Resources

Understanding International Education

When business is evaluating the qualifications of an internationally trained professional (skilled immigrant) it needs to know how the foreign education stacks up to a similar degree from a Canadian University. The Alberta Government, Human Services has an international qualifications assessment service providing this information for Companies and internationally trained professionals.

Now a new online resource helps employers and recruiters better understand academic credentials earned abroad. Education Overview Guides have been developed for 10 different countries. Each provides information on specific credentials like prerequisites, length of study and what the credential compares to in Alberta.

• The International Education Guides:
  www.employment.alberta.ca/IQAS-IEG
• Occupational Licensing Fact Sheets outlining the process for getting qualifications recognized:
  www.albertacanada.com/regulated-trades
  www.albertacanada.com/regulated-professions
• International Qualifications Assessment Services – assessing international education and comparing it to education in Canada:
  www.employment,alberta.ca/IQAS
• Education Overview Guides:
  www.employment.alberta.ca/educationguides

The ten countries for which education guides have been prepared are:

• Federal Republic of Nigeria
• Islamic Republic of Pakistan
• People's Republic of China
• Republic of Colombia
• Republic of India
• Republic of Korea
• Republic of the Philippines
• Russian Federation
• The Former USSR
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

For more information about this new online tool, visit www.employment.alberta.ca/immigration/12638.html (video, fact sheet and audio clips)

Talent Pool, JCB July 5th, 2011

1. "A Waste of Talent": Recommendations for Calgary Business to Reap the Full Benefit of Professional Immigrants, prepared by Julie Ball for The Talent Pool Development Society with the generous support of Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry, 2007.
2. Who Does What in Foreign Credential Recognition: An Overview of Credentialing Programs and Services in Canada, prepared by Sharon Fernandez for The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC), updated January 2008.
3. The Employer's Roadmap to Hiring and Retaining Internationally Trained Workers, prepared by the Alliance of Sector Councils for the Foreign Credentials Referral Office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, published by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2009.