Our knowledge-based economy is facing an uphill battle with regard to workforce. A declining birth rate coupled with an aging work force reveals a gaping hole in the availability of skilled and educated workers. Basically, we need people with knowledge and experience. We need more employers willing to take on apprentices. Most of all, we need suitable employment for the thousands of immigrants who are forced into underemployment by the big conspiracy that is "The Man".
Here in Ontario we are in prime position to motion change. We invest more than any other province in training and settlement programs for newcomers but alas we're stuck with many meters of red tape, certifications, and bull-headed employers before an experienced individual can put their goods to use. Bet you didn't know that in Ontario you can't wipe your own ass unless you are Ontario Certified. Really. I had to get a professional asswipe to wipe ass till I got my certification. I'm serious. As angry as I was for having to go through that it was nothing compared to my outrage when I read about a Chinese engineer who had designed the servos used on China's first manned spacecraft. She was working at the Yonge & Sheppard Cinnabon when the article came out in 2003. Makes you want to rock to yourself in a dark corner while murmuring about the unfairness of it all.
Other than the Ontario language training ads that started playing on the telly a few weeks ago I haven't seen much awareness about the issue. While searching for those ads I managed to stumble upon the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council's new set of ads for their 'Make It Right' public awareness campaign. Haven't seen them out in public as yet but they are superb so I hope that it will only be a matter of time...
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Should've finished going over all my unread feeds in Bloglines before posting this...Secret Dubai has a great post on these very ads. Dhavaak, I think it provides some food for your thoughts on TRIEC's true focus, advertising and publicity. SD happened upon the ads at an International Advertising Association exhibition in Dubai. I don't know how many months old these ads really are but shouldn't they be plastered around Toronto's public spaces by now if they are already making the rounds at international ad shows?
Here in Ontario we are in prime position to motion change. We invest more than any other province in training and settlement programs for newcomers but alas we're stuck with many meters of red tape, certifications, and bull-headed employers before an experienced individual can put their goods to use. Bet you didn't know that in Ontario you can't wipe your own ass unless you are Ontario Certified. Really. I had to get a professional asswipe to wipe ass till I got my certification. I'm serious. As angry as I was for having to go through that it was nothing compared to my outrage when I read about a Chinese engineer who had designed the servos used on China's first manned spacecraft. She was working at the Yonge & Sheppard Cinnabon when the article came out in 2003. Makes you want to rock to yourself in a dark corner while murmuring about the unfairness of it all.
Other than the Ontario language training ads that started playing on the telly a few weeks ago I haven't seen much awareness about the issue. While searching for those ads I managed to stumble upon the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council's new set of ads for their 'Make It Right' public awareness campaign. Haven't seen them out in public as yet but they are superb so I hope that it will only be a matter of time...
+++
Should've finished going over all my unread feeds in Bloglines before posting this...Secret Dubai has a great post on these very ads. Dhavaak, I think it provides some food for your thoughts on TRIEC's true focus, advertising and publicity. SD happened upon the ads at an International Advertising Association exhibition in Dubai. I don't know how many months old these ads really are but shouldn't they be plastered around Toronto's public spaces by now if they are already making the rounds at international ad shows?
8 Comments:
holy coming out party - the lingus is a closet activist.
the ad is slick but i'm not satisfied triec's execution - i have interacted with these guys to become part of their mentoring network but they are ineffectual and all over the place. just came away with the sense that it's an npo whose only motivation is to sustain its funding. they invest a lot in slick ads because the ads convey the intent and the product comes out of the ad agency.
but i agree there is a problem. reminds me i got to call someone about this.
good post neha.
Oh lawd don't get me started! I thought that things were only this bad in Alberta - in fact when I saw the Ontario language ads on satellite I thought that things were rosier for new immigrants over that way.
What is happening to qualified new immigrants is absurd. That it is an intentional and purposeful method of grinding them into the dust is beyond any doubt to me - I mean it's either that or a level of stupidity that even the Reform Party never reached! What the government/provinces hope to achieve by this, though, is anyone's guess!
Well at least there's consistency across the provinces with regard to this, eh?
Everyone's leaving Manitoba, so we're even more of a deficit when it comes to the knowledge-based workforce - we'd better get our "voted most racist city in Canada" asses in better shape. ;( More discussion to follow in Toronto meet-up :)
You totally gotta talk to my moms about this, itd be interesting. She, for the most part, believes that new immigrants need to do all the provided tests simply because training overseas (whether in Holland, Japan, Brazil or India) is different and if you qualified there, you shouldnt have a problem qualifying here. Also she believes that language is a significant barrier that needs to be overcome especially when dealing with the medical field. It sounds nice, but coming across it can seem a little, surprisingly, right wing.
I dont know enough about the topic myself, I do know that we are having serious shortages as far as trades are going and we arent making any attempt to have those slots filled by newly qualified immigrants which is fucking ridiculous. This isnt a situation where you would prescribe a drug and wait to see what happens, this is something that you see almost instantaniously as to whether or not they can get the job done. Ive heard stories of cats from the islands (THEY SPEAK FUCKING ENGLISH) who could not find gainful employment here.
I do agree that there needs to be some sort of standards testing however the bureaucracy shit needs to be chopped the fuck up cuz obviously noone is winning with the current state of affairs.
The lady who does my hair at Rupas, her husband was a bank manager in Bangledesh. I think he drives a cab or summat here. She was a housewife and here she works at Rupas and the local pharmacy.
Her brother is a doctor in Sweden.
Hmmmmm...
lingus - so the triec ad is being shown in dubi - cool - goes to my earlier point that the hard-hitting objective of the ad was well served, because the responsibility resided with an ad agency - and they got their act together.
My experience with triec --reminiscent of time in manila - i pointed out a dish from a board written in tagalog - turned out i ordered the neck tripe of an ox in peanut sauce - it looked nice , but was slimy, slithered in down, but was left with a bad feel. ok, comic relief.
ads are nice, but the triec foundation's purpose is best served by delivering value - it's nice to talk big and pull at people's heartstrings, but where's the beef - guide people into delivering jobs - do some real work instead of delegating - it's all tripe, no? this isnt coming out right 'cos me's a little fried right now - and i still have 5 hrs to go before closing down.
i dont know - i'm a little right of center, like ceepee's mum.
then i do know of immigrants from india who're good on paper but are not as successful here - because the work environment is different - we have to multi-task here - in india there is uni-tasking and lots of delegation - different work environment, different expectations.
but there's truth in the ads of course - especially the licensing costs and the wait time - i cant imagine a doctor to stay current if (s)he has to wait 2+ yrs out of her profession. but enuf 'lredy.
Amen Sister! Great post. The situation faced by immigrant populations in the "First World" is truly sad. The city should be plastered with these ads, to bring attention to the problem and create necessary dialouge.
i love the taxi pic.
The budget mart ad is technically wrong in multiple places:
a. There is NO Assam School of Medicince in India. There is Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (Guwahati is the capital of Assam)
b. There is no BS or BSc for a doc in India. If you have to get an MD, you have to do an MBBS.
c. An Indian doc would not be interning in Bangladesh.
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