Links and Documents

Making a Change Together

(Adobe Acrobat PDF)

The purpose of this resource handbook is to give foreign-trained people, and groups interested in helping them, the tools needed to work together to change the system of access to professions and trades in Ontario. It encourages foreign-trained people to become effective change makers.

Many educated and skilled immigrants have difficulty finding work in their profession or trade once they arrive in Canada. The reasons for this are many and complex. Some argue that the problem is in how Canada recruits immigrants (e.g., outdated selection criteria, and a lack of information prior to immigration). Others point to barriers faced by immigrants once they arrive in Canada.

Some examples are listed below:

• Lack of detailed information about how to get licensed to work in regulated professions and trades.
• Difficulty in getting academic credentials recognized.
• Difficulty in getting previous work experience recognized.
• Lack of language skills suitable for the workforce.
• Lack of time and money to take exams to re-qualify in occupation or go back to school to upgrade education/training.
• Lack of understanding of Canadian workplace cultural norms and expectations.
• Discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender.

The goal of the handbook is not to help individual foreign-trained people move through the system. The goal is to give information that will allow people to change the system. The authors argue that changing the system will make it is easier for many immigrants to get their licenses and work in their occupations.

They seek to do this by providing:

• a history of promoting access to trades and professions in Ontario;
• an orientation about what it means to change the system, and what you need to know in order to do it;
• an overview of the professions and trades system in Ontario - understanding the system, how and why it works and the way it does, before you can try to change it;
• a step-by-step guide to planning your strategy - how to organize your group to change the professions and trades system in
  Ontario;
• case studies illustrating examples of systemic change efforts - six groups that have already tried to change the professions and trades system in Ontario;
• information about "stakeholders" that have roles and responsibilities in the system (including federal and provincial governments, occupational regulatory bodies, community agencies that provide services to immigrants, educational institutions, employers, unions)- details are provided, where relevant, regarding each stakeholder’s mandate, roles and responsibilities, activities regarding access to professions and trades, accountabilities, internal structures, misconceptions, barriers, and opportunities;
• information about levels of government in Canada - roles and the relationship between the various levels of government are critical to understand.

Format - This handbook is available for download in Adobe Acrobat format [1.3MB].

Language - English

Additional Information

Skills for Change, 791 St. Clair Avenue W., Toronto, ON, M6C 1B8, Tel: 416-658-3101, Fax: 416-658-6292