I do not know your background but if it is a public forum, they will call upon the public to ask questions and they will line up at mikes placed strategically in the auditorium and you might be asked some pretty sticky questions- so just be prepared.
The most common one, if you don't mention it in your opening statement, is if you had to go thru hardships to get your creds recognised, so you might want to include that in your opening statement- all the bunkum you had to put up with, if any at all.

Somewhere in the bowels of this site I read you lived in Singapore. Did you dine at annalakshmi in 86?
Surprised. Don't be. Here's a link if you are o/w you know there was another that had your name in Singapore in 86.

http://www.annalakshmi.com.sg/index_files/GuestBook.htm

No it is not a public forum and infact, after the first three speakers, they have panel discussions on various subjects and some workshops. The very first Panel discussion is : Assessing and Recogising Credenitials in Canada followed by Assessing and Recognising Credentials in other countries where in speakers from UK and Australia will participate.

In the first Panel, the focus is:

How can the assessment process in different parts of Canada be improved? What is the legislative context for the FCR at the national and provincial levels? Who are the players? Howe is assessment done? How are unregulated professions handled.

Another Panel is on Recognising skills and experience with focus on:
What is the status of Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) in Canada? What are the challenges in regulated and unregulated proessions? How can skills be assessed outside of a formal context (i.e. by employers)? What tools are available?

And then one more panel which focuses on what Morning Rain has suggested titled Bridging Services and Training. The questions to be discussed are:
How can stronger linkages between FCR and learning be reated? What learning opporunities are available for foreign-trained individuals who need their skills or credentials upgraded? What are the gaps? Where are the gaps? What type of funding model is needed to assist individuals who want ot access these learning opportunities? How can funding sustainability be ensured? How can governments work effectively horizontally on imigraition issues?

The above seems to be quite a comprehensive discussion planned and I am sure all the members can have some constructive inputs - not only for my speech, but matter to be discussed during these discussions.


Chandresh

And yes investpro - I am the same Chandresh at Annalakshmi - though I have not clicked the link given by you, I know what it is. It was a new restaurent at that time and infact my wife and I had designed their menu card. This restaurent is operated by an organisation which works for promotion of Indian art and culture. The waitresses/chefs there are housewives and wear Silk saris when they are serving. It has now become a big organisation and now has music school, arts school, Indian furniture for sale, etc. etc. etc.

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Chandresh

Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!

congrats chandresh,

I would like to suggest you to bring up the issues of Temperory jobs Recruiting Agencies, which are taking much more share of money paid to poor immigrants.

This way employers are exploiting immigrants thru agency recruitments, there should be such law that employers hire personnels directly without involvement of these kind of Recruitment agencies by this way immigrants will get benefit of more money coming to them and avoid little bit of frustration.

Employers can make contracts directly with employees need in case of temp. job assingments.

This is what most of the new immigrants face these days.

If you can highlight this area in your presentation so that they can ammend the law and restrict this kind of exploitations.

regards

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Do or Die.....

Hi Interceptor,
I am in total agreement with you re the temp agencies. Even though MPP backbencher Vic Dhillon is pushing bill 161 through for the temp agencies to be regulated, it will have no teeth for all it asks is that temp agencies be licensed.
This will not stop the unscrupulous activities of certain bad apple temp agencies of gypping new settlers by demanding exorbitant upfront fees to secure them jobs that materialise at intermittent intervals, instead of regular jobs as promised.Even if jobs do materialise, they are below minimum wage, without CPP, EI, no stat holidays, no overtime pay, in sub-basement conditions and sometimes these crummy vermin even withhold the wages.

However I do believe from the comprehensive outline of the forum given by Chandresh, this is not within its scope, but it is worth touching upon, that even despite getting creds recognised, some people still are precariously employed.
At one such forum a few days ago here in TO, a professor of labour studies at McMaster U, Mr Wayne Lewchuk, told the story of an accountant, who after doing upgrades here, even after 7 years, was contingently employed earning barely enough to sustain himself.
However there are also cases of those who have exceled as well.

At that particular forum, a rep of the govt, Ms. Mathews, from Queen's Park, was booed by the public saying that the govt wasn't doing enough, that if laws and bills were passed, they weren't enforced. If the govt really cared, they would take all these precariuosly employed people, give them full time jobs with full benefits and put them to work to enforce the laws already in place.
Bills like Vic's 161 and the recognition of foreign creds is OK ( according to another parliamentarian at the forum - whoopee-de doo- as in big deal!)but the real hurdle is to convince the Can cos of the dedication and work ethic of the newcomers and to offer them incentives to hire these new immigrants.

By the way Chandresh, I am sure you are familiar with the buzzwords 'precarious employment' and 'contingent employment'- properly used, they will get you a lot of kudos.

Hello guys!
Another very important point is the issuance of work permit for getting foreign people whereas better qualified and experienced immigrants are left laungushing. An example would be in the field of Software and CD's can give other such fields (eg. Post doctoral fellows)
I know a software company which recruits people from another body shop firm which in turn recruits people from India on work permit. People with B.com, B.Sc degrees are recruited to do software jobs. How many BE/ MCA/B. Tech Immigrants are without jobs which would otherwise have gone to them. These software work permit people are paid like $25 an hour + free airfare. I also know many other firms using this method to recruit these unnessary people.
TK A

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Chandresh,
Based on my personal observation, before the immigration really come through, the immigration becomes very important than the job prospects. which basically impedes the ability to explore deep, prepare themselves.
The prospective immigrants end up constraining themselves making arrangements to leave, tickets, accommodation, bank accounts. Very unfortunately,
there isn't enough focus centered on the employment prospects, this situation is quite understandable considering the pressure the immigrants may be going through leaving their homeland.
Before the actual immigration, out of extreme optimism (or really a sort of an ostrich approach) many immigrants refuse to know that it is really a thing to make it to a good employment in Canada.

Bottom line, there isn't really anything to blame.

Understanding that you just require points in place of comprehensive comments, I am restricting my post to just few hints.

- Temporary shelter for the first year (say at least a single status).

- CIC website has several classifications is in place - they should be updated with the requirement to work - bridging programs for the most common positions such as major engineering, Finance. Should say you'll occasionally be absorbed without local credentials.

- can't really pressurize the private sectors as it would be against the policy for sure. Instead, can offer tax incentives for companies employing new immigrants. I hope this is in place already.

- A clear picture on the settlement services offered by Government, Co-op programs. A structured approach indeed.

- Language barrier. How to break it. There are so many LINC classes invariably every where but many people do not make use of it.

This being a very sensitive subject, I like to know others viewpoint.

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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM

Quote:

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Originally posted by JRF

- can't really pressurize the private sectors as it would be against the policy for sure. Instead, can offer tax incentives for companies employing new immigrants. I hope this is in place already.

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