Breaking down barriers to employment

Service will connect employers and skilled immigrants

A general labourer who developed computer-systems in China, a gardener who was an environmental scientist in India — there are hundreds of stories of skilled immigrants working at unskilled jobs in Canada.

A study by the Canadian Labour and Businesses Centre shows that six in 10 immigrants in Ontario are employed in jobs that aren't related to their education and experience.

A new website, skillsinternational.ca, developed by three Ontario-based non-profit organizations hopes to change that.

The site, a joint effort of the Waterloo Region District School Board, WIL Employment connections in London and COSTI Immigration services in Toronto, is designed to connect pre-screened immigrant job-seekers with prospective employers.

The free service, made possible with a $441,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, allows registered community agencies to post the résumés of up to 35,000 job-ready candidates.

Only member agencies can post résumés and they must approve and validate any changes so the employers know that the qualifications and credentials have been checked out.

The site expects to have 100 employers registered and 1,000 résumés posted by September.

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