Ruchi Sharma was new to Canada in 2019 and had no idea where to start rebuilding her career. For many newcomers like Ruchi, the challenges that an immigrant faces can be frightening and intimidating without the support of family and friends nearby. Language and cultural differences can make finding a fulfilling career that you have been trained to do, become more challenging to obtain.
KCR offers a highly informative, hands-on employment program targeting skilled newcomers to Canada. The Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants Program, which is funded by the Government of British Columbia through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, assists participants with the integration process into the Canadian labour market from the very beginning, including job search assistance, education funding to fill skill gaps, workshops to coach participants in becoming ‘job-ready’, personalized career path planning, networking events and mentorship opportunities. The program helps newcomers to pursue a career path that will help them find a commensurate level of employment based on their pre-arrival education and experience
Ruchi came to Canada with a Master’s Degree in Finance and Marketing, prior to immigrating she was employed as a Banking Officer for more than four years. Ruchi received her Permanent Residency in 2021 and sought help with her job search, she found it difficult to find opportunities in her field. When she learned about the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants Program (CPSI), she joined right away to receive support re-entering her field. While in the program she received services she needed such as developing her job readiness skills, practicing mock interviews and resume development. She received funding through the CPSI program to complete the Canadian Investment Funds certificate from Investment Funds Institute of Canada to strengthen her resume with Canadian education and improve her chances for employment in her industry. Her hope was to achieve returning to her pre-arrival occupation in banking and finance.
Through participating in the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrant program, Ruchi has achieved a Canadian recognized certification in her field of expertise. Further to this, Ruchi received a job offer commensurate with her pre-arrival skills and experience, as a Member Banking Specialist at Coast Capital Savings. Ruchi accepted the job offer, which came with an adequate compensation package.
For Ruchi, the success of accomplishing her career goals were met. With the support of the Career Paths Immigration Skills team, and the opportunities provided to her that came through the program, she was able to fulfill her aspirations of working in her career of choice in a new country.
KCR Community Services offers the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrant Program in the Thompson/ Okanagan and Kootenay regions. In collaboration with Progressive Intercultural Community Services in Surrey, BC we offer a specialized program for Management professionals.
The program provides customized services for up to 24 months to assist skilled immigrants with experience in Management occupations such as Corporate Sales Manager, Retail and Wholesale Trade Manager, Restaurant and Food Services Manager, and Insurance, Real Estate, and Financial Brokerage Manager to ultimately obtain employment in their field of specialization.
We are currently enrolling new participants in all our programs. For more information or to register please visit https://kcr.ca/employment-services/career-paths-for-skilled-immigrants, or call 250-763-8008 x. 274.
Dorothee Birker is the communications and development coordinator for KCR Community Resources. If you are interested in sharing your volunteer or organizational news, please contact Dorothee at dorothee@kcr.ca.