New Canadians moving forward in automotive careers in Atlantic Canada

Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Mon, 16 May 2022 18:43:07 +0000

Patrick Soumaro had never imagined himself finishing a college program, let alone his automotive installation certificate of completion from Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) in Canada.

That’s because Soumaro, 39, had spent the previous 26 years of his life living in an Ivory Coast refugee camp after fleeing for his life at the age of 13 when civil war broke out in his native Liberia. He had lost his father in the war and never had the opportunity to have formal schooling.

He managed to acquire seven years of informal training at the refugee camp in automotive work in a friend’s garage.

“I tried to follow friends in the garage; it was really street training,” he says. “They used to do bodywork, rust work, wiring.”

That experience proved invaluable when he was offered a spot in the automotive installation program through Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), a settlement agency in the province.

First introduced in 2016, the course includes fundamentals in safety standards, PPE, sector-specific terminology, car maintenance, and other things they’d see on a regular basis while working in a shop, says NCSS’s Transportation Department facilitator Dave Giles.

The course instructs them in tasks like oil and tire changes, accessories, exhaust and other variables that don’t require licensing.

“Tire shops and places like Mr. Lube don’t require licensed personnel, so they can sell, repair, balance, install and other tasks so long as they’re not trade regulated,” says Giles.

And that provides a good entry point into the Canadian marketplace for many new Canadians says Mohja Alia, employment services manager with ISANS.

In response to labour market demand, ISANS identified three courses construction, food industry and automotive installation, says Alia.

“They are very successful programs,” she says. “Many people get jobs very quickly.”

She says some clients arrive in Canada with automotive experience in their home countries already under their belt which helps them get started with an apprenticeship. And some entrepreneurial clients move through the program and strike out on their own.

“We had someone start their own tire changing business,” says Alia. “We try to support business start-ups.”

Can’t go it alone

Immigration has long been identified as a solution for a widening skills gap across multiple Canadian industry sectors — including transportation.

A report by the Conference Board of Canada published in May 2019, Can’t Go It Alone: Immigration is Key to Canada’s Growth Strategy, considers a variety of labour force scenarios over the years 2018- to-2040.

During this period, 9.2 million baby boomers are expected to reach retirement age in tandem with a parallel increase in demand on publicly-funded social services. And even with a projected 11.8 million students graduating Canadian schools during that period, there will still be a shortfall left by the 13.4 million workers expected to retire or leave the labour force at that time.

The study concluded that a combination of gradually rising immigration levels and increased labour force participation of women, Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities was the “best path forward” for Canada and would produce a net labour force increase of 5.9 million workers.

Many of the 11.8 million Canadians who will be leaving school and entering the workforce between 2018 and 2040 will be the sons and daughters of immigrants. These individuals become important contributors to the Canadian labour market.

Indeed, while the future anticipates the value new Canadians bring to the table, Atlantic Canada still struggles with attracting and retaining new Canadians today.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot

In response to the issue, the three-year Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) program was launched  in 2017 to attract and retain skilled immigrants and international graduates. This has recently morphed into the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Under AIP, Atlantic employers apply to a province to become designated under the pilot. This means they can offer jobs to skilled foreign workers and recent international graduates. These jobs must be in the province where the employer is designated and for every job offer, employers have to demonstrate that local workers haven’t been able to fill the void.

The province where the candidate will work must endorse the job offer. After the endorsement, the candidate can apply for permanent resident status. The candidate can live and work in Canada when the application is approved.

AIP has three programs divided by skill levels, each of which has multiple steps that need to be completed in full: High-skilled, intermediate-skilled and an international graduate program.

Candidates need to accumulate 1,560 paid hours over three years, which can be accumulated both inside and outside Canada.

Furthermore, work experience can be used to qualify for the intermediate skilled work program including job-specific training like long-haul trucking.

Language and education qualifications must also be assessed and applicants must have enough money to support themselves among other variables.

A job offer must be received from a designated employer using a specific form. It has to be permanent, full-time (30+ hours weekly) and can’t be seasonal.

Finally, the employer and employee submit the application form once all the steps have been completed.

Through the pilot, more than 2,500 approved permanent residents are destined for or already in Atlantic Canada.

Since May 2019, AIP is allowing immigrant spouses with intermediate skill level, such as food and beverage servers or long-haul truck drivers, an opportunity to apply for an open work permit.

This change supports the AIP’s goal to ensure newcomers who arrive in Atlantic Canada remain.

Final thoughts

Patrick Soumaro has made a conscious decision to put his job search on hold to focus on his English studies, which was perhaps the most challenging part of the course for him. It is a part of a longer-term plan. He’s recently achieved level 4 in English.

Dave Gilles says that, to date, 48 students have graduated the automotive installation program.

“The employment rate is pretty good. At the end of the day students are provided with an introduction to Canadian culture. They learn about what employers expect. Some students go on to other industries, some enroll in further automotive studies…some even open their own shops.

“Shop owners should know that there’s entry-level people out there willing to do the work. There’s wage subsidies and lots of support available if shop owners take on a student.

“It’s a good program and allows the opportunity that might not have been available in students’ home countries, whereas here it’s seen as a profession,” he says.

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