BRITISH COLUMBIA
British Columbia Skills for Jobs Blueprint –
Pillar 3
LNG Corridor Skills and Careers Support (“Shoulder-Tappers”) (British Columbia)
British Columbia Access Grant for Labour Market Priorities
Foreign Qualifications Review of the LNG Sector
Foreign Qualifications Review of the Liquefied Natural Gas Sector
PURPOSE: To improve employment outcomes for skilled and internationally trained workers.
MINISTRY
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training, Government of British Columbia
DESCRIPTION
This program recognizes that there are barriers to having international qualifications recognized which results in newcomers being unable to fully utilize their skills in Canada’s economy and often lower wages and poorer integration outcomes. British Columbia’s Foreign Qualifications Recognition Review process is unique in the national context and has resulted in directly improving employment outcomes for skilled immigrants.
British Columbia initiated its first Foreign Qualifications Recognition Review in 2012 to investigate real and perceived barriers to qualifications recognition and successful labour market outcomes. The 2012 Review, conducted in direct collaboration with regulatory bodies, focused on nine high-demand occupations and provided a quantitative and qualitative basis for 24 concrete recommendations to improve foreign qualifications recognition processes in British Columbia. It is well regarded across Canada as an innovative approach to improving employment outcomes for skilled immigrants. The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training worked directly with regulatory bodies to access their data to evaluate whether perceived barriers to certification identified by stakeholders were accurate. This collaborative, evidence- based approach formed the guiding methodology for the 2014 Review.
In 2014, BC undertook a Foreign Qualifications Recognition review of the Liquefied Natural Gas sector to investigate both certification and labour market attachment barriers in seven high-demand occupations in the liquefied natural gas sector. Working in direct collaboration with industry partners and regulators, the objective of this review was to ensure that where skilled, domestically trained workers were not available to fill vacant positions, effective and timely foreign qualifications recognition assessments of international education, knowledge, skills, and work experience would provide employers with access to internationally trained workers to support liquefied natural gas investments. The project scope includes both permanent residents and citizens with international qualifications as well as prospective immigrants.
The Review included five main components:
1. Analysis of labour market information;
2. A literature review;
3. Analysis of foreign qualifications recognition applications and outcomes data;
4. Interviews with 28 stakeholders; and,
5. Four collaborative and action-focused panel review meetings.
The occupations selected included: steamfitter/pipefitter; industrial instrument mechanic; rig technician; truck driver; oil and gas well worker; process operators and power engineers.
Stakeholder engagement was key to ensuring future partners in action plan implementation were supportive and accountable, including the Ministry of Natural Gas Development, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, liquefied natural gas proponents, regulatory bodies, the Immigrant Employment Council of BC and Professional Immigrant Networks. The main regulatory bodies that will be involved throughout the implementation are the Industry Training Authority (ITA); the BC Safety Authority and the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC).
Out of the Review came 11 recommendations that BC is working to implement which will support having the workforce necessary to capitalize on natural resource opportunities.
RESULTS
Actions underway include:
• Developing an foreign qualifications recognition process for Power Engineers to allow for improved recognition of Internationally Trained Workers’ existing skills and experience in the certification process.
• Addressing the lack of information for employers on certification and regulatory requirements in the industry by developing a guide covering regulated occupations in the natural resource sector and making it available in print, web and poster formats.
• Expanding flexibility in truck driver licensing under controlled circumstances, providing additional opportunities for internationally trained workers to work as truck drivers in the liquefied natural gas sector.
• Initiating a project to research employer preference in the sector to hire individuals with Canadian work experience and identify options for alternatives.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The Review recommendations can be found here: Addressing Barriers to Foreign Qualifications Recognition in the Liquefied Natural Gas Sector