STIC - Engineering:
Facilitator's Introduction
Participant Profile
This Overview and Orientation Workshop has been designed specifically
for immigrants with foreign training, qualifications and experience in
Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical and Electrical/Electronic Engineering.
Additional information is provided on the occupations of Engineering
Technician and Engineering Technologist. If you intend to accept members
of other occupations into the workshop, be aware that you may have to
conduct further research and adapt the curriculum to meet your needs.
Participants will benefit most from this program if they also meet one
or more of the following criteria:
- newcomers to Canada or
- have lived in Canada for some time, but have not been able to gain
access to employment in their field or
- lack awareness of the systems, supports, and resources available
to them or
- are seeking entry into their field.
Methodology
This workshop has been developed so that it:
- is interactive
- accommodates the different learning styles
- demonstrates principles of adult education methodology.
Strategies used in the workshop include short lectures, individual activities,
pair work and group activities.
Sources of information for the content of this curriculum include:
- The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
(formerly Human Resources Development Canada (Job Futures)
- Ontario Government (Ontario Futures)
- Industry Canada
- Where the Jobs Are, by Colin Campbell.
- The STEPS to Employment Program, Citizenship and Immigration
Canada www.stepstoemployment.net
- Material from the Professional Engineers of Ontario
- Material from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
Structure
The Overview and Orientation Workshop is intended to be delivered over 30-35
hours with time for discussion and breaks. The workshop has
been divided into six sections, with an introduction
and wrap-up.
The sections do not necessarily need to be delivered in the
order presented ; the activities within each section, however,
should be delivered in order. In other words, you may choose to deal
with Licensing before the Labour Market, but the activities within
the Licensing Section should be delivered in order.
It is recommended that facilitators begin each day with an open
discussion of the labour market for members of the profession
or trade you are working with. You might ask:
- Was there anything in the news yesterday or this morning
related to your profession/trade?
- Was there anything in the business
sections of the newspapers about major employers in your field?
- Where there any job ads?
- Has anyone heard anything about job fairs or conventions
coming up related to the field?
Discussion of this nature conveys to participants the importance of
staying abreast of the field, sharing information and being aware of
the trends in the industries that affect their job search. Preparation
In order to deliver the Overview & Orientation Workshop for Engineers,
you need:
-
The Facilitator's Guide (this document), including
the lecture notes, overheads, hand-outs and answer keys that are
included with this guide.
-
The Participant's Workbook – which includes
all activities. (One for each participant.)
-
Resource Packages (see Building Your Resource
Packages, pages 3-7).
-
At least one Guest Speaker (see Guest Speakers, page
8).
Building Your Resource Packages
The success of this program relies on relevant, up-to-date Resource
Packages for each participant. The following detailed bibliography will
help you develop these packages.
Each resource package must contain:
- Articles and other documents providing labour
market information on engineering and related industries
and occupations. This will entail visits to a library or employment
resource centre as well as Internet access.
- Sample job advertisements for different
engineering disciplines.
- A copy of the Professional Engineering Act (including
Regulation 941).
- Licensing information (requirements
and process) from the occupational regulatory bodies.
- Articles relating to advances in technology in
engineering.
Details on how to gather these materials follow. Occupation-Specific Resource Packages:
Suggested Contents
1. Labour Market Information
Engineering in General
Industrial Information
The following industrial associations may also be able to
provide printed materials:
- Information Technology Association of Canada : (905)
602-8345 or www.itac.ca
- Canadian Advanced Technology Association: (613) 236-6550
or www.cata.ca
- Electronics Manufacturing Association of Canada : (416)
236-7410
- Canadian Plastics Industry Association (905) 678-7748
x 241 or www.cpia.ca
- Association of Consulting Engineers Canada (613) 236-0569 or www.acec.ca/en/home.html
- Aerospace Industries of Canada : (613) 232-4297 or www.aiac.ca/
Discipline-specific Information
Salary Survey Table
The PEO publishes salary surveys annually. An excerpt from the 2003
version is included in the Participant's Workbook. You may wish to update
or expand the information. PEO salary survey information is available
on-line at www.peo.on.ca, click “Publications”,
then “Salary Survey”.
Job Advertisements
Use the Internet to look up major manufacturers, consulting firms, etc.
Directories
2. Acts and Regulations
Order the Professional Engineering Act from Publications
Ontario (416) 326-5300 or 1-800-668-9938. You can also
obtain it through the Internet at www.gov.on.ca,
click “Publications”,
then “Acts & Regulations” or directly from PEO 's website www.peo.on.ca click “About
PEO” then Professional Engineering Act.
3. Licensing Package
Request from Professional Engineers Ontario, (416) 224-1100, or 1-800-339-3716
the following:
- “General Information for applicants who do not have
a bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited Canadian university”
- “Guide to Required Experience for Licensing as a Professional
Engineer in Ontario”
- You can also download this information from www.peo.ca,
click Licensing & Registration then Prospective Immigrants
Order from the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians
and Technologists, (416) 621-9621 “Application package” or download this
information from www.oacett.org “Fact
Sheet on Registration for New Canadians” 4. Technology
Articles from Engineering Dimensions available at some libraries;
published by PEO.
Articles from discipline specific trade magazines & directories
such as:
Canadian Chemical News www.accn.ca/;
published by The Chemical Institute of Canada: (613) 232-6252
Canadian Electronics search.electronicsincanada.com/ce/,
Design Product News www.actioncom.com/dpnhomepg.htm,
Advanced Manufacturing www.advancedmanufacturing.com/
Plant Engineering & Maintenance www.pem-mag.com/ Published
by CLB Media Inc (905) 727-0077
Guide to Canada's Aerospace Industry. Published
by Aerospace Industries of Canada: (613) 232-4297 www.aiac.ca/
Design Engineering Magazine, Heating Plumbing Air Conditioning
Magazine, Plastics In Canada, Plant Canada 's Industry Newspaper Published
by Rogers Media Publishing www.bizlink.com/
Canadian Consulting Engineer Magazine Published by Business
Information Group 1-800- 268-7742 www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/
Environmental Science & Engineering (905) 727-4666
www.esemag.com/ Guest Speakers
There is an opportunity within the structure of the Workshop to invite
guest speakers in to address the class. The topic for the guest speaker
is “workplace expectations and hiring procedures”; this may, of course,
be tailored to suit the speaker's expertise. You will have to secure
your guest speaker from the local community. Some possible sources are:
An Employment Agency
If there is an employment agency in your community which regularly serves
employers and job searchers in the profession or trade you are working
with, ask them to come in to address such topics as:
- needs of employers
- current hiring trends
- temporary work - if any
- resumes - what works, what doesn't.
The websites of few employment agencies specializing in engineering
are:
A Human Resource Professional from a Large Employer
The speaker should address:
- How are positions advertised?
- What kind of people are they looking for?
- What stands out in a resume?
- What are the working conditions, benefits,etc.?
"A Day in the Life of..."
Participants generally enjoy listening to and asking questions of a
practising professional in their field. It is even more beneficial if
the guest speaker is foreign-trained and can address any challenges they
encountered and "secrets" to success.
One other option for a guest speaker is to integrate it into a field
trip. In particular, staff at Human Resources Development Canada Employment
Resources Centres are often able to give very effective presentations
in such topics as research tools, "The World of Work" computer
program and tours of the Centre.
 DownloadsAll downloads are in Adobe Acrobat PDF.
Download the complete Facilitator's Guide and Participant's Workbook.
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