The Ontario government is investing $27.4 million in 40 bridge training programs to help newcomers get jobs in their field quickly.  The federal government is contributing $8.1 million of the total funding.

These projects provide occupation-specific language training, mentorship, skills assessment and work experience needed for various professions.

These projects are offered in the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener-Waterloo Region, Hamilton, London, Niagara Region, and Ottawa.

Greater Toronto Area
Total Funding – $14,139,542

George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology – (Two Programs)

• Research/Technology – A 12-month program for post-graduates who want to work in positions that apply theoretical research to commercial applications.  Amount – $399,050
• Health Care -- A program to better meet the particular needs of health care workers, including occupation-specific language training. Amount – $354,530

University of Toronto – (Three Programs)

• Pharmacists – A project to have the Faculty of Pharmacy’s language assessment tool professionally recognized.  Amount – $192,630
• Physicians – A 40-hour language-training program that is part of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s Communication and Cultural Competence project. Amount – $177,400
• Project Managers – A program to help prepare people from a variety of backgrounds for careers in project management.  Amount – $720,000

Ryerson University – (Four Programs)

• Nutritionists and Dietitians – An expanded program to develop online pre-arrival assessment and orientation resources to help food and nutrition professionals prepare for practice before arriving in Canada.  Amount – $1,000,000
• Social Workers – An expanded program for under-serviced regions of Ontario and new pre-arrival services through online delivery.  Amount – $1,000,000
• Various – A program to assess prior experience and learning not captured by existing assessment programs.  Amount – $1,200,000
• Physiotherapists – A program to help 44 physiotherapists get registered by providing occupation-specific language training as well as patient interaction and exam skills. 
  Amount – $1,601,525

World Education Services

• Various – A program to provide foreign credential assessment services to internationally trained professionals, employers, academic institutions and regulatory bodies.  Amount – $500,000

Canadian Mothercraft Society

• Early Child Educators – A project to prepare 45 early childhood educators to get an Ontario-approved diploma and registration as ECEs.  Amount – $341,699

Ontario Society of Professional Engineers

• Engineers – A program to design a pre-exam course to prepare engineers to write the Professional Practice Examination, part of the licensure process for engineers. 
  Amount – $83,800

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

• Engineers – A three-month project to provide 40 environmental engineers with occupation-specific language and workplace culture training, technical standards training and job experience.
  Amount – $379,867

JVS

• Human Resources – A program to help recruit human resources professionals to find work in their field.  Amount – $345,632

Centennial College

• Financial Services – A program to help 30 individuals get financial services certification by developing a curriculum that includes technical training and occupation-specific language instruction.  Amount – $122,293

Community MicroSkills Development Centre

• Manufacturing – This program, in partnership with the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council, will help 225 trained individuals prepare for employment in the supply chain sector. 
  Amount – $1,251,188

Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

• Engineers – A project to assist trained civil, mechanical and electrical engineers prepare for employment by providing engineering software training and job search support.  Amount – $1,251,117

Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council

• Various – A project to help employers in York and Peel regions develop the skills and tools to effectively recruit, hire and retain internationally trained individuals.  Amount – $553,800

Skills for Change

• Various – This project will prepare industrial electricians, construction and maintenance electricians and industrial mechanics to write and pass their qualification exams and find work in their field.  Amount – $1,240,243

Accessible Community Counseling and Employment Services

• Sales/Marketing – A program to help prepare for employment, including mock interviews, language training and workplace etiquette.  Amount – $505,397

Halton Multicultural Council

• Accountants/Bookkeepers – Participants receive language, accounting-specific computer training and work placements in a program that is expanding to Peel Region.  Amount – $919,371

Kitchener-Waterloo Area
Total Funding – $1,447,677

University of Waterloo

• Optometrists – Six on-line courses and tools to measure language, training and experience. Amount – $431,875

Lutherwood

• Various – A program to help individuals become successful entrepreneurs through a combination of skill and language workshops, coaching and mentoring. 
  Amount – $517,668

The Working Centre

• Social Workers – A six-month program to prepare for registration or employment, including language training and working skills.  Amount – $498,134

London Area
Total Funding – $640,281

Fanshawe College – (Two programs)

• Electrical/Electronics Technicians – A program to assist individuals to get certificates and employment in the electrical/electronics technology field.  Amount – $183,190
• Nurses – A program to help individuals get licensed and employed by providing job-specific language training, mentoring and clinical placements.  Amount – $182,946

WIL Counseling for Training and Employment

• Various – This project will engage 50 ‘employer leaders’ to take the lead in hiring and encouraging others to hire internationally trained individuals.  Amount – $274,145

Ottawa Area
Total Funding – $2,289,869

Catholic Immigration Centre

• Physicians – Program to help individuals to enter qualifying programs or get their medical license. Amount – $450,000

Algonquin College

• Engineers – A project to help 40 civil engineers meet the requirements to practice as Civil Engineering Technologists in Ontario.  Amount – $1,000,000

LASI World Skills

• Various – The ‘Skills Match Network’ program will match the skills and experience of qualified people to the employment needs of area employers.  Amount – $839,269

Hamilton Niagara Area
Total Funding – $2,485,627

Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) – (Two programs)

• Finance – Program to help trained individuals in the accounting, banking and finance sectors get certification or employment.  Amount – $468,952
• Various – Program to help individuals prepare for employment in their fields by providing access to cultural and communication training and professional networks. 
  Amount – $362,834

CARE

• Nurses – A project to improve the language skills of internationally educated nurses.
  Amount – $346,025

McMaster University

• Occupational Therapists – A five-course program that will prepare internationally trained Occupational Therapists to write the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists certification examination. 
  Amount – $519,300

Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology

• Nurses – Training to prepare internationally educated nurses for clinical training, including language training, critical thinking and nursing practices.  Amount – $408,047

St. Catharines Unemployed Help Centre, Inc.

• Various – A program to help individuals get their license/certificate or employment in their field by providing language assessment, referrals for credential assessment and further ESL instruction.  Amount – $380,469

Throughout Ontario
Total Funding – $6,198,477

Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science

• Medical Laboratory Technologists – A project to establish language proficiency standards for internationally trained medical laboratory technologists seeking to enter the profession in Ontario.  Amount – $87,400

Association of Ontario Land Surveyors

• Land Surveyors – A project to develop new processes to better assist land surveyors to become registered in their field.  Amount – $667,699

College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario

• Radiation Technologists – A project to expand the options for assessing language proficiency. Amount – $115,940

Colleges Ontario

• Various – A project to help Ontario colleges better assess the specific learning needs of internationally trained individuals (ITI) to help them enter the workforce more quickly.
  Amount – $5,327,438

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For media enquiries, contact:
Coralie D’Souza, Minister's Office, (416) 416-325-6204
Michel Payen-Dumont, Communications Branch, (416) 416-314-7010

• News Release - More Job Programs For Newcomers