individuals in Ontario, she said. ❑