The Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) and the Future Skills Centre (FSC) announce an extended partnership to help grow the Facilitating Access to Skilled Talent (FAST) program in the healthcare sector. FAST helps skilled immigrants better prepare for work in Canada, supporting them in overcoming employment barriers and connecting employers with internationally trained professionals. Along with information about the Canadian workplace, the online program provides immigrants with a comprehensive competency assessment and recommendations to improve their knowledge in specific areas.
The success of FAST has allowed the program to evolve from facilitating access to three skilled trades into a comprehensive set of services and resources for newcomers in skilled trades, IT and data services, biotech and life sciences, accounting, and culinary arts.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
New FAST stream in 2021: IEC-BC will be partnering with the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) to identify in-demand occupations in long-term care. FAST will collaborate with industry and training experts to assure the stream will effectively bridge the needs and promise of immigrant jobseekers with health care employer expectations.
Growth of FAST and partnerships: Partnerships with other immigrant-serving organizations (ISOs), industry experts and service delivery partners have grown FAST across Canada, with almost 1,200 newcomers registered over the last two years.
Employment Success: FAST received a 90% satisfaction rate from our post program survey, with 67% of those registered in the program pre-arrival finding employment in their field within four weeks after arriving in Canada.
Attention Editors: IEC-BC's, CEO, Patrick MacKenzie is available for interviews or quotes.
"FAST is an ideal tool to respond to the unprecedented need long-term care facility operators have for qualified staff able to provide the high levels of care Canadians expect. As demonstrated by the program's success in other sectors, participation in FAST enables newcomers to experience better employment outcomes in the Canadian job market." - Patrick MacKenzie, CEO, IEC-BC.
More information on the FAST Program and this project can be found here: https://fsc-ccf.ca/projects/facilitating-access-to-skilled-talent-fast/
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