Ontario’s Bridge Training Programs (OBTP)

March 2013-----------------------------------------------------

Presented by:Benilda Silkowska-Masior, Senior Program Advisor

Labour Market Integration Unit

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Mandate: Economic Integration of Skilled Newcomers

Bridge Training helps internationally trained individuals (ITIs) move quickly into the Ontario labour market at a level commensurate with their international skills, education and experience.

• Licensure/registration requirements in regulated professions

• Occupation-specific language and communication proficiency

• Canadian work experience and employment references

• Identifies training needs & opportunities• Pilots new training curriculum for ITIs• Develops new services for ITIs• Develops new tools for employers &

regulators

• Providing targeted, occupation-specific training and services to improve the access of ITIs to licensure and employment in both regulated and high-skill non-regulated occupations.

Bridge TrainingCREATES SOMETHING NEW:

Bridge Training helps participantsOVERCOME KEY BARRIERS:

Bridge Training is about…

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Bridge training: moving towards workforce integration

Pre-Licensure EmploymentLicensure

Workforce Integration

• Retention • Employee and employer satisfaction

• Promotion • Career advancement

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Ontario: A Leader in Bridge Training

• Since 2003, Ontario has invested more than $240M in more than 300 Bridge Training projects

• Over 100 high-skill occupations have been targeted by Ontario Bridge Training projects, including the following examples:

Regulated Professions Targeted High-Skill Occupations Targeted

Engineering Financial Services

Nursing Information Technology

Pharmacy Business Administration

Physio & Occupational Therapy Human Resources

Medical Laboratory Technology Supply chain/Logistics

Land Surveying Skilled Trades

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Skilled Immigrant Integration Strategy

• Ontario Bridge Training involves projects in the following three categories:

1. Getting a License – target licensure and employment outcomes in regulated professions.

2. Getting a Job – target employment outcomes in regulated and high-skill, non-regulated occupations.

3. Changing the System – seek to create change on a systemic or sector-wide basis.

• Projects are delivered by a range of partner organizations (e.g., regulatory bodies, professional associations, community agencies, colleges and universities).

• Bridge Training projects are multi-year, typically three years in duration.

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Internship

Apprenticeship

Workplace Practice

Clinical Practicum

Licensure

Certification

ExamPreparation

Qualification Recognition

Bridge Training: A Continuum of Services

‘Getting a License’ programs

Target Registration

Institutional EngagementEmployer Engagement

Networking ■ Mentorships ■ Process Improvements ■ Gap Analysis

Target Employment

LabourMarket

Orientation

Assessment of:Prior Learning

Work ExperienceLanguage Skills

SpecializedEmployment

Services:Job Search

ResumeInterview

NetworkingMentorship

Workplace Culture &

Communication(“soft” skills)

CanadianWork

Experience Orientation

JobPlacement

Academic&

TechnicalTraining(“hard” skills)

Occupation- Specific

Language Training

‘Getting a Job’ programs

‘Changing the System’ programs

Workforce Integration

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Bridge Training Project Selection Process

• The Ministry invites organizations to apply for funding through a competitive Invitation for Proposals (IFPs) process. The IFP is released to seek proposals for new and renewed Bridge Training projects, typically on an annual basis.

• Special consideration is given to proposals that target under-served areas and Francophone immigrants.

• Priority sectors may also be identified based on an analysis of labour market needs.

• Throughout this process, the Ministry consults with other Ontario ministries and the Federal government in order to avoid service duplication and any other contentious issues.

• There are currently 90 active Ontario Bridge Training Programs (OBTPs)

– 35 projects in the Getting a License category;

– 43 projects in the Getting a Job category;

– 12 projects in the Changing the System category.

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Performance Outcomes

Category 1:“Getting a License”

• There are currently 35 bridge training projects in this category.

• Approximately 70% of participants who complete bridge training programs targeting licensure obtain licensure in their profession within a year of completing the program.

Category 2:“Getting a Job”

• There are currently 43 bridge training projects in this category.

• On average, 67% of participants who complete bridge training programs in this category obtain employment in their field within a year of completing the program.

Category 3“Changing the System”

• There are currently 12 bridge training projects in this category.

• Systemic change projects have a wide range of objectives, for example:– Research and gap analysis– Development of language

assessment tools– Development and dissemination of

HR tools supporting hiring and retention of ITIs

– Establish mentoring partnerships– Support Regional Newcomer

Employer Networks (RNENs).

MCI currently funds about 90 Bridge Training projects worth $126.7M in multi-year funding.

Projects are required to report on numeric outcomes on a monthly basis. On a semi-annual basis, projects provide qualitative outcomes in the form of status reports, individual and project success

stories. Participant profiles are submitted annually.

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Professional licensure outcomes of Ontario Bridge Training Projects in

2011-2012

Example of individual success:

Phunstok Wango has a Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife certificate and worked as a Registered Nurse for 8 years in India.

After arriving in Canada, she struggled to find a job commensurate with her experience and enrolled in the Bridge to Certification for Internationally Educated Nurses bridge training program delivered by Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology.

She is now a Registered Nurse and is working at the London Health Sciences Centre.

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Employment outcomes of Ontario Bridge Training

Projects in 2011-2012Example of individual success:

Emilia Grosu immigrated to Canada from Romania in 2007. She has a university- level Accounting Diploma from her native Romania yet could not find a position commensurate with her training.

She completed the Management Training Program for Accountants bridge training program provided by Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST) of Windsor and is now working as a Bookkeeper and Office Manager at Brave Control Solutions.

Of the bridge training program, she states: “[it] has been of tremendous help to me because it has given me hope and provided me with North American training… I am very grateful.”

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The road ahead