• Colleges and institutes need to be flexible in ensuring that programs delivered will lead immigrants to employment in local workplace sectors that receive new employees.
• It is very effective for colleges and institutes to adapt career programs that are of particular interest to immigrants. For example, in Montreal, Cégep du Vieux Montreal found that 60 to 65 percent of students in the Early Childhood Education program were immigrants. As these students already have credentials from their home countries, it would be preferable to tailor the program by including workplace specific language training, family and child-rearing values of Canadians and also of other cultures, rather than oblige students to attend a standard three year program.

Need to Integrate Canadian Work Experience

• College and institute programs, whether occupation-specific language training or career/technical training, need to provide work experience in a meaningful Canadian context, through credited or non-credited work terms, co-op experiences or practical attachments in the workplace. This Canadian work experience is very effective in facilitating the integration of immigrants into the workforce. It is essential that college/institute programs build that bridge because immigrants cannot access those experiences on their own.
• Programs should also provide support in areas such as resume writing and interview skills simply to meet basic transition needs.

Counseling and Advising Services

• Peer helper programs have been very beneficial in a number of colleges and institutes. Peer helpers are students who are trained by the counseling department to provide special services to immigrants in their mother tongue such as assistance with translation, referrals and applications.
• It can be difficult for a college or institute to respond to the needs of individual immigrant students. As such, colleges and institutes work closely with immigrant settlement organizations and socio– cultural groups to provide newcomers with psycho-social and integration support. Colleges and institutes simply do not have the resources and funding to provide such individualized support.

Integration and Support Services

• There is no “one size fits all”. Younger immigrants have differing needs from older immigrants. An older educated immigrant has different needs from an uneducated immigrant or refugee. The older immigrant usually wants a program that will lead to employment while the younger immigrant is on the same path and timelines as a Canadian born counterpart.
• College and institute Learning Centres also provide an interesting model for the delivery of support services for immigrants, particularly academic and tutoring support. Learning Centres have the flexibility to address specific needs and develop targeted short programs offered at low or even no cost for students. For example the SIAST’s Learning Centre developed a Basic Language Skills program that is a non-credit program without fee to try to meet the need for seamless delivery to bring immigrants to the point where they can gain full employment.
• College and institutes should provide immigrant students with a guide on what to expect from the Canadian academic environment.