About CIITE:

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February 11, 2009
About CIITE Information for OCASI Trevor
Massey, Executive Director
Funded by the Government of Ontario
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What is CIITE?

• Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment
  (CIITE) Project
• CIITE works in collaboration with colleges and
  community partners to help internationally
  trained immigrants get the training and services
  they need to move quickly into employment
  consistent with their education and experience.
• CIITE is currently completing the first year of
  its program-implementation-plan (called CIITE
  3.1) and is now planning to transition into the
  second year (called CIITE 3.2).
• 21 of Ontarios 24 colleges are actively engaged
  in the CIITE program. All 24 colleges are
  represented in CIITEs governance model and all
  have access to programs and services developed by
  CIITE.
• Programs and services developed by CIITE have the
  capacity to serve many college constituents such
  as aboriginals, apprentices, Second Career,
  those needing occupational specific language
  training, and adult non-secondary candidates for
  college admission.

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Why CIITE?

• Barriers Discovered

• Problem Analysis

• Ontario has long been a magnet for the largest
  share of immigrants to Canada.
• Unfortunately, many highly educated and skilled
  immigrants experience barriers that delay or
  prevent their entry into the labour market.
• Ontarios colleges are well situated to provide
  programs and services to help internationally
  trained immigrants (ITIs) expedite their pathways
  to employment.
• In 2003 CIITE was established to identify the
  barriers within the college system for ITIs and
  to make recommendations for improving pathways
  from pre-entry through employment transition and
  into the workforce. This process engaged college
  leaders (including presidents), professional
  associations (e.g. OACETT), settlement agencies
  (e.g. COSTI) , employers (e.g. CIBC), academics
  (e.g. Naomi Alboim) and representatives from
  MTCU.

• After extensive consultation, CIITE
  identified (December 2004) the following barriers
  faced by ITIs in the college system and commented
  on the capacity of colleges to address them
• Information and Advisement
• Assessment of Credentials and Prior Learning
• Language Proficiency
• Program Delivery
• Transition to Employment
• Next Steps
• A plan to address the barriers and increase the
  capacity of colleges to improve and expand
  programs and services to help ITIs expedite their
  pathways to employment was implemented this was
  CIITE Phase 2.
• Phase 2 projects and findings culminated in a
  three year implementation phase, Phase 3, which
  is currently underway.

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CIITE in the Ontario Context

• Profile of ITIs Accessing CIITE Advisors

• Barriers to immigrant labour market integration

• The profile of clients who sought the
  services of CIITEs ITI advisors in colleges
  matches the profile of clients the program was
  intended to serve. Below are the attributes of
  the 3310 clients serviced by advisors between
  July 2008 and January 31, 2009.
• 78 had post-secondary credentials (i.e. a
  college diploma or higher).
• 9 years was the average length of work experience
  outside Canada (those reporting) and 3.4 years
  was the average length of work experience in
  Canada.
• 66 were unemployed and 14 were employed
  part-time.
• 62 intended to work in the same field/area as
  past work/study, and 32 intended to work in a
  different field.
• 63 had dependents.
• 66 had a first language that was neither English
  nor French.
• The top ten source countries (ranked) were India,
  China, Pakistan, Philippines, Columbia, Iran,
  Bangladesh, Congo, Sri Lanka, and Haiti.

• There is consensus about the main barriers to
  immigrants labour market integration. These
  barriers are
• Lack of recognition of foreign credentials and
  experience
• Shortcomings in language and communication
  skills, particularly those specific to the
  workplace (e.g. occupational jargon)
• Employers requirement for Canadian experience
• Discrimination
• Nan Weiner, IRPP Choices, V1410

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Mapping CIITEs Programs to ITI Barriers

• ITI Barrier Information and Advisement
• CIITE Programs
• ITI Advising and referral services
• Pathway to Employment model for advisors
• Client Relationship database for improved
  advising
• ITI Barrier Assessment of Credentials and Prior
  Learning
• CIITE Programs
• Credential Recognition/Record of Education and
  Experience (REE/My Record)
• Competency Assessment
• ITI Barrier Language Proficiency
• CIITE Programs
• Language Benchmarking (CLB)
• Interface with the Occupation Specific language
  Training (OSLT) program.
• Opportunity Services to two Francophone Colleges
• CIITE Programs
• Francophone Services

• ITI Barrier Program Delivery
• CIITE Programs
• Flexible/Modular Delivery of programs (e.g.
  bridging)
• Competency Assessment
• Credential Recognition
• ITI Barrier Transition to Employment
• CIITE Programs
• ITI Employment Support
• Participation in employment programs with
  community partners (e.g. TRIEC, SISO).
• ITI Barrier Discrimination
• CIITE Programs
• Cultural Competence Training
• Plans for training hiring managers of SME
  (Talent Development for Organizational
  Effectiveness TDOE)
• Challenges Sustainability
• CIITE Programs
• Organizational Culture and Change Management

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CIITE Activity Highlights

• ITI Advising Services and Client Relationship
  Management Application
• Record of Education Experience/ My Record
• Competency Assessment
• Employment Support

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ITI Advising Services Pathway to Employment
COMMUNITY PATHWAY
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Benefits of ITI Advising Services

• Benefits to the skilled immigrant (ITI)

• About ITI Advising Services

• Advising services chart the most effective
  pathway the ITI should use to achieve goals. It
  reflects the ITIs past education and experience,
  present challenges and future aspirations.
• Pathway may be
• college pathway (e.g. credential assessment,
  language assessment, bridging program, flexible
  program, or employment support such as
  internship or co-op. )
• and/or
• a community pathway (e.g. settlement agencies,
  employment agencies, professional associations)
• Nearly 3000 clients advised at 14 colleges
  between July 08 and December 08

• ITI Advisor offers pathway access to a wide
  range of college programs, services and
  resources, including supplementary services such
  as academic advisors, admissions advisors,
  financial aid advisors and counselors, Job
  Connect and college employment services.
• ITI Advisors are trained in cross-cultural
  communications and specialize in immigrant
  services.
• ITI Advisors will shortly have state-of-the-art
  client-management software to support the ITI
  (i.e. for action planning).
• Advisors located at college sites or throughout
  Ontario.
• Francophone clients have the option to receive
  service at francophone colleges.

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Number of ITI Clients Advised July 08 to
January 31, 09
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ITI Advisors Referral Tracking
Note (1) REE is only just coming on stream
(2) Referrals were made to 2,639 ITIs in
visits 1 and 2.
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Client Relationship Application

• Benefits to the skilled immigrant (ITI)

• About the Client Relationship Application

• This client relationship (CRM) tool is currently
  being developed. It will enable ITI advisors to
  provide more efficient and effective service to
  clients and to track clients through the Pathways
  to Employment continuum. This data tool will be
  available to all participating colleges and will
  be integrated with the Record of Education and
  Employment (REE) and the OCAS college application
  service. The core of this client service tool is
  Microsofts Customer Relationship Management
  (CRM) software. This CIITE-developed application
  will feature
• Action tracking and customer relationship
  management.
• Email communications with clients.
• Reporting and analysis including client
  demographics.
• Body of knowledge reference database for
  advisors.
• Networking capability (among advisors).
• Interconnectivity with the REE and college data
  systems.
• Success measurement .
• Some functionality depends on 2009-10 funding

• More effective advising and referral service
  based on the ITI advisor having on-line access to
  more data (e.g. short flexible programs, local
  employers and settlement agencies) and faster
  data.
• Better implementation and communication of the
  Pathways to Employment action planning.
• On-line access to his/her advising record
  including on-line access to the plan created by
  the advisor.
• Convenient email communication with the advisor.
• More convenient scheduling of follow-up meetings.
• Enhanced prospects to move faster towards
  intended employment, based on enhanced advising
  capacity.

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Goals of the REE/My Record
Contribute to improved workforce integration of
ITIs and address the shortage of skilled labor in
Ontario.
Improve recognition of international education
and work experience by Ontario colleges
Streamline college-admissions and advanced
placement processes
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Benefits of the REE/My Record

• About the REE and My Record

• Benefits to the skilled immigrant (ITI)

• My Record is a web-based application which
  leads to the creation of a Record of Education
  and Experience (REE).
• Database developed and now in pilot phase
• The REE is a report which captures an ITIs
  international education and work experience.
• Ontario education will be incorporated in the
  next phase of CIITE.
• Employer version will be created in the next
  phase (i.e. 2009-10).

• ITIs will benefit from a clear, consistent
  process which places their education, knowledge
  and skills into a portable document.
• Increased level of advanced standing which leads
  to reduced and more effective time spent in the
  college system.
• Improved and consistent recognition of previous
  education across Ontario colleges.
• Increased portability and mobility of recognized
  international credentials.
• Expedited path to employment commensurate with
  their level of education.

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Sample My Record (REE)
Contact Details
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Sample My Record (REE)
Validated Educational History and Credentials
Obtained
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Sample My Record (REE)
Detailed Credential Analysis
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Benefits of Competency Assessment

• About Competency Assessment

• Benefits to the skilled immigrant (ITI)

• Receives credit for prior learning for a
  potentially large segment of a college program.
• Speeds up pathway to employment via shorter
  college stay based on skill-gap analysis.
• Less time enrolled at college and better
  recognition of skills/knowledge equals greater
  potential for earnings.
• By fast-tracking to Canadian college credentials
  and/or recognition, ITIs receive better prospects
  for employment that relate to credentials and
  work experience.
• Process provides detailed in-person advising to
  the ITI regarding recognition of prior learning,
  college program options and intended occupation
  options.

• Assesses the skills and knowledge of ITIs against
  college  program/entry to practice requirements.
• Provides ITIs with advice from experts in their
  field about the training the individual needs to
  practice in their field.
• Assesses skills and knowledge of skilled
  individuals more quickly and efficiently than
  current processes.
• Two pilots underway Respiratory Therapy
  (unregulated) and Mechanical Engineering
  Technology (MET).
• Places skilled ITIs faster into the workforce
  which benefits employers and the economy.
• Estimated 40 50 ITIs to participate in the
  pilot.

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Benefits of Employment Support

• About Employment Support

• Benefits to the skilled immigrant (ITI)

• This year, a bilingual Employment Support
  Services Audit was conducted to develop
  recommendations to enhance college career,
  co-op, and other student employment services such
  that they are more responsive to ITI employment
  service needs. 99 respondents completed the
  web-based audit from across 15 colleges including
  both Francophone colleges.
• A unique information auditing process was adopted
  including a bilingual customer/ITI employment
  needs benchmarking survey which was completed by
  430 ITIs.
• Recommendations to enhance both quality of
  service delivery and capacity to deliver services
  will be made. The implementation of these
  recommendations to quicken the integration of
  ITIs into commensurate employment depends on
  securing additional funding.

• Focused services Higher ITI employment rates. A
  comprehensive assessment and matching of ITI
  needs to services provided will result in audit
  recommendations (and subsequent implementation)
  to enhance college career, co-op and student
  employment services. Colleges aim to provide
  services that ITIs identify as being most useful
  hopefully resulting in higher employment rates.
• Enhanced connections Better service delivery to
  ITIs. Audit also evaluated Employment Ontario
  services in the context of availability to ITIs
  and recommends linkage enhancements between
  colleges/ EO so that services are complementary.
  To avoid duplication of efforts, the CIITE
  Project utilizes the many existing employment
  programs/services in and outside colleges.
  However, CIITEs Employment Support program
  focuses on improving employment services
  delivered by colleges, and on employment
  referrals provided by ITI advisors.

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A Selection of CIITES Partners Working
Relationships

• Each project activity has several external
  partners and friends.
• All 24 Ontario Colleges
• Ontario Association of Certified Engineering
  Technicians and Technologists (OACETT)
• Council for Respiratory Therapists in Ontario
  (CRTO)
• Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council
  (TRIEC)
• Waterloo Immigrant and Employment Network (WRIEN)
• Niagara Immigrant Employment Council (NIEC)
• Settlement and Immigration Services Organization
  (Hamilton)
• Ontario College Application Services (OCAS)
• World Education Services (WES)
• International Credential Assessment Service
  (ICAS)
• Council for Access to Professional Engineering
  (CAPE)
• Canadian Federation of Independent Business
  (CFIB)
• Ryerson University- Gateway for International
  Professionals
• ACCES Employment

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Contact

• Gary Cronkwright
• Chief Executive Officer
• CONNECT Strategic Alliances
• 210 Adelaide St. West
• Toronto, Ontario M5H 1W7
• Tel [phone] ext. 2380
• Email garyc_at_collegeconnect.on.ca
• Trevor Massey
• Executive Director
• CIITE Project
• 210 Adelaide St. West
• Toronto, Ontario M5H 1W7
• 416-351-7530 ext. 3400
• Email massey_at_collegeconnect.on.ca