Agenda for the Conference on Foreign Credential Recognition

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Program Description

This Conference brings together leaders in business, government, education and community. The event combines plenary sessions with workshops, all coming together in a program designed to further enhance coordination of foreign credential recognition processes and encourage collaboration. Individual workshops are an important part of the program, and participants will be asked to pre-select the ones they expect to attend. Facilitators in each workshop will be responsible for reporting on workshop discussions and drawing action items for presentation to all participants. The workshops are organized in four streams:

• Stream 1: Strategic Partnerships in Foreign Credential Recognition
  1A: Innovative and Promising Practices: What Provincial and Territorial Governments are Doing
  1B: Foreign Credentials Assessment: A Collaborative Path Forward
  
  
• Stream 2: Initiatives for Integrating Internationally Trained Individuals
  2A: Sharing Employer-led Innovative Practices
  2B: Creative Partnerships: Filling the Skills Gap
  
  
• Stream 3: Strategies to Assess Credentials and Provide Information to Internationally Trained Individuals Overseas
  3A: Cutting-Edge Initiatives to Assess and Upgrade Skills Overseas
  3B: Enhancing Coordination and Leveraging Capacity: Information Strategies for Internationally Trained Individuals
  
  
• Stream 4: Navigating the Foreign Credential Recognition Landscape in Canada
  4: Strategies to Inform Internationally Trained Individuals in Canada

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.    Registration and Breakfast
South and West Foyers

9:00 – 9:20 a.m.    Welcome
Britannia/Belaire

9:20 – 9:40 a.m.    Opening Remarks
Attracting International Talent: Collaborating on Foreign Credential Recognition
Britannia/Belaire

The Honourable Diane Finley, PC, MP
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

9:40 – 10:30 a.m.    Keynote Address
An International Comparison of Credential Recognition Measures and the Canadian Context
Britannia/Belaire

Professor Lesleyanne Hawthorne
Associate Dean International
University of Melbourne

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.    Networking Break
South and West Foyers

10:45 – 12:00 p.m.    Plenary Panel Discussion: Attracting the Talents of Internationally Trained Individuals
Britannia/Belaire

How can Canada further benefit from the knowledge and experience of internationally trained individuals to become more competitive?

12:00 – 1:30 p.m.    Lunch
Britannia/Belaire

1:30 – 3:30 p.m.    Concurrent Workshops
Participants will convene in their pre-selected workshops.

Stream 1: Strategic Partnerships in Foreign Credential Recognition

Workshop 1A: Innovative and Promising Practices: What Provincial and Territorial Governments are Doing
Mayfair

Innovative and promising practices for promoting foreign credential recognition, in Canada and overseas, are accelerating the credential assessment and recognition process. By making these practices known to a wider audience, this workshop encourages provincial and territorial collaboration and explores what these initiatives may bring to business, regulatory bodies and assessment agencies.

Stream 2: Initiatives for Integrating Internationally Trained Individuals

Workshop 2A: Sharing Employer-led Innovative Practices
Rideau/Mount Royal

Drawing on case studies, this workshop looks at various proactive methods used by private and public employers to facilitate the integration of internationally trained individuals; how to make employers aware of new approaches and tools for facilitating credential recognition; and how employers can build new relationships with other stakeholder groups.

Stream 3: Strategies to Assess Credentials and Provide Information to Internationally Trained Individuals Overseas

Workshop 3A: Cutting-edge Initiatives to Assess and Upgrade Skills Overseas
Bonavista

Certain professional bodies and educational institutions are conducting some aspects of credential assessment and pre-assessment, as well as international skills’ upgrading prior to arrival in Canada. This workshop explores challenges and opportunities for collaboration among provincial and territorial governments, regulatory and non-regulatory bodies, employers and post-secondary institutions, including partnerships between domestic and international post-secondary institutions. Participants will be able to consider new strategies in support of assessment and skills upgrading overseas.

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.    Break
South and West Foyers

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.    Plenary Session: Dialogue with Workshop Facilitators
Britannia/Belaire
Facilitators of the workshops will report back and engage in an open discussion on action items.

Moderator: Anne Golden
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Conference Board of Canada

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.    Exhibit Marketplace and Reception
South and West Foyers

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.    Dinner
Britannia/Belaire

Speaker: The Honourable Jean Augustine
Fairness Commissioner of Ontario

“Breaking Ground in Ontario: A New Approach to Registration and Licensing”

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

8:00 - 8:30 a.m.    Breakfast
South and West Foyer

8:30 - 8:40 a.m.    Convening Remarks
Britannia/Belaire

Cheryl Grant
Executive Director, Foreign Credentials Referral Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

8:40 – 9:00 a.m.   Opening Remarks: The Importance of Multi-stakeholder Collaboration in Finding Solutions to the Integration of Internationally Trained Individuals into the Labour Market
Britannia/Belaire

Ratna Omidvar
Executive Director
Maytree Foundation

9:00 – 11:00 a.m.   Concurrent Workshops
Participants will convene in their pre-selected workshops.

Stream 1: Strategic Partnerships in Foreign Credential Recognition

Workshop 1B: Foreign Credential Assessment: A Collaborative Path Forward
Mayfair

Participants will explore foreign credential assessment and evaluation challenges and how these may be overcome through information sharing, partnerships and collaboration, including inter-provincial arrangements. Of interest to assessment agencies, governments, regulatory bodies and employers wishing to know how they can make better use of assessment services.

Stream 2: Employer-led Initiatives for Integrating Internationally Trained Individuals

Workshop 2B: Creative Partnerships: Filling the Skills Gaps
Rideau/ Mount Royal

This workshop examines the benefits of partnerships between employers, immigrant serving organizations, assessment agencies and governments. This collaboration can provide employers with tools ranging from providing information on foreign credential recognition, Canadian workplace training, mentoring and other employee supports. The workshop presents the benefits of these innovative partnerships through advocacy and dissemination of current initiatives.

Presenters: Ron Britton
Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering (University of Manitoba)

Heather Sant
Executive Director (JobStart)

Kelly McGahey
Director, Stakeholder Relations (Hire Immigrants Ottawa)

Lorraine Trotter
Dean, Immigrant Education (George Brown College)

Deborah Tunis
Director General, Integration Branch (Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

Facilitator: Maureen Geddes
President (CANGRAM International)

Stream 3: Strategies to Assess Credentials and Provide Information to Internationally Trained Individuals Overseas

Workshop 3B: Enhancing Coordination and Leveraging Capacity: Information Strategies for Internationally Trained Individuals
Bonavista
 
This workshop looks at collaborative initiatives to provide information and improve employability skills of internationally trained individuals while still abroad. The discussion will include how employers can provide realistic and meaningful information to prospective immigrants. It will also look at ways that prospective immigrants can upgrade their employability skills. Finally, this workshop will examine the benefits of collaboration among stakeholders and federal efforts to complement and encourage these activities.

Stream 4: Navigating the Foreign Credential Recognition Landscape in Canada

Workshop 4: Strategies to Inform Internationally Trained Individuals in Canada
Britannia/Belaire

Canada’s credential assessment systems are unique and it is important to clarify and facilitate the foreign credential recognition process for internationally trained individuals. This workshop highlights initiatives undertaken by governments, immigrant-serving and community-based organizations, and post-secondary institutions to provide information to internationally trained individuals within Canada. Participants will consider what and how additional activities could be undertaken.

11:00 – 11:15 a.m.    Break
South and West Foyers

11:15 – 12:15  p.m.    Plenary Session: Dialogue with Workshop Facilitators
Britannia/Belaire

Facilitators of the workshops will report back and engage in an open discussion on action items.

Moderator: Anne Golden
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Conference Board of Canada

12:15 – 12:30 p.m.    Closing Remarks
Britannia/Belaire