• Bridging programs currently offered at colleges and institutes in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Quebec are funded through provincial government initiatives aimed at facilitating foreign credential recognition. These programs are being delivered as pilot projects and are not typically integrated into regular college or institute operations.
• Workplace training is offered on a contract, cost-recovery basis for private or public sector clients.
• Community-based training, offered by some colleges and institutes in British Columbia in collaboration with libraries and community centres are generally offered at no cost to students and are funded through the base funding provided by the provincial government operating grant transferred to colleges and institutes. There have been significant cuts in community-based programs across the country due to overall funding cuts to colleges and institutes.

Advising and counseling services are provided to students as part of the college’s or institute’s regular services. Learning Centres provide complementary services to assist with program completion, that are of particular benefit to immigrant students. Advising and counseling departments, including Learning Centres, are funded through institutions’ operating grants transferred from the provincial government. Additional programs developed specifically for immigrants such as peer helper or mentor and language partner programs are relatively low-cost because they rely on volunteer students. The costs to start the program and provide training to volunteers tend to be funded either through some government project-based funding or through the institution’s operating budget for advising and counseling services.

2.5 Where Immigrant Programs and Services are being Delivered

The majority of programs and services are being offered at the main campuses of colleges and institutes, with some institutions also providing some limited services through regional or satellite campuses.

Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) indicated that the provincial government is looking at a strategy to increase immigration, and expand immigration settlement into towns and municipalities in rural areas, as a response to the skills shortage. NSCC is well placed to support the government’s strategy as it could easily support the integration of immigrants into rural communities through its 13 campuses located throughout the province. NSCC has also began a collaboration between the Metro Immigrant Settlement Association (MISA), based in Halifax, and the on-line services group of the college to adapt MISA’s New Beginnings program into an on-line program that could be accessible to immigrants that settle outside the metropolitan area of Halifax. The New Beginnings program is an employment service for newcomers that covers themes related to their integration into the Canadian workplace.

As indicated in Section 2.2.5 some colleges and institutes have also become involved in delivering training and services for immigrants in the workplace through the organization of work placements for immigrants students, delivering career programs in collaboration with the private sector or through contract training.

College and institutes have also begun looking at delivering some programs and services overseas for immigrants before they depart for Canada. For example, Centennial College has several sites off shore accessible to prospective immigrants. In 2003 Centennial College became involved in an initiative with a consortium of institutions (Nova Scotia Community College, Grant MacEwan Community College, Dalhousie University, York University and Athabasca University) and the Maytree Foundation to develop and submit a proposal to the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) to obtain funding for a project that would determine the potential for colleges and universities to conduct assessments and training for new immigrants before they arrive in Canada.