$1.8 million for foreign credentials recognition

Ottawa hands money over to four projects aimed primarily at health care and engineers

The federal government is investing $1.8 million in four projects to help recognize and assess credentials for foreign workers.

“Canada will require a highly skilled workforce to sustain our economic growth and competitiveness,” said Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. “The funding … will help us reach that goal by enlarging the pool of talent in Canada. Ultimately, efforts like these will benefit all Canadians as it will help ensure our competitiveness in the knowledge-based global economy.”

The money will be used to support:

•the Self-Assessment Tool project by the Medical Council of Canada;

•the International Engineering Graduates: From Consideration to Integration project by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers;

•the Diagnostic for the National Assessment of International Nurse Applicants project by the Canadian Nurses Association; and

•the immigration survey and roundtables project by the Public Policy Forum.

Overview of the projects

Canadian Nurses Association — Diagnostic for the National Assessment of International Nurse Applicants

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is a federation of 11 provincial and territorial registered nurses associations. The CNA speaks for Canadian registered nurses and represents Canadian nursing to other organizations at the national and international levels. The membership of about 120,000 registered nurses is broad and diverse, reflecting the face of nursing today.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has signed an agreement with the CNA to fund a diagnostic project aimed at identifying and assessing the current practices and policies with respect to the licensing of international applicants for each of the three regulated nursing groups and providing draft recommendations for further action.

Funding: HRSDC has provided $545,145 in funding.

Medical Council of Canada - Self-Assessment Tool

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) was created in 1912 by an act of the Parliament of Canada with provincial approval to develop and administer examinations or other forms of assessment for physicians wishing to become licensed to practice medicine in Canada.

HRSDC is funding the MCC to create a self-assessment examination and associated delivery system to be made available to foreign-trained medical graduates wishing to come to Canada to train or practice in the field of medicine. The MCC is also funding a portion of this project.

Funding: HRSDC has provided $341,050 in funding.

Public Policy Forum — immigration survey and roundtables

The Public Policy Forum (PPF) was established in 1987 as a national, independent, not-for-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of government in Canada through better dialogue between government, the private and third sectors. The PPF's members, businesses, federal and provincial governments, the voluntary sector and labour, share a common belief that an efficient and effective public service is a key element in ensuring our quality of life and global competitive position.

HRSDC is providing $190,121 to the PPF to conduct a survey of employers that will examine the issue of immigration, foreign credentials recognition and employment. This is part of a larger project that will culminate in a roundtable of employers. Other departments and organizations will participate in and fund the latter part of this project.

Funding: HRSDC has provided $190,121 in funding.

Canadian Council of Professional Engineers — Foreign-Trained Engineers: From Consideration to Integration, phase two

The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) is the national organization of the provincial and territorial associations that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada and license the country's more than 160,000 professional engineers.

Launched in January 2003, the phase one of the From Consideration to Integration (FC2I) project provided an overview of the Canadian immigration process, provincial and territorial engineering licensing procedures, and approaches to assessing the credentials of internationally educated engineers.

Phase two of the project provides an analysis of the information gathered in Phase I and identifies key areas for improvement within the immigrant integration process.

Funding: HRSDC has provided $796,576 in funding.

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