supporting highly skilled filipinos in toronto: mobilizing knowledge for improved settlement and...
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Suppor&nghighlyskilledFilipinosinToronto:mobilizingknowledgeforimprovedse4lementandemploymentsupport
RowellClaritoPerez|OCT,Interna?onally-trainedteacherFlordelizDandal|Execu?veDirector,KababayanMul?culturalCentreMonicaAnneBatac|Graduatestudent,Community-basedresearcherArifVirani|MemberofParliament(MP),Parkdale-HighPark;
ParliamentarySecretarytotheMinisterofImmigra?on,Refugees andCi?zenship
18thNa?onalMetropolisConference|March5,2016
Perspec&vesPersonalexperienceSe4lementagencyPar?cipatoryac?onresearchGovernmentthoughtleadership
BecomingateacherinCanada:anewcomer’sperspec?ve
RowellClaritoPerez,OCTInterna?onally-educatedteacherNewcomertoCanada
• CametoCanadain2011asanewgraduate• OCTcer?fied• Holdsa“survivaljob”• Recentlysecured“part-?me”teaching
posi?on
Iamaninterna&onally-trainedteacher.
++==
Agenda
HowtobeateacherinOntario(&theroadblocks)Challengesbeyondthecer?fica?onprocessInsightsaboutthesechallengesPersonalimpacts
“Thecer?fica?onprocessisamountaintoclimb
fornewcomers.”
Obtainingateachingcer?ficate
Ihavemyteachingcer?ficate.Now,what?
Seekingsupport
• Financialneed• Supportfromgovernment,university,non-profitgroups
Insights
Impact
“Wearehereandweareableandwillingtocontributetotheeconomyofthecountry
wenowconsiderourhome.Ihopewearegiventhatopportunity.”
Suppor?nghighlyskilledFilipinosinToronto:ase4lementagencyperspec?ve
FlordelizDandalExecu?veDirector,KababayanMul?culturalCentrewww.kababayan.org
AgendaProfileofFilipinosinOntario,CanadaSe4lementservicesforhighlyskilledFilipinos:theKMCexperienceCrea?ng,partneringwithandstrengtheningsocio-professionalassocia?ons
FilipinosinCanadaFilipino-Canadiansarethethirdlargest,fastestgrowinggroupinCanada.
1985,MCIpublishedareportfromUofTUrbanStudy• “Filipinoshasthehighestpercentage(63.6)immigrantshavingpost-
secondaryeduca?on.”
2011Na?onalHouseholdsurvey–662,600
IRCCFactsandFigures2014–Philippineswasthe#1sourcecountryforPermanentResidents
FilipinosinCanada
KababayanMul?culturalCentre(1977)• 1313QueenStreetWestToronto• BathurstFinchHub540FinchAveWestNorthYork
KMC’sServicesIndividualServices• NeedsAssessmentandReferral• Informa?onandOrienta?onservices• Suppor?veCounselling• AssistanceforEmployment-Relatedneeds
KMC’sServicesGroupServices• Computerclasses• EnglishDiscussiongroup• Employmentrelatedgroupsessions(Resumewri?ng,Goalsenng,
ManagingCareerTransi?on&LabourMarketinfo.,EmployableSkillsAssessment&Dev.,Worker’sRights&LabourStandardsAct)
• Generalorienta?onsessions(AccessingSocialServices,VolunteeringinCanada,InfoSessiononPOLOServices,FinancialWellness,RecentImmigra?onLaws)
• Personalitydevelopmentsessions(TimeManagement,StressManagement,EnhancingSelf-Confidence,Effec?veCommunica?onskills)
PartnershipswithFilipinosocio-professionalassocia&ons
Early2000s-fundingfromACCESSEquityandHumanRights
Accountants
Nurses
Teachers
Physiotherapists
Engineers
Associa?onofFilipinoCanadianAccountants(AFCA)
CARECentreforInterna?onallyEducatedNurses
PhilippineTeachersAssocia?onofCanada(PTAC)
OntarioAssocia?onofFilipinoCanadianEngineers(OAFCE)
SocietyofPhysiotherapistswithInterna?onalCreden?als
Associa?onofFilipinoCanadianAccountants(AFCA)
Establishedin1979LongpartnershipwithCGA/CPA
1998–Advocacyresults:CGAapprovedadvancedstandingcredits(transfercredits)forPhilippineCPAswhoqualifiedater1992
CPAinforma?onsessionsBi-annualProfessionalDevelopmentConven?on
www.afcatoronto.ca
Associa?onofFilipinoCanadianAccountants(AFCA)ScholarshipfundMentoringPrograminpartnershipwithTRIECandJVSTorontoFreecommunitytaxclinicsSocialevents
www.afcatoronto.ca
CARECentreforInterna?onallyEducatedNursesEstablishedin2001:KMConeofthecofounderswith• WoodGreenCommunityServices• St.Michael’sHospital• YeeHongCentreforGeriatricCareCasemanagement:individualizedac?onplansExamprepara?on,languageandcommunica?oncourses,employmentsearchsupport,mockinterviews,jobshadowing,professionaldevelopmentNewestprogram:Pre-ArrivalSupportsandServices(PASS)
www.care4nurses.org
PhilippineTeachersAssocia?onofCanada(PTAC)Celebra?ng10yearsin2016Consistentsupports• Informa?onandsupportforapplyingtoOCT• ProfessionalDevelopmentProgramsoffered/expandedasneededStrongsocialsupport,weakerprofessionalsupport
www.ptacanada.com
SocietyofPhysiotherapistswithInterna?onalCreden?als
ThissocietyisnotlimitedtoFilipinos.
Naviga&ngthesystem
CanadianAllianceofPhysiotherapyRegulators(exams,creden?alassessment)
College(regulatorybody)
CanadianPhysiotherapistAssocia?on(advocacy)
Society(examandworkplaceprep)
Bridgingprogram
(UofT)
Developedsupportcurriculumfor4differentkindsofmembersNowebsite([email protected])
OntarioAssocia?onofFilipinoCanadianEngineers(OAFCE)
Establishedin2002Inthepast,OAFCEprovidedongoingprofessionaldevelopment(skillenhancement)workshopsandinforma?onaboutapplyingtoPEOConsistentlystrong:a4endanceatsocialeventsCurrentchallengesandneeds• Morememberstohelpbuildorganiza?on• Advocacycase/researchforfairPEOcreden?alassessment
facebook.com/Ontario-Associa&on-of-Filipino-Canadian-Engineers
Crea&ngmoreconnec&onsforimprovedsupports
Findingmoreavenuestosupporthighlyskilledworkers• Iden?fyingaddi?onalagencies,organiza?ons,associa?ons
• Reconnec?ngtotheFilipinosocio-professionalassocia?ons
Thankyou.FlordelizDandal
[email protected]|www.kababayan.org
KababayanMul?culturalCentreEmpoweringtheimmigrantcommunitysince1977
QueenStreetOffice:1313QueenStreetW.Suite133TorontoONM6K1L8(416-532-3888)Bathurst-FinchOffice:540FinchAveWestRms117/119TorontoONM2R1N7(416-633-5056)
FilipinoProfessionalsFindingWorkinCanadaProject:Ini?alFindings
MonicaAnneBatacGraduatestudentCommunity-basedresearcher
Agenda
ThedeprofessionalizedFilipino
Projectbackground&design
Ini?alfindings• Se4lementstaff• LandscapeoutsideKMC• Newcomerfocusgroups
Closingthoughts
Futuretalks
March11-RyersonUniversity
June2015-CanadianAssocia?onofSocialWorkEduca?onatCongress(CalgaryAB)
Researchreport
Tobereleasedmid-summer
“Inthecontextofglobalcompe??onforskilledlabour,Canadamayexperienceserioussocialandeconomicconsequencesasaresultoftheunderemployment…ofitshighlyeducatedimmigrants.”
(Georgeetal.2012,p.422)
CategoriesforFilipinoworkers’Canadianemployment
perfectlymatched
different/flexible
deprofessionalized
(Kellyetal.2009,2012)
Highlyskilledimmigrantsarekeentoaccessemploymentservices,yetthisgroupreportsthattheydonotobtainthetypeofhelpand
supportrequiredfortheirjobsearchneeds.
(Cukieretal.,2010)
Par&cipatoryAc&onResearch(PAR)A"philosophicalapproachtoresearchthatrecognizestheneedforpersonsbeingstudiedtopar?cipateinthedesignandconductofallphases(e.g.,design,execu?on,anddissemina?on)ofanyresearchthataffectsthem"(Volman,Anderson&McFarlane,2004,p.129).
ThestaffatKMCareresearchsubjects,aswellas
co-designersandresearchersinresearchproject.
Since1977,KMChasbeenprovidingse4lement,employmentandsocialservicesfortheFilipina/o
immigrantcommunityinToronto.
Ourresearchques?onsWhatiscurrentlybeingdonetosupporttheemploymentsupportneedsofhighlyskilledFilipina/oworkers?
123
Whatservicedeliverygapsexist,asiden?fiedbyse4lementandemploymentsupportstaffandhighlyskilledFilipina/oworkers?Whatarethepoten?alopportuni?esfordevelopingimprovedemploymentsupportservicesforhighlyskilledFilipina/oworkers?
communityneed+agencyneed+fundingopportunity
sharedexperiences+sharedgoals
&now,someverypreliminaryfindings
Ini?alfindings|se4lementstaffSharingthedeprofessionalizedimmigrantnarra&ve“S?llIfeel…likeanewcomer.WhenIcamehere,IthoughtlikeIwasinasuitcaseearlier,whenIwasbackhome.Andnow,IthoughtIaminthegarbagebin…Inordertocomeoutofthegarbagebin,[Ihad]todosomething,tofindsomething,becauseIwasacollegelecturerbackhome.”
“Whenyoucome,youhaveyourfunds,[they’re]deple?ngeverydaybecausenothingcomesintoreplenishwhateverexpense.
Iactuallyappliedtosomanyposi?onshereatthestart,butnothingcame.Irealized,Ionlyhadafewinterviews.Butnothingcametoreality…
…Infact,Ialsoapplied[to]thebo4om,whichisthefactoryworker,becausetherearesomanyagenciesherelooking[forworkers],buts?ll,Icannot!Idon’tknowwhy!Ihavemycomplexresume,Ihavemysimplestresume,Ihavethemediumresume!Butreally,Ican’t,Ican’t,Iwasnotabletofindone[job].”
Ini?alfindings|se4lementstaffSe4lementworkersofferedmanysugges?onsforneworimprovedservices,butwhattemperedtheirimagina?ons?
Mandate|Capacity|FundingReferralversusinternalsupports|qualitycontrolandcapacity
Generalistversusspecialist|specificskills&training
“Fortheveryidealprogram,theemploymentagency–notforme,wearease4lementagency,wehaveboundaries.Forthecomprehensiveone,forme,actually,Idon’twanttodoforeverybody.That’sverymess[y],wecannotdomanythingsattheCentre.Somehaveahugeorganiza?on,oneteampar?cularlyhandlingoneprogram,anotherteamhandlinganotherthing,that’sok.Otherwise,it’sforme,havingonegoodthing[focus]isbe4erthanhavingtoomanynoteffec?vethings.”
MappingouttheagencylandscapeDifferentplacesdodifferentthings
basicresumesupport|creden?alassessment|jobsearchjobfair|employerlinks|trainingandeduca?on|internships|
mentorship|thelistgoesonandon...
Findingtherightinforma?onischallengingforboththese4lementworkerandclient• what’swhat,andwheretogoforwhat
services/programs
Supportsfortheinforma?onflow• LIPs,GEO,HealthForceOntario
toduplicateordifferen?ate?
Ini?alfindings|focusgroup
informa?on
finances
support
• FilipinoinGreaterTorontoArea• ResidinginCanadaforlessthan5years• Universitydegreeorhigher
Targetpar&cipants
Priorityneeds
Theneeds,informa?on,andsupportsareVERYcontext-specific.
Andres,ITprofessional
Maria,midwife
Anthony,teacher
Roland,teacher
Challengeswithfocusgroups
Revampingdesign?
Whatifweinclude“se4led”highlyskilledFilipinos,askingthemtothinkbackaboutwhatsupports/informa?onwouldhavebeenbeneficial?
Realityforrecruitment • Needjobs• Needsupport• Lack?me
“Theethnicagency...representsthebridgetoethniccommuni?es–abridgethatmaybeusefultomainstream
agenciesastheystrengthentheirservicedeliverycapacityforworkingwithethnicminoritycommuni?es.”
Iglehart&Becerra,2010,p.200
Lookingback,lookingforward• Uncoveringpastinnova?ons• Revivingpartnerships• Developingnewcollabora?ons
