These programs are a good place to start because all the other students are also immigrants and the staff are culturally sensitive to your difficulties as a newcomer. Some examples of such programs in the lower mainland area are:

Employment Challenge Program
Sponsored by MOSAIC in Vancouver, telephone 254-0244. This is a 17-week program for men and women. Nine weeks in the classroom are followed by 8 weeks of on-the-job experience. Participants must:

• want to look for permanent, full-time work
• be unemployed
• speak, read and write English at the upper beginners to lower intermediate level
• have little or no post-secondary education in their country of origin
• have little or no Canadian work experience
• be 18 years or older
• be legally permitted to work in Canada (landed immigrants, refugees with work authorization permits, or Canadian citizens)
  Topics include: job search techniques; on-the-job skills; life skills: banking, budgeting, using community resources and pronunciation instruction

New Immigrants in Science
Sponsored by Willensky and Associates in Vancouver, telephone 682-1909. A five-month full-time course with places reserved for women. Participants must:

• be unemployed and looking for work (preference is given to those on UI)
• have a degree in biological sciences or chemistry earned outside Canada
• have an intermediate or advanced level of English
• have work experience in their field outside Canada
• be landed immigrants
  Topics covered include: English in context: media analysis, technical writing, research skills; communications training: presentation and conversation skills, conflict management, negotiation skills; computer training; bicultural adjustment and counselling; on-the-job experience in science settings; career planning: networking, joining associations, writing exams; information interviewing and job search skills: resumes and cover letters, interview practice with video.

These are only two examples of a wide variety of programs. Another government-funded program often run by community agencies is the Job Finding Club. Many immigrant women find this club useful. These programs run for three to eight weeks and help you to learn job search techniques and find a job placement in a supportive environment. They are often sensitive to women with language and cultural barriers. Women who are unemployed and eligible to receive Unemployment Insurance can participate for free in these programs.

Other places to look for information about jobs or training include local papers, community centers, unions, and bulletin boards in places like child care centers and laundromats. Often the most effective sources of information are friends, relatives and your own community contacts.

School boards, colleges, universities and private training schools may also offer courses for immigrants. You can find out more about these institutions by reading the chapters:
I wish I had my high school (page 32), Private training programs (page 43), and
Colleges, universities & institutes (page 46).

How will my education be measured in Canada?
There is not one standard for assessing foreign educations in Canada. Say, for example, that you have a high school diploma from your country of origin and you want to take a course at the University of Victoria (UVIC). You would have to talk to the counsellors at UVIC to find out who at their school could decide whether you are qualified to take the course. Each school is different.