Supporting highly skilled Filipinos in Toronto: mobilizing knowledge for improved settlement and employment support

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.”

Thankyou.

[email protected]

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

Thankyou.

MonicaBatac

[email protected]