July 1st, 2023 marked my five-year anniversary since my arrival in Canada. I came to Montreal, Quebec to start a new life, a new job, like so many thousands of other migrants that have come to Canada either as forcibly displaced (refugees among others) or 鈥榲oluntarily鈥� for economic or social reasons (I note the term voluntarily in quotation marks because most humans do not move voluntarily. It is generally a combination of push and pull factors that drive someone to uproot themselves.) According to the Labour Market Information Council, in 2023 alone, Canada anticipates an influx of . With a of 818,000 across Canada and more than 200,000 in Quebec alone, the kind of skilled, well-educated immigrants that Canada typically attracts should be welcomed with open arms.
At 平特五不中鈥檚 School of Continuing Studies, as in many other continuing education institutions, we do what we can to align educational offerings and outcomes with labour market needs. We work with incredibly motivated and well-educated newcomers to give them a Canadian credential to supplement their foreign credentials which too often are undervalued or unrecognized by employers and governments in Canada. We help newcomers and populations historically underrepresented in Canadian labour markets add practical future-oriented collaborative and digital workplace skills to their toolkits. Efforts such as our SEED Fellowship Initiative (with generous support from the ScotiaRise Community Investment Program), or our language acquisition initiative for forcibly displaced individuals, and the SCS Career, Advising, and Transition Services (CATS), all are designed to advance the mutual interests of the workforce and the labour market; to contribute to socio-economic growth and stability.
As I reflect on the challenges that newcomers face, I am also reminded of the creative energy that springs from that interaction between academics, employers, communities, and individuals bring a fresh perspective to life and work in Canada. We achieve so much more when we think of integration as a two-way street. My new home has taught me a lot and I continue to deepen my understanding of local culture and economic drivers every day 鈥� in multiple languages! At the same time, I know that my fellow newcomers add to the fabric of society new ideas, innovation, and an increase in productivity. But we have to open our doors, our minds and hearts to this treasure trove, not with fear or suspicion but with curiosity and confidence.