B.C. employers given $1.4-million to attract, integrate skilled immigrants

To help with assessing qualifications, onboarding, outreach

Eleven employers will be receiving a total of $1.4 million from the Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) to assist them in developing initiatives and resources to integrate skilled immigrants into British Columbia workplaces.

Funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement, the Employer Innovation Fund (EIF) is meant to help employers develop programs, resources and tools to allow them to better facilitate immigrant employment in meeting labour market challenges, said Pat Bell, minister of jobs, tourism and skills training and minister responsible for labour.

"Employers understand the challenges in hiring, retaining and integrating immigrants into their workplaces.”

EIF projects, which are employer-led and employer-driven, include the creation of resources to assist employers in assessing foreign qualifications, an onboarding program to integrate skilled immigrants into the workplace and outreach campaigns to recruit and retain skilled new immigrants to a community and industry.

"The EIF is a unique fund that will help connect employers seeking skilled talent and B.C.'s skilled immigrants who are not working or who are under-unemployed," said Kelly Pollack, executive director of the IEC-BC. "These projects will go a long way to helping B.C. employers develop new and innovative ways to address labour skills shortages and facilitate the integration of skilled new immigrants into their workplaces."

The EIF-funded projects are:

• Prince George Chamber of Commerce
• BC Construction Association (BCCA)
• Northern Lights College (NLC)
• Tolko Industries
• Kitimat Chamber of Commerce
• Central Interior Logging Association (CILA)
• go2 Tourism HR Society
• Initiatives Prince George (IPG)
• Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce
• British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA)
• Surrey Board of Trade

Details of the projects can be found at www.iecbc.ca/our-initiatives/employer-innovation-fund.

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