Employers What We Heard Roundtable Summary 2013 - Consulting ...

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Maintaining the Momentum Foreign Qualifications Recognition Employers Roundtable March 2013

What We Heard Summary Report

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Executive Summary It has been nearly five years since the release of, A Foreign Qualifications Recognition Plan for Alberta (FQR Plan). Since its launch, the Foreign Qualifications Recognition (FQR) Unit of the Government of Alberta has been implementing actions and strategies to promote the full, timely and fair recognition of the educational credentials, skills and work experience that immigrants bring to Alberta. To follow up on the progress of the implementation of the FQR Plan, five roundtable discussions were held in March 2013 with approximately 70 key stakeholders from immigrant serving organizations, post-secondary institutions and employers. These roundtables engaged stakeholders in discussions to reflect on the progress of the FQR Plan to date and identified further challenges and opportunities for improvement. Objectives of these roundtables were to: • share best practices and explore fostering continuous improvement in FQR processes and practices • identify priorities and recommendations for future initiatives and discuss any remaining FQR challenges and opportunities to address them. The information provided at the roundtables will be used to inform the future work of the FQR Unit. Participants provided valuable input during the discussions. Some of the key recommendations from the employer roundtables that will be considered for ongoing and future implementation of the FQR Plan include: • enhance communication between stakeholder groups – employers, post-secondary institutions and immigrant serving organizations • improve availability and accuracy of pre-arrival information • increase capacity of employers to assess foreign qualifications • increase awareness of FQR across Alberta • increase availability of FQR resources and supports The FQR Unit works with key stakeholders to improve and streamline the assessment and recognition processes of foreign qualifications, while ensuring that Alberta’s occupational standards are maintained. The FQR Unit, therefore, provides leadership and coordination in creating an open and effective environment for the successful integration of foreign-trained immigrants into Alberta’s labour market.

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Introduction Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education’s 2013 Foreign Qualifications Recognition (FQR) Roundtable Discussions for Employers were held in Calgary on March 7 and in Edmonton on March 19th. Twenty five individuals participated (14 in Edmonton, 11 in Calgary), from employer groups including the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), KPMG, and Shaw Communications, among others. (See Appendices B and C for a complete list of participants and the agenda) The objectives of this roundtable were to: • provide an opportunity for information sharing between employers themselves, and with the Government of Alberta representatives on the implementation of A Foreign Qualifications Recognition Plan for Alberta (FQR Plan). • explore options and opportunities for building on existing initiatives to foster continuous improvement in FQR processes and practices. • identify priority areas for future FQR initiatives. • showcase good work already being done by employers.

Roundtable Discussions Group Discussion 1: Impact of Alberta’s FQR Plan As a group, participants were asked two questions regarding the impact of the FQR Plan: 1. Has implementation of Alberta’s FQR Plan since 2008 made a difference in your organization’s ability to assess international applicants? Discussions at the employer roundtable indicated a mixed view of the impact of the FQR Plan on employers and employer organizations. Some participants felt that that there has been a positive impact due to the FQR Unit’s work and others commented that they had noticed little to no change. It was agreed that more work could be done marketing and promoting the FQR Plan and building awareness of current initiatives to key stakeholders. Many participants in these discussions came from organizations representing employers of all sizes, and many of those employers require skilled and semi-skilled trades workers. As the FQR Plan for Alberta has to date focused mainly on regulated professions and professional regulatory organizations, most employer representatives at this discussion had not felt a direct impact of the FQR Plan. Some employers do not have direct linkages to professional regulatory organizations (PROs) and only come into contact with immigrants after they have completed their licensing/registration processes. For this reason, employers are not always aware of the processes and specific requirements that immigrants go through in order to obtain their professional license. Finally, a number of the employers present at the roundtable, work in non-regulated fields where licensing through PROs is not necessary. Of those employers who have closer ties to the PROs, many noted that they have seen the FQR Plan’s impact on PROs in Alberta. In the words of one participant, “FQR has changed the mindset of PROs.” These participants felt that PROs increasingly recognize the importance of investing resources, if not actual staff, in helping foreign workers through the process of getting employment in Alberta. They also 3

pointed to the success APEGA has experienced by having a staff position dedicated to providing guidance to internationally educated engineers throughout their registration process, and recommended that all large organizations adopt this best practice. 2. What are the top two opportunity areas for improvement? Why? Participants had many recommendations to contribute when discussing the opportunities for improvement. There was no general consensus on what they felt were the top two areas for improvement but the comments can be divided into the following categories: Communication •

• • •

Develop a central repository of information accessible to anyone requiring information, for example: foreign qualification recognition/assessment, job requirements, provincial and federal rules and regulations. o This is especially important for smaller employers who don’t have capacity to search out the information needed to process foreign workers. o Provide a place in this repository for stakeholders to converge and share ideas and best practices. Use this repository and other tools to impart more information about the FQR work being done in Alberta. Forums like this roundtable are very helpful. Broaden the scope of attendance at these forums by inviting all stakeholder groups together. Provide more information to employers about the work of International Qualifications Assessment Services (IQAS), to determine where further work can be done between IQAS and employers.

Pre-arrival Supports and Services •

Provide more clarity in the pre-arrival process for foreign workers to help ensure they have realistic expectations. o People doing assessments in overseas offices must have a clear, up-to-date understanding of Alberta’s rules and regulations. o Participants noted that workers arrive in Alberta with the impression they will move right into a job in their field, when in fact they still have many requirements to meet before being able to work. o Employers want to know what more they can offer and do to help with the prearrival process.

Capacity/Assessment in Alberta: •



The process for employers (particularly smaller companies) to get foreign workers here and on the job is very time-consuming and difficult. o Many employers don’t have the tools needed to assess foreign workers’ skills and experience. There is a need, particularly among small and medium sized businesses, for help in assessment of, and improving, language skills for some foreign workers.

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One size doesn’t fit all when assessing skilled trade workers. Foreign workers have different experiences, thus possess a variety of skills. As a result, it can often take far too long to just figure out how to assess skills.

Federal/Provincial Coordination: •

• •

Several participants in both Calgary and Edmonton roundtable discussions talked about working with Labour Market Opinions (LMOs). While LMOs fall under federal jurisdiction, employers wonder whether Alberta’s FQR Unit could help facilitate the navigation of hurdles around LMOs. For example, LMOs provide workers a limited timeframe to stay in the country, so it’s unproductive if this time is taken up by assessing credentials. There is opportunity for Citizenship and Immigration to further recognize the needs of industry and balance those with immigration priorities. Alberta’s FQR Unit could work to help ensure there is no disconnect between the Federal Skilled Worker Program point grid and the needs of industry and employers in Alberta.

Holistic Approach to Retention: •





Successful transition to work and life in Canada means not just having the right credentials to do the job but fitting into the working team and work culture. There must be a two-way understanding between the employee and employer about cultural differences and a willingness to work through these differences. Some participants felt it’s the employers’ responsibility to recognize and address cultural diversities. For example, line managers need to understand there will be cultural differences and how important it is to address them to ensure retention. Other participants felt there is a role for government to help facilitate industry recognizing that cultural diversity training for local and foreign workers is a critical element of successful worker retention. There is a need to get this message to decision makers; Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and other senior managers, so that cultural diversity recognition becomes an element of workforce/retention strategies.

Other Retention Points: •

Immigrant Nominee Program: challenge for some businesses as number of immigrants each company can work with under this program is not related to the size of the business.

Group Discussion 2: Priorities for Moving Forward In pre-roundtable surveys, participants identified three priority areas for moving forward with FQR in Alberta: 1. Ability of employers to assess foreign qualifications and trust that equivalency and credential recognition is consistent across Alberta. 2. Making it easier for foreign trained workers to navigate ‘the system’ (Citizenship and Immigration) immigration system, pathways to licensing and FQR assessment processes)

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3. Improved information sharing from both orders of government (federal and provincial) to employers. In this second discussion, participants discussed what more both government and employers can do to further address each of these three priorities, and how success is identified and measured. Success for all three priorities would ensure that everyone involved in the FQR process is very clear on all steps required, on all options for immigrants to get and retain work in their field of expertise, and that the assessments, rules and regulations around both these steps and options are applied consistently to all internationally trained workers. Some participants suggested that in order to attain this goal, there must be a change in how we as Canadians approach recruitment and we must realize that we are competitors for talent. This would drive streamlining and ensuring more efficient and effective processes. Participants suggested that success be measured in one way by providing all stakeholders with metrics around short and long term retention of foreign workers in Alberta. Priority 1: Ability of employers to assess foreign qualifications and trust that equivalency and credential recognition is consistent across Alberta: •

• •



• •

Use the FQR Innovation Fund to address this priority, by supporting projects aimed at: o developing mechanisms for skills and work experience assessments, which would also address the challenges of verifying information and reference checks. o developing clearly defined skills verification processes for each company- these would help ensure consistent verification either at the pre-arrival stage or when foreign workers arrive in the province. A central repository of information (the one-stop shop) will help employers (particularly small and medium sized businesses) more effectively address this priority. Develop formal mechanisms for sharing best practices- participants noted that some companies are already doing good work in this area. For example, Deloitte and Touche Canada has a website page that identifies recognized educational institutions and degrees. Pre-arrival information- potential immigrants need to be provided with clear understandings of job requirements in Canada/Alberta. o Use the same criteria for immigrants and temporary foreign workers. LMO assessment- ensure people doing assessments consistently have clear understanding of the job requirements and how workers’ qualifications may fit those requirements. Make use of best practices from the RED SEAL program in assessing foreign workers’ skills.

Priority 2: Making it easier for foreign trained workers to navigate ‘the system’ to: • • •

avoid misunderstandings streamline the process ensure Alberta does not lose potential talent because ‘the system’ is so complicated

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Establish a central repository of information (one-stop shop) to streamline and simplify the system. Ensure this repository is easy to navigate. o This repository will also aid employers in helping foreign workers navigate the system upon arrival. o Establish an industry ombudsman position as part of this ‘one-stop-shop’, so people with issues will know where to go to deal with a real person who can help. o Ensure information in this repository is available in different languages.



Provide pre-arrival supports and services: o Continue to establish more Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP) centres internationally, to provide pre-departure orientation and qualification assessments. Ensure that people working in these offices have a clear understanding of Alberta’s rules and regulations, and industry needs. o Ensure clear lines of communication between CIIP offices and employers. Continue to streamline inter-provincial legislation and regulations. Many participants discussed how interprovincial discrepancies can negatively affect bringing both Canadian out-of-province and foreign workers into Alberta. Develop measurement tools for understanding how satisfied workers are once on the job, in order to address any gaps that may threaten worker retention. Improve bridging programs: o develop formal mechanisms to help employers and employees bridge cultural gaps. o ensure educational institutions work closely with employers to develop and refine bridging programs, so that they continue to be relevant. Develop a “next steps” for workers who are told ‘no’ at some step in the process of getting work in their field. Clearly define these steps; map them out so people know what their next options will be when one path to employment doesn’t work out. o Establish an industry ombudsman; a person who could act as a neutral representative for each industry and would offer guidance and advice on FQR matters.



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Priority 3: Improved information sharing from both orders of government to employers •



Develop mechanisms for more information sharing on how to identify people overseas who may be interested in coming to work in Alberta, or on how to know when those people have expressed interest to a government body. Develop case studies of the processes/steps foreign workers have gone through from pre-arrival to successfully working in Canada/Alberta, so employers can have a deeper understanding of all different paths immigrants take to get work. o Ensure employers know about these case studies and that they’re easily accessible.

Group Discussion 3: Identify and engage Industry Champions to promote and increase awareness of the benefits of immigrant integration into the economy. This discussion topic comes directly from Alberta’s FQR Plan; it is one of the points that falls under Action 10 of the Plan: “Engage and support employers to enhance their ability to integrate and retain immigrants”. 7







Industry Champions already exist- many participants already consider their companies or employer associations to be industry champions in this area: they are engaged and implementing innovative programs or practices in the area of FQR. Develop a formal mentoring mechanism between companies who are at the forefront of attraction and retention of foreign workers and companies wanting more direction/guidance in this area. o Ensure there is a particular body/organization to champion and implement this mechanism. Provide more roundtable discussions like this, but bring all stakeholders together, to facilitate information sharing. o Include an enticing keynote speaker in these sessions: this will draw in more participants. o Provide participants with practical ‘takeaways’ they can use, for example: 5 Tips for Retaining Employees. o Provide webinars, so people from smaller companies don’t have to travel to get this information.

Roundtable Evaluations: Participants all evaluated this roundtable as relevant or very relevant to their work. Highest evaluation scores (rating of excellent) came from participants feeling they had adequate time to share and learn from best practices. Several participants also provided ‘excellent’ scores for how useful this roundtable information will be in helping their organization improve foreign qualification recognition. However, several others only provided scores of ‘fair’ to that same point. Most agreed that the group discussions were the most valuable part of the roundtable. Several participants also felt the presentations and opportunity to network were the most valuable part. “Really appreciate the session.” “Have some federal participation [in these discussions] as they set major guidelines.” “Combine industry associations with immigrant groups at the same [discussion] tables.”

Conclusion and Next Steps Overall, participants encouraged more discussions like this one, but with a wider variety of stakeholders. This will enable further opportunities to highlight successes, share new approaches and initiatives, and facilitate dialogue, in order to improve FQR processes for both employers and internationally trained workers. All participants clearly have the desire for continued information sharing, whether in person, through an online one-stop shop, or other mechanisms. Many recommendations were identified from the information gathered at this employer roundtable. As implementation of the FQR Plan continues, the following recommendations have been identified for consideration in the coming years: o facilitate communication between stakeholder groups – employers, post-secondary institutions and immigrant serving organizations o improve information sharing from government to employers. o improve the availability and accuracy of pre-arrival information 8

o o

increase capacity of employers to assess foreign qualifications increase awareness of FQR and available FQR resources across Alberta

For links to A Foreign Qualifications Recognition Plan for Alberta and other FQR related documents, please see Appendix A.

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Appendix A: Links to FQR Documents A Foreign Qualification Recognition Plan for Alberta http://eae.alberta.ca/documents/WIA/WIA-IM_fqr_ab_plan.pdf. A Foreign Qualification Recognition Plan for Alberta - Progress Report 2010/2011 http://eae.alberta.ca/documents/WIA/WIA-IM-FQR-progressreport2011.pdf A Pan Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/publications/fcr/pcf.shtml; http://eae.alberta.ca/documents/Pan-Canadian-FQR-Progress-Report.pdf A Pan Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications – Progress Report – November 2009 to December 2010 http://eae.alberta.ca/documents/Pan-Canadian-FQR-Progress-Report.pdf

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Appendix B: Participating Employers/Employer Organizations March 6, 2013 Calgary, Alberta Calgary Chamber of Commerce Calgary Logistics Council Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Canadian Federation of Independent Business City of Calgary Construction Labour Relations - Alberta Human Resources Institute of Alberta Ministry of Alberta Human Services Ministry of Alberta Human Services – Alberta Works – Calgary Region Peters’ Drive-in Petroleum Services Association of Canada The Talent Pool Society of Calgary March 19, 2013 Edmonton, Alberta Acheson Business Association Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies ARHCA (Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association) APEGA Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Alberta ChemRoutes Corporation Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta Extendicare KPMG Merit Contractors Association PwC (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) PCA Shaw Communications University of Alberta

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Appendix C: Employers Roundtable Discussion 2013 Agendas

Maintaining the Momentum Foreign Qualifications Recognition Roundtable for Employers Tuesday March 19 2013 8 am – noon Varscona Hotel on Whyte, 8208 106 Street, Edmonton 7:30 – 8:00

Registration, Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 8:30

Opening Remarks and introductions: Percy Cummins, Executive Director, Immigration Policy and Programs Branch, Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education

8:30 – 8:50

FQR Progress to Date:

8:50 – 9:00

Participants FQR Q&A

9:00 – 9:45

Group Discussion #1:

Emmy Mukasa, Manager/Patrick Yu, Senior Policy Analyst, Foreign Qualifications Recognition Initiatives, Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education

Impact of Alberta’s FQR Plan and the Pan Canadian Framework on Your company’s involvement with foreign qualifications recognition.

Q1: What changes has your organization experienced since the launch of Alberta’s FQR Plan and the Pan Canadian Framework? Q2: What are the top two opportunity areas for improvement? What should that improvement look like? 9:45 – 9:55

Break

9:55 – 10:05

Innovation Fund Presentation

10:05 – 10:20

Sharing Best Practices:

10:20 – 10:40

Networking

10:40 – 11:30

Group Discussion #2:

Tonya Syvitski, KPMG

Moving Forward

Top 3 Priorities identified in pre-roundtable surveys: A: Ability of employers to assess foreign qualifications and trust that credential recognition are consistent across Alberta B. Making it easier for foreign trained workers to navigate the ‘system’; to avoid misunderstandings, to streamline the process and to ensure Alberta doesn’t lose potential talent because the ‘system’ is so complicated. C. Improved information sharing from both orders of government to employers Q1: How can government help in further addressing each of these priorities? Q2: What more could employers do to address these priorities? Q3: What will success look like and how should it be measured for each priority? 11:30 – 11:50

Group Discussion #3:

Industry Champions

Q1: How do we identify and engage industry champions to promote and increase awareness of the benefits of immigrant integration into the economy? 11:50 – noon Closing Remarks at the employer session. Emmy did.

Gail Sarkany-Coles, Director, FQR/IQAS I didn’t make closing remarks Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education

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Maintaining the Momentum Foreign Qualifications Recognition Roundtable for Employers Wednesday March 6, 2013 8 am – noon th Stetson Ballroom, Courtyard Calgary Airport Marriott Hotel, 2500 48 Ave N.E.

Calgary

7:30 – 8:00

Registration, Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 8:10

Opening Remarks and Introductions: Pat Firminger, Regional Director, Alberta Works Calgary Region, Ministry of Human Resources

8:30 – 8:40

FQR Progress to Date:

8:40 – 8:50

Participants FQR Q&A

8:50 – 9:45

Group Discussion #1:

Emmy Mukasa, Manager/Patrick Yu, Senior Policy Analyst, Foreign Qualifications Recognition Initiatives, Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education

Impact of Alberta’s FQR Plan and the Pan Canadian Framework o your company’s involvement with foreign qualifications recognition.

Q1: What changes has your organization experienced since the launch of Alberta’s FQR Plan and the Pan Canadian Framework? Q2: What are the top two opportunity areas for improvement? What should that improvement look like? 9:45 – 9:55

Break

9:55 – 10:05

Innovation Fund Presentation

10:05 – 10:40

Networking

10:40 – 11:30

Group Discussion #2:

Moving Forward

Top 3 Priorities identified in pre-roundtable surveys: A: Ability of employers to assess foreign qualifications and trust that credential recognition are consistent across Alberta B. Making it easier for foreign trained workers to navigate the ‘system’; to avoid misunderstandings, to streamline the process and to ensure Alberta doesn’t lose potential talent because the ‘system’ is so complicated. C. Improved information sharing from both levels of government to employers Q1: How can government help in further addressing each of these priorities? Q2: What more could employers do to address these priorities? Q3: What will success look like and how should it be measured for each priority? 11:30 – 11:50

Group Discussion #3: Industry Champions

Q1: How do we identify and engage industry champions to promote and increase awareness of the benefits of immigrant integration into the economy? 11:50 – noon

Closing Remarks:

Emmy Mukasa

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