3. Challenges and Barriers facing Colleges and Institutes in terms of offering Relevant Programs and Services for Immigrants

• Effective delivery of language training;
• Application processes that are slow and costly;
• The high cost and resource requirements for delivering assessment services such as PLAR effectively;
• Intra-institutional awareness of the needs of immigrants and inter-cultural sensitivity;
• Adequate integration and support services for immigrants;
• Financial and funding limitations that restrict college and institutes in developing new programs and services for a specific target group, such as immigrants;
• Effective promotion of college and institute programs and services to the immigrant community; and,
• Positioning for federal, provincial and municipal funding programs.

4. Challenges and Barriers for Immigrants to Access Relevant Programs and Services at Colleges and Institutes

• Limited funding for higher level LINC and equivalent-type programs, as well as gaps between LINC type programs and ESL and English for Academic Purposes programs.
• A lack of assessment and Foreign Credential Recognition services affects admissions standards for immigrants and their eligibility for financial assistance.
• Cultural adaptation to new academic environments.
• Restrictions and cut backs to support services such as daycare beyond the LINC or equivalent -type training.
• Financial limitations such as rising tuition fees, insufficient support for part-time and evening studies, insufficient bursaries and scholarships for immigrants, reductions to grant funding in some provinces, and restrictions on the number of hours immigrant students are allowed to work to access grant funding opportunities.
• Application and enrolment processes can involve long waiting lists, while intakes, transitions and progressions through programs can be complicated and lengthy.

5. Lessons Learned

Colleges and institutes identified the following lessons learned based on their experience in developing and delivering programs for immigrants within their communities.

• Support from college/institute senior management is essential for the successful delivery of programs and services to immigrants as institutional resources need to be allocated to support immigrant students and all college/institute services and staff must be aware of the challenges that newcomers face in terms of language guidance and support.
• Application and enrolment processes should be streamlined and institutions should adopt a more holistic approach to include language training, financial support, career planning, upgrading to Canadian workplace standards or requirements and work placements.
• Language is a key factor in the successful integration of new Canadians. There is a need to expand on the levels of language training currently offered and to introduce occupation-specific language training, while offering adequate pre-enrollment counseling.