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Assist your Clients with Environmental Expertise through ECO Canada

As an organization that works with internationally trained professionals, you can appreciate the challenges that newcomers face when entering into the Canadian workforce. Differences in the way Canadian’s seek employment, as well as the Canadian workplace culture exist and create significant entrance barriers for newcomers. This is the same for the environmental sector.

The environmental sector incorporates occupations related to environmental protection, resource management, and environmental sustainability. Occupations relevant to the sector include biologists, hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, geologists, and greenhouse gas verifiers or quantifiers to name a few.

To provide newcomers with the job-search skills and environmental workplace knowledge needed to overcome employment barriers, ECO Canada has created the Environmental Immigrant Bridging (EIB) Program. This program can be licensed by Immigrant Serving Agencies to deliver to their clients.

Who is the Program For?
Training Curriculum
Who Can Instruct the ECO Canada Curriculum?
How Can the Program be Delivered?
Industry Networking Opportunities
Requirements of Partner Organizations
Pilot Program Offerings and Current Partners
Frequently Asked Questions and More Information
 

Who is the Program For?

This program is designed for internationally trained professionals who meet the following criteria:

• Minimum of five years of experience working in an environmentally related field
• Degree or a diploma in an environmentally related area (Foreign Credential Evaluation required)
• Minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7 in all four areas of assessment: reading, writing, speaking, and listening (proof of proficiency required)
• Underemployed or unemployed in field of expertise
• Eligible to work in Canada
• Commitment to attend classes and complete course activities
• Self-motivation and strong dedication to independent employment search
   

What Does the Training Curriculum Include?

ECO Canada’s EIB Program was designed with input from over 60 environmental employers, employed internationally trained professionals in Canada, and employment counsellors to identify the skills and knowledge area needed to succeed in the sector. The curriculum consists of 180 hours of in-class training. Topics covered include:

• Professional Verbal Communication
• Professional Written Communication
• Technical Writing
• The Canadian Professional and Cultural Context
• The Canadian Environmental Context
• Critical Thinking and Judgment
• Leading and Influencing Others
• Learning and Creativity
• Planning and Organizing Projects
• Work Ethics
• Computer Proficiency
• Building Your Career
   

This curriculum focuses on providing the above essential skills to succeed in the environmental sector. It does NOT provide technical, occupationally-specific training.
 

Who Can Instruct the ECO Canada Curriculum?

The EIB Program can be delivered by a facilitator, who exhibits expertise in working with Adult ESL, with clear communication skills and knowledge relevant to the Canadian professional workforce and culture (with preference to those with environmentally relevant experience). A suggested list of instructor expertise for each module is provided below.

How Can the Program be Delivered?

The course is built around lessons that are in 1.5 hours (90 minutes) increments.  This enables the provider both full-time and part-time options for the delivery of the class.

The EIB Program can also be delivered as one component of an already existing course or program through a registered college or training facility. For such programs, the years of work experience required for admission can be reduced because candidates will receive additional training in technical environmental courses. 
 

Are there Industry Networking Opportunities?

Each Immigrant Serving Agency who delivers this program has the flexibility to integrate a work exposure component that best suits its capacity. Opportunities and activities to gain exposure to the environmental sector may include a networking event, bringing speakers into the classroom, mentorship connections, job shadowing, informational interviews, or work experience opportunities. ECO Canada can assist the delivery partner organization by advertising these opportunities to applicable industry connections. The partner organization is responsible for using its regional networks wherever possible.

Work experience opportunities such as informational interviews, volunteer placements, paid placements, or full-time employment must be found by the program participant. The Immigrant Serving Agency must be able to guide participants through this process.

PLEASE NOTE: ECO Canada is NOT a placement agency. The purpose of the program is to enable participants to gain the skills and knowledge required to seek employment opportunities in a supported, guided environment.
 

Requirements of Partner Organizations

Immigrant Serving Agencies interested in licensing the ECO Canada Curriculum are required to become a formal partner organization. Interested organizations must exhibit a strong history of successfully delivering employment related services for immigrants, as well as regional industry connections.

Partner organizations are required to obtain operational funding for the program, which must include facility costs, full-time staff resources including an employment counsellor/career coach AND program coordinator, professional fees for a facilitator with experience in adult ESL education and knowledge of the environment, access to a computer lab, internet, screen and projector, (webcam and teleconferencing system are ideal), licensing fee to ECO Canada, material printing for instructor and students, and business cards for students.

Partnering with ECO Canada to deliver the EIB Program is beneficial for several reasons. Your organization:

• Is part of a national program.
• Can obtain new linkages with industry.
• Has increased avenues to meet organizational goals of aiding immigrants in obtaining successful Canadian employment.
• Has additional opportunities to expand the delivery of other products and services through program integration outlined throughout the curriculum.
   

Pilot Program Offerings and Current Partners

ECO Canada’s EIB Program was piloted by the organizations listed below. Each program accepted between 12-15 participants with the program application offered through the ECO Canada website.

There will be future offerings of the program in Brampton, ON hosted by Community Environment Alliance and in Hamilton, ON with the YWCA Hamilton.  Programs are expected to start in 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions and More Information

Frequently asked questions about the program are answered here. For more information about the program, contact us at immigration@eco.ca or at (403) 233-0748.

This project was made possible by the Government of Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program through Human Resources and Skill Development Canada (HRSDC).

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