Since 1999, World Skills has registered 4,630 immigrants in its database5. Nearly threequarters of these people (73%) hold some form of post-secondary credential, ranging from trade certificates to doctorates. More than one-half of the database entries (59%) are people holding university degrees at the Bachelor's level or higher.
| Highest Educational Attainment | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Doctorate | 172 | 4 |
| Masters Degree | 789 | 17 |
| Bachelors | 1,775 | 38 |
| College diploma or non-university certificate | 525 | 11 |
| Trade certificate | 107 | 2 |
| Other | 33 | 1 |
| Sub-total (with post-secondary credentials) | 3,401 | 73 |
| Some college or university | 198 | 4 |
| Secondary school complete | 334 | 7 |
| Less than secondary | 22 | 1 |
| Education not recorded | 675 | 15 |
| Total | 4,630 | 100 |
Source: LASI - World Skills, Ottawa |
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Immigrants registered in the World Skills database have been educated in a wide range of academic disciplines. The most commonly cited field of study among those with a university degree is computer science and computer engineering - with 354 immigrants having a degree in this area. About one-third of these computer scientists (113 people) have a post-graduate degree (Masters or PhD).
The World Skills database also contains over 600 records of immigrants with degrees in engineering, including electronic, mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering. More than 30% of these engineers have degrees at the post graduate level, and about one out of ten received their degree from a Western Universities. Others have received degrees from respected universities abroad.
Faced with a looming labour shortage as the birthrate falls, Canada scours the world for skilled workers every year - we woo them, test them, charge them a lot of money and then choose the best of the crop. So why, after these professionals and tradespeople finally get here, do we roll out the red tape instead of the red carpet? Globe and Mail, January 8, 2003.
5 This does not include a separate database for teachers, with 536 entries, or a foreign-trained doctors
database with 180 registered entries (maintained by Catholic Immigrant Services, a LASI partner). Return