Reaching Our Full Potential

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition for Foreign-trained Canadians

Report prepared for PLAR Working Group, Canadian Labour Force Development Board by Training and Development Associates in association with John Samuel & Associates Inc., Le Groupe Standford Inc.

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Executive Summary

The CLFDB has been a leader in the PLAR movement since 1994 following the work of its Task Force on Transition into Employment. Since then, CLFDB has been playing an increasingly active role in promoting PLAR through a variety of activities. These include: adoption of a policy on PLAR, development of national PLAR standards, supporting and sponsoring PLAR-related projects and taking leadership at the biennial PLAR conferences.

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List of Acronyms

ACAT	Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer
ACE	American Council on Education
ACES	Academic Credentials Evaluation Service
AIT	Agreement on Internal Trade

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Introduction

Canada is a land of immigrants. Ever since the founding of Confederation, immigrants have been making outstanding contributions to enriching Canada in all walks of life – education, the arts, the sciences, sports, music, literature, the trades and professions, finance, politics and community work. The fact that Canada today is the best country to live in is as much the result of the efforts of immigrants as those of all other Canadians.

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CLFDB and PLAR for the Foreign-trained

Since the establishment of the CLFDB in 1991, visible minority representatives have time and again reiterated the importance of the issue in the deliberations of the Board and its task forces and committees. In 1994, with the publication of the report of CLFDB’s Task Force on Transition, the issue of prior learning was placed on the Board’s agenda.

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Chapter 1

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Setting the Parameters

In undertaking this study, we have used the CLFDB’s definition of PLAR as described in Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition: Learning has no boundaries:

“PLAR is a process of identifying, assessing and recognizing what a person knows and can do. The process can take various forms and the outcomes can be used for a large number of purposes relevant to the goals of individuals, the labour market partners and society at large.”

Individuals learn in many ways, both formal and informal, through academic and vocational education, work and life experience, training, independent study, volunteer work, travel, hobbies, family experiences, social contacts, leisure-time activities and many other activities. PLAR takes into account the learning acquired through all of these activities.

A closely related, yet distinct process is that of credential assessment and in order to avoid misinterpretation, it is important to clearly distinguish between these two processes. In Canada, credential assessment involves evaluation of academic qualifications. Assessment of foreign credentials usually refers to the process of examining educational degrees, diplomas and certificates earned in a foreign country and equating these to the requirements of occupational certification or the requirements of an educational system in Canada. Individuals wishing to have their foreign credentials assessed must have completed an educational credential and provide transcripts to serve as formal proof of completion. The assessment process does not include life and work experience and is generally carried out by educational institutions, professional associations, government departments and private consultants.

For the purposes of this study, PLAR includes assessment of foreign qualifications obtained through formal education and learning acquired through life and work experience and a variety of other informal activities.

1. Methodology

Research for the project was conducted between November 1, 1997 and April 30, 1998. A team of seven researchers, from British Columbia and Ontario, followed a multi-faceted, action-research methodology that utilized both primary and secondary sources of information and analysis.

At the start of our work, we commissioned a paper from Joy Van Kleef, an expert in the field. Her paper proved extremely useful and identified key issues, provided insights and recommended approaches to our study. Our research methods included:

• a survey distributed to the 600 participants in the PLAR’97 conference (Appendix II contains the questionnaire);
• a literature search through traditional means and the Internet;
• personal one-on-one interviews with 99 individuals representing a cross-section of constituencies (immigrants or immigrant-serving organizations, business, labour, educational institutions, occupational regulatory bodies, government representatives and others) using a pre-designed interview guide (Appendix III provides a list of the people interviewed);
• five focus groups with the CLFDB’s visible minority reference group (the executive of the National Visible Minority Council on Labour Force Development), a group of new immigrants, immigrant settlement workers and labour (Appendix IV provides details);
• thirteen case studies including 10 from Canada, 2 from Australia and 1 from the United States to find out more about PLAR policies, issues and practices (Not all of these studies were related directly to the foreign-trained but they provided important insights and valuable lessons. A list of case studies is included as Appendix V);
• a scan of the provincial scene in order to gain an understanding of PLAR initiatives across Canada (While not exhaustive, this activity provided an overview and highlights of various PLAR programs in Canada as summarized in the report. A separate paper with more details is also available.);
• an examination of current national initiatives relevant to foreign-trained individuals;
• four country studies to learn more about the experiences gained in countries which have been actively pursuing ways of recognizing qualifications and prior learning of the foreign-trained.

To assist the researchers, instruments of investigation were developed which contained constituency-specific questions. However, we were flexible in allowing the discussions to evolve in a natural way so that the resulting ‘synergy’ could take us down ‘pathways’ we had not necessarily envisaged. We gained fresh insights into this subject from many of our respondents.

Most of the interviews were carried out face-to-face. At the same time, telephone, electronic communications and the Internet were used where the situation merited such use, for example in procuring some material for country studies from outside Canada.

First, we examine the current status of immigrants in the Canadian labour force and then we look at credential assessment and PLAR as they are presently carried out in Canada. We provide salient features of several case studies and highlight key features of programs in four other countries. Then, we detail the changes required to improve the extent to which credential assessment and PLAR can assist foreign-trained persons in gaining appropriate employment in Canada. Finally, we describe what steps the various players must take in the future to facilitate the integration of foreign-trained individuals into the Canadian labour market.

Most foreign-trained immigrants to Canada want to find employment in their chosen field upon arrival in Canada. But they face a huge barrier because their prior learning is not always recognized in this country. Both credential assessment and PLAR may help them overcome this barrier. While our concept of PLAR includes credential assessment, we treat these two mechanisms separately in this study because at present they are indeed seen as separate in Canada.

 

Chapter 2

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Understanding the Context: Foreign-trained individuals in Canada

On a per capita basis, Canada receives more immigrants than any other country in the world. In the 1990s alone Canada will have received about 2.5 million immigrants. By 1996, 17.4% of Canada’s population was born outside of Canada. The distribution of immigrants across the country varies with the highest proportion (in major metropolitan areas) in Toronto (41.9%) and the lowest in Montreal (17.8%). Other metropolitan centers such as Vancouver, Hamilton, Kitchener, Calgary, Windsor, London, Victoria, and Edmonton fall somewhere in between.

1. Immigration Patterns

Canada has always welcomed immigrants with “attractive” qualities — Eastern Europeans to farm the West, Chinese immigrants to build the railways, Southern Europeans to build subways and lately professionals from all over the globe for an increasingly knowledge-based economy. In the 1960s, after immigration policy became “universal” (a point system applied to all potential newcomers), a significant proportion of immigrants arrived in Canada through what is called “the economic stream (independents)”. They were selected for their desirability from a labour market point of view and on the basis of their education and skills. A significant percentage of those who came to Canada under the “social (family class)” and “humanitarian (refugees)” categories also joined the labour force.

Before 1961, the vast majority of immigrants came from Europe and the United States. However, that has changed dramatically and now the vast majorities are from places other than Europe and the United States. Statistics show that immigrants generally have a higher education attainment level than Canadian-born individuals, a higher labour force participation rate and a lower unemployment rate. However, the most recent arrivals have a higher unemployment rate. It is estimated that it takes about eight to ten years for immigrants to reach the same unemployment rate as Canadian-born individuals.

During 1983 to 1992, 44% of arriving immigrants entered with the intention of working in a specified occupation. Many joined the labour force later. Their occupational distribution does not differ greatly from that of the Canadian-born labour force. The intended occupational profile of those who arrived between 1983 and 1992 period planning to work in specific occupational areas has remained quite stable. Over one-third fell into the broadly defined professional class, and slightly less than one-third intended to enter sales/service and clerical occupations. An intended occupation is the one an immigrant is trained for.

2. Incomes

The labour force experience of immigrants should also be examined in the context of their income. According to HRDC, immigrants have average levels of income that, based on the 1991 Census data, compare favourably to the Canadian-born. However, immigrants from traditional source countries (in Europe and the United States) have a higher level of earned income and much lower rate of unemployment than immigrants from non-traditional source countries (in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean).

Between 1979 and 1992, female immigrants earned consistently less than male immigrants as did immigrants in the family or refugee class, immigrants who were not proficient in one of Canada’s official languages upon arrival and those in non-professional occupations.

3. Occupational Adaptation

As mentioned earlier, one of the major challenges facing immigrants who wish to become part of the labour force is recognition of their credentials acquired abroad. This problem became more acute after the introduction of the policy of universal selection of immigrants based on a point system in which occupations played a major role. CIC collects statistics on the number of immigrants and refugees and their occupational backgrounds as seen in the accompanying chart which shows data for 1992-1997 for 32 most numerous occupations.

In human capital terms, it would have cost Canada more than a billion dollars to raise and educate these workers, particularly since there was high demand for these occupations. Among the top six occupations with 10,000 or more arrivals between 1992 and 1996, employment trends were “highly favourable” for systems analysts, computer programmers and computer engineers; accountants, auditors and other financial officers, electrical engineers, and chefs and cooks, according to HRDC.

Numerous studies show that immigrants augment the productive capacity of the economy through their integration into the labour force, especially if the new arrivals help overcome bottlenecks where skills are in short supply. While accepting jobs, immigrants also create jobs through consumption, investment and entrepreneurship. Studies indicate that on balance immigrants make more jobs than they take. Furthermore, there is no evidence that post-war immigrants significantly displaced Canadian-born workers from employment. Immigrants contributed to a quarter of the labour force growth in Canada in the past. Today, however, because there are fewer workers among the native born labour force (due to low fertility in the past), the proportion of immigrants in the Canadian labour force is rising.

However, information on what occupations these new immigrants actually ended up in after arrival in Canada is not so easily available. There are a few longitudinal surveys conducted by the federal government in the 1970s and 19805 which collected this kind of information. Unfortunately, this data is not available for the 1990s.

The surveys reveal that after one year in Canada, 61% of the immigrants who came to Canada between 1969 and 1971 had jobs in their intended occupation, i.e. an occupation an immigrant is trained for. This proportion rose to 69% after three years according to T.J. Samuel. But immigrants who arrived in 1976 fared much worse. Only 47% of the men and 26% of the women had jobs in their intended occupations after one year. Czechoslovak and Ugandan Asian refugees had similar experiences.

One-third of those who arrived between 1969 and 1971 cited nonrecognition or non-acceptance of their qualifications as the reason why they were not in their intended occupations after one year in Canada. For the 1976 arrivals, this was the case for 14% of the men and 26% of the women. Neither the Czechoslovak refugees nor the Ugandan Asian refugees fared much better. Although lack of Canadian experience was given as the reason fop not being in their intended occupation by less than one-fifth of the 1969-71 arrivals, it was cited as the reason by a quarter of the 1976 arrivals.

But even the issue of language did not rate as highly as non-recognition of qualifications. In both 1969-71 and in 1976 only one-eighth of new immigrants cited language difficulties as the reason for not being in one’s intended occupation.

 

Chapter 3

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The Current Status of PLAR in Canada

The issue of non-recognition or non-acceptance of immigrants’ qualifications has been as acute in the 1990s as it was in the 1970s or 1980s. From time to time governments have made efforts to initiate measures to help immigrants have their credentials objectively assessed and compared with Canadian credentials. The action (or inaction) has been more in the provincial arena since occupational regulations fall under that jurisdiction. However, the federal government has also been aware of the issue since it is the federal government that is primarily responsible for immigration policies and programs.

In 1991, the Economic Council of Canada found that on both social and economic grounds there is a need for measures to facilitate the recognition of qualifications brought by immigrants. “Social harmony… suffers if immigrants earn less than their qualifications and relevant experience warrant, for this creates resentment and increases the potential for conflict. In examining the economic performance of immigrants, we found some tentative evidence that immigrants’ qualifications might be undervalued.” The Council recommended that “the provincial and federal governments increase their efforts at disseminating information on the degree of equivalence or otherwise of foreign credentials and that they enlist the support of professional associations in this endeavour.”

Several provincial governments, notably Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba, have policies in place to deal with assessing foreign credentials and assigning equivalencies with the qualifications obtained in their provincial educational institutions. However, only British Columbia, Ontario’s community colleges, New Brunswick’s community college and the PLA Centre in Halifax have systems in place to conduct PLAR.

1. Federal Level

The federal and provincial governments, through the Council of Ministers’ of Education of Canada (CMEC), established the CICIC. The Centre acts as a national clearing house and referral service to support the recognition and portability of Canadian and international educational and occupational qualifications.

On the domestic front, the Agreement on Internal Trade, developed by federal and provincial ministers of labour, provides a practical framework for dealing with pan-Canadian mobility of workers including those trained abroad.

Credential Assessment

CIC, in collaboration with a number of the national professional and trades associations, facilitates initial evaluations of credentials held by prospective immigrants. The current arrangements include assessing competence in either official language of Canada and preliminary readings on the equivalency of professional qualifications earned abroad with Canadian counterparts. However, upon arrival in Canada, the immigrant still has to proceed with the process of professional accreditation in his/her province.

In January 1998, CIC’s Legislative Review Advisory Group recommended that “the proposed Federal-Provincial Council on Immigration and Protection should establish access to trades and professions and foreign credential recognition as priorities and work with other relevant groups, such as the existing Forum of Labour Market Ministers, to resolve issues of restrictive access”. They also said that the Council “should take measures with existing assessment authorities, to develop national standards and a shared database with the longer-term objective of providing a Canada-wide equivalency assessment of professional qualifications which would be accepted in each province and territory.”

PLAR

HRDC has shared responsibility for PLAR. To date, the extent to which the concept has been given operational reality seems limited. A federal-provincial working group on Access to Professions and Trades (comprised of CIC, HRDC and the CICIC) has been established. HRDC has also been playing an important role in supporting and/or sponsoring PLAR-related projects, events and programs.

2. Professional Organizations

Most professional organizations do not engage in the assessment of foreign qualifications overseas. They do provide information on their requirements but do not conduct assessments or licensing until the post-migration phase.

Credential Assessment

Each professional organization follows a different detailed procedure. In general, the national organization is authorized to make a judgement on the eligibility of an applicant to secure assessment of her/his credentials and to conduct a (qualifying) assessment or examination. The provincial body carries out the licensing of the applicant. This is the case for engineers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and veterinarians.

PLAR

There are several indications of initial attempts by professional bodies to embrace and implement PLAR. For example, some professional bodies are placing more emphasis on experience in the initial assessment of credentials and later examinations of competence to practice and be issued a license. The Ontario College of Nurses (inspired by the need to find a way to “measure” nursing skills) has developed national standards for foreign-trained individuals. It appears that the various provincial associations are aware that they should all be engaged in PLAR.

3. Provincial Level

The provinces have been working with the federal government through CICIC to develop an instrument to enhance international co-operation regarding the transferability of credentials. Since immigration is a shared federal-provincial institutional jurisdiction, the provinces have also been developing their own mechanisms for handling the challenge of integrating foreign-trained individuals into the work force.

Some provinces, notably Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba have been particularly active in this field and have departments specifically devoted to immigration and citizenship. The Ministère de l’Immigration et des Affaires Culturelles in Quebec and Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation are in the vanguard of current attempts to deal with this issue.

However, since education is an exclusively provincial jurisdiction, their involvement is crucial in the implementation of PLAR despite the fact that federal funds often play a great role in the provinces’ exercise of their authority.

British Columbia

This province has experienced very rapid growth in PLA activity during the past eight years. Educational institutions with funding from the provincial government continue to be the driving force of the PLA movement. Professional and trade regulatory bodies, labour unions, immigrant serving organizations and individuals educated and trained abroad are all involved at some level in credential assessment and PLAR.

Credential Assessment

BC has one assessment agency, the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES), operated by the Open Learning Agency a publicly funded post-secondary educational centre. The ICES evaluates educational documents from abroad and other provinces to identify their equivalence in BC terms. The service is useful to business, employment counsellors, seekers of employment or potential students with credentials earned elsewhere. The reports of ICES are widely accepted by private and public sector employers, professional associations and educational institutions. They use instruments and tools similar to those in some of the other provinces.

As in other provinces, professional bodies such as those regulating nurses, teachers and engineers evaluate foreign academic credentials and provide equivalencies.

PLAR

As observed by Carol Matthews, “Over the past five years, prior learning assessment in British Columbia has evolved from an innovative concept being discussed in a few institutions to a significant province-wide initiative”.

By the end of 1997, more than 20 post-secondary institutions were developing PLA initiatives and a few months later 26 more institutions received funding for PLA activities. This meant an increase in the number of programs awarding PLA from 42 to 82. A number of educational institutions are at the forefront of PLA in the province, including Camosun College, Douglas College, Selkirk College, Kwantlen University College and Simon Fraser University.

On the larger provincial scale, a core of trained PLA facilitators provides training and orientation throughout British Columbia. A series of 10 training modules is being piloted in 20 different institutions. These include an introduction to assessment and good practices, and modules on marketing PLA, curriculum implications, and introducing PLA to employers. Also, an institutional PLA Co-ordinators Working Group provides support and shares information. More than 152 PLA training and information sessions were offered at post-secondary institutions in 1997, five PLA training clinics held for PLA practitioners and more than 50,000 credits have been issued after assessment of course equivalencies. To increase the profile of PLA, presentations were made to 84 workshops, conferences and provincial meetings. PLA has assisted 1280 students in gaining credit for what they know and can do.

“Flexible assessment” is promoted — the argument being that there are “many different ways a learner can be assessed to earn credit and recognition” according to researcher Susan Simosko. An individual can be assessed through a combination of demonstration, portfolios, interviews, assignments, written tests or other assessment methods. The specific methodologies chosen and tools used could be determined by the nature of the material to be assessed, the actual experiences of the learner, the technical requirements and assessment costs.

In the emerging B.C. model, assessment is viewed as an integral part of the learning process, not necessarily something that happens at the end of the learning period since there is no such end. One cannot separate assessment from learning in a culture of life-long learning. Learners are considered to be partners in the assessment process and are encouraged to indicate sources of evidence that might serve as useful indicators of learning achievements so that they can work with advisers and assessors to provide for meaningful plans of assessment. This requires clear and relevant outcome statements.

Alberta

The Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT), established in 1974 as an independent body, provides leadership and direction in the improvement of educational opportunities for Alberta students through inter-institutional transfers. It serves as a communication link among post-secondary institutions, learners, the general public and organizations and post-secondary institutions in other jurisdictions. It reports annually to the Minister of Advanced Education and Career Development.

To help adult learners further their educational and employment opportunities, ACAT encourages post-secondary institutions to develop prior learning assessments that are granted system-wide recognition. The award of transfer credit in given courses or programs may be based on formal or informal learning experiences including: work experience; life experience; unstructured educational experiences such as self-study and structured educational activity.

Within this framework, PLAR and PLAR-related programs are offered in Alberta by a number of agencies and organizations.

Credential Assessment

The IQAS is the Alberta government agency that assesses international qualification documents of foreign-trained individuals and compares them to Canadian educational credentials. IQAS’s service is helpful to a number of stakeholders. For individual immigrants, IQAS facilitates recognition of foreign qualifications thereby helping them to enter the labour market. At the same time, the assessment certificates given by IQAS help employers in understanding the educational levels of job applicants who acquired their education outside Canada.

IQAS assessments also help career counsellors in serving their immigrant clients. For post-secondary educational institutions, IQAS assessments provide the information necessary to determine the educational levels and requirements of foreign students. Finally, IQAS works with professional regulatory bodies in customizing assessments to help them compare qualifications of foreign-trained individuals with those required for successful practice in specific professions. In turn, this assists the foreign-trained individuals in determining their training requirements. The cost of a basic assessment is $100.

IQAS opened in 1994, and since then, it has assisted over 2,000 individuals. It works closely with CICIC and similar agencies in other provinces. But like other credential assessment services in Canada, IQAS’s mandate is limited to assessment of formal, paper qualifications. It does not take into account experiential learning. Moreover, it faces the same challenges faced by other agencies including unavailability of complete documentation, illegibility of documents and difficulties related to the time lag required for verification and authentication of papers.

PLAR

A number of initiatives are in progress in educational institutions in Alberta and there is increasing interest in using PLAR in apprenticeship and trades. However, none of these initiatives are specifically directed at facilitating the integration of foreign-trained individuals.

SAIT developed a new electronic PLA model in May 1996, which can easily be used by foreign-trained individuals, even if they lack English-language skills. The SAIT model has been described more fully in chapter 4, PLAR Practices in Canada: Selected Case Studies.

At Athabasca University, a Centre for Learning Accreditation was established in 1996. Its mandate is to assess and recognize learning which may be creditable at the university, conduct research and produce publications on PLAR and promote PLAR among educational and other institutions. The Centre’s approach to PLAR is based on the work of Marthe Sansregret and under this approach, students may submit evidence of prior learning from life experience, job training, workshops or other experiences for the purpose of gaining university-level credits.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Department of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training supports the assessment activities of the province’s educational and training institutions.

Credential Assessment

Educational institutions in Saskatchewan carry out fewer than half of the province’s academic assessments. Universities, which have databases and formal institutional contacts, account for up to one third of these. The government contracts with Alberta’s IQAS to assess educational qualifications of individuals educated outside Canada for provision of a “Certificate of Comparison” based on Saskatchewan qualifications. Applicants must provide official or original documentation, with English translation where appropriate. Fees are levied for basic or detailed assessments, duplicate certificates and upgrade from basic to detailed. IQAS collaborates with an Advisory Committee representing government, education, professional associations and immigrant serving organizations.

PLAR

The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina have received funding to expand several prior learning assessment initiatives. The Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Board is also supportive of PLA.

Manitoba

Credential Assessment

The Immigrant Credentials and Labour Market Branch of the Manitoba Ministry of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship was established in 1992. It provides academic assessments with no charge to applicants, prepares credential assessment reports and compiles data on qualifications. It provides information to immigrants about equivalencies for undergraduate degrees in Canada or licensing/accreditation requirements of provincial regulatory or professional bodies. These institutions accept the Branch’s academic assessments and charge fees from $150 to $300. Universities have their own credential assessment process.

PLAR

Historically, Manitoba was one of the first provinces to implement PLAR at the college level. Red River College introduced PLA in its Early Childhood Education, Dental Assistant and Nursing Diploma programs in the early 1980s. Since then, RRC has broadened its PLA activity throughout the college, has provided opportunities for students to be assessed in a variety of regular day and continuing education programs and has shared its expertise with other post-secondary institutions and organizations.

The Manitoba Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE) was established on April 1,1997. The Council is a government agency, which funds and approves programs at all of the provinces’ colleges and universities. The mission of the Council is to promote excellence by developing and implementing an innovative systems-based approach to post-secondary education that enhances the social, cultural and economic well being of Manitoba.

It is as a result of the Council’s system-based approach that PLAR has recently received commitment and resources. The Council has given priority to PLAR in two significant ways, first it has been included as an integrated element of the Program Approval process, in which institutions must indicate whether PLAR will be a component of the proposed program, and second, the Council has identified PLAR as an initiative eligible for support under the System Restructuring funding envelope.

The devotion of Council resources to PLAR activities in the province has assisted the post-secondary institutions to develop internal PLAR policies, programs and resources which will result in a broader application of PLAR throughout the province. In addition to Red River College which has been active in PLAR for some time, The University of Winnipeg, Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College and Keewatin Community College are all beginning to develop PLAR initiatives.

In 1995, Red River College (RRC) spearheaded the development of the MPLAN, a non-profit networking organization for those interested in PLAR in the province. MPLAN includes members from colleges, universities, business, industry and government and offers annual PLAR-related training sessions for its members and other interested people.

The Manitoba Prior Learning Assessment Centre was established in 1998 with an initial two year mandate to promote the development of PLAR through the provision of advisory services and development services for individuals, organizations and institutions. Its role includes ensuring that PLAR is recognized as a significant element in the realization of an effective employment transition and post-secondary education system. The Centre is funded by the Manitoba Department of Education and Training and the Winnipeg Development Agreement. It reports to a Board of Directors, which has representatives from education, business and labour.

An interesting example of a joint union/management PLAR initiative occurred at Bristol Aerospace in 1993 during the company’s restructuring process. Working together, the joint union/management committee collapsed 108 job classifications into 24 broad classifications, and recommended that workers receive additional training where required and formal recognition for the skills which they had developed. As a consequence of this, Bristol asked Red River College to develop a process which would grant credits for the prior learning/skills developed and another process which would develop the training for the gaps in skill development. This accreditation and training process is currently on going, and has included the Prior Learning Assessment Centre as a partner. New models of accreditation are being explored and other partners are becoming involved as required.

As a result of the above activities, a strong network of practitioners and stakeholders is emerging in Manitoba.

Ontario

In the 1990s, Ontario has been receiving over 125,000 immigrants annually, more than half the number of all immigrants to Canada. At least 30% of these newcomers arrive with some vocational training or post-secondary education. Therefore, recognition of prior learning of foreign-trained individuals is a major public policy issue in Ontario.

Credential Assessment

The 1989 Access to Trades and Professions report pointed out that there was a lack of a systematic and credible approach to the assessment of foreign credentials. Nine years after the publication of the report, the situation remains the same.

MCZCR has the lead responsibility for developing an academic credential assessment service in Ontario in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training. However, unlike Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, there is no single, central, credential assessment service in Ontario to serve all constituencies.

Instead, there are three independent credential assessment agencies — Comparative Education Service (CES) at the University of Toronto, the Academic Credentials Evaluation Service (ACES) at York University and the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) in Guelph. Their primary clientele consists of foreign-trained individuals who pay in the range of $60 to $110 for each assessment depending on the nature of the assessment and time constraints.

As pointed out by Price Waterhouse in a recent report for MCZCR, major stakeholders such as other educational institutions, occupational regulatory bodies and business do not make extensive use of the services of these agencies. The Ministry wants to provide a comprehensive credential assessment service, which meets the needs of all stakeholders. It is understood that a Request for Information (RFI) inviting interested firms to indicate their interest and provide information and ideas has been issued.

PLAR

The 1989 Access report included a recommendation to develop PLA processes to help foreign-trained individuals integrate into the Ontario labour force. This recommendation led to a number of initiatives in the last nine years, mainly in the education sector although a few programs have been undertaken by occupational regulatory bodies and joint business-union committees.

One of the results was the implementation of PLA programs in all 25 Ontario colleges. Some universities have also implemented PLA including Lakehead University, Ryerson Polytechnic University, the University of Windsor and York University. Even though the 1989 Access report focused on foreign-trained individuals, not one of the above programs is directed specifically to foreign-trained individuals.

A number of occupational regulatory bodies in Ontario have also initiated programs dealing specifically with assessment and recognition of prior learning of individuals trained outside Canada. These include the bodies regulating accountants, architects, engineers, midwives, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and medical laboratory technicians.

Two Ontario initiatives specifically aimed at foreign-trained individuals stand out. One is Mohawk College’s practical licensing exam for auto mechanics (see chapter 4 for details); and the other is JMJ Group’s PBAS which helps compile portfolios for foreign-trained individuals in accounting, engineering, health care and motor vehicle mechanics. Overall, businesses in Ontario have not yet embraced the PLAR notion. There are a few notable initiatives but none focus particularly on foreign-trained individuals. They include CSTEC’s PLAR program (see chapter 4 for details); Nortel/Canadian Autoworkers Union (CAW)’s Return to Learning program; and Cotton Ginny/Sheridan College’s program to help employees gain credits for a diploma in business retailing. The most well known and innovative PLA program in Ontario is the FNTI (chapter 4 contains more details).

Quebec

Credential Assessment

The responsibility for credential assessment of foreign-trained individuals in Quebec lies with the Service des equivalences in the Ministère de l’immigration et des affaires culturelles, the Conférence des recteurs et des présidents des universités du Québec, the CEGEPs i.e.community colleges under the Ministry of Education) and various professional and trades regulatory bodies.

The ‘Service’ is highly rated for its assessment methods. It evaluates an applicant’s credentials, based on a bank of some 5,000 precedents, and establishes an equivalency with Quebec educational institutions. About 5,000 new cases are handled annually and an additional 4,000 applicants for re-assessment are received. The Conférence des recteurs et des présidents des universités du Québec has established benchmarks for assessment and evaluation of academic qualifications and equivalencies.

As in other provinces, various professional bodies make their own assessments of the credentials of foreign-trained individuals. They can rely on the Service des équivalences for assessment of academic diplomas but in some cases such as the medical profession, no foreign-earned license is accepted. The immigrant doctor has to return to medical school and compete for a space with other Canadian applicants. In other professions such as that of respiratory technicians, the lack of information on the institutions in which foreign-trained applicants have obtained their training means that they will normally be given no credit for most of their experience in certain disciplines and must take courses at the college level before being granted certification.

PLAR

“La lot sur l’instruction publique (1985)” creates the right of recognition of prior learning and provides for funding to enforce this right. Since 1987, the Ministry of Education has developed 40 competency-based programs which takes into account both formal training and experiential learning. But there are no special provisions for foreign-trained individuals and some appear to be lost in a system where language and the regulations of professional bodies may block their assessments. However, in certain areas such as high technology and the aerospace industry, recognition of prior learning is very prevalent.

At the college and university level, there does not seem to be a system in place to assess prior learning. A forum composed of the Departments of Education, Immigration and Cultural Affairs, Employment and a certain number of unions is currently examining the issue and developing practical pilot projects.

The Ministère de l’Emploi et de la solidarité is working with some firms to assess the formal credentials and the experiences/competencies of employed workers. For example, the professional certificate for machinists takes into account both the original diploma and the experience acquired on the job. A system is being devised to measure or put a value on experiential learning.

Atlantic Provinces

Credential Assessment

The number of immigrants going to the Atlantic Provinces is relatively small as compared to those destined to Ontario, Quebec and most of the Western provinces. Therefore, there has not been the same amount of pressure for establishing agencies specifically designed to provide credential assessment services even though immigrants arriving in the Atlantic Provinces are confronted with similar barriers to their integration into the labour market because of non-recognition of their qualifications. Credential assessment of foreign-trained individuals is carried out in these provinces by educational institutions and professional bodies internally to meet their specific needs.

PLAR

New Brunswick

In 1993, the Commission on Excellence in Education submitted a report that stressed the importance of being able to carry educational credit from one institution to another and called this portability of educational achievements “a vital element in developing a culture of lifelong learning. [which] will serve as the foundation for individual self-sufficiency and for social and economic development at a time when all of us face major changes in education, the economy, technology and society.”

Following the release of the report, New Brunswick’s Department of Advanced Education and Labour (DAEL) established three committees to deal with accreditation, prior learning assessment (PLA), and transfer of credit. As well, New Brunswick incorporated some of the American Council for Adult and Experiential Learning’s standards for quality assurance in PLA into its departmental regulations.

The PLA committee introduced a PLA policy for both institutional and non-institutional learning on each of New Brunswick Community College (NBCC)’s nine campuses. This service is co-ordinated by DAEL and funded under the Canada/New Brunswick Cooperation Agreement on Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Development. It allows individuals to receive formal credit for knowledge and skills gained through education, life or work experience.

Nova Scotia

The Prior Learning Assessment Centre in Halifax is the collaborative initiative of several institutions in Nova Scotia including the Atlantic School of Technology, Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent University, the Native Council of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Community College, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and Saint Mary’s University. It is funded by HRDC. The Centre’s mandate is to enhance recognition of prior learning assessment and to provide expertise, advice and leadership. It provides services to adults who are experiencing change in life and work. Universities and community colleges also receive assistance from the Centre in the evaluation of prior learning and with program placement, admission, advanced standing, and credit equivalency based on prior learning. (For more details see the case study of the PLA Centre in Halifax in the next chapter.)

Prince Edward Island

On the basis of very little information available, it appears that in P.E.I., PLAR has not yet emerged as a means for assessing prior learning.

Newfoundland and Labrador

PLA was identified as a valuable tool for linking the learner to the appropriate post-secondary program by the Department of Education in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1992. In August of the same year, the Newfoundland and Labrador Council on Higher Education was established. The Council was to develop a mechanism for co-ordination between the different sectors of the province’s education system.

In 1994, the Council provided Cabot College with funding to host a provincial conference on PLA. Later in the year, the Human Resources Development Agreement (HRDA) provided funding to Cabot College to develop and implement a “Train the Trainer” program in PLA for public post-secondary institutions.

In October 1994, the Newfoundland and Labrador Council on Higher Education established a Special Task Group on Prior Learning Assessment to develop a provincial policy and plan for implementing PLA throughout the post-secondary system. The Task Group recommended that “All learners enrolled in public post-secondary institutions in Newfoundland and Labrador have the opportunity to access PLA.” In September 1995, the Council of Higher Education began a two-year project with public post-secondary institutions. Funded by the Co-operation Agreement on Human Resource Development, the project has three goals: to deliver information and training programs; to develop a provincial PLA policy for the public post-secondary system; and to increase awareness of PLA through a marketing strategy.

New PLA co-ordinators in the colleges and the Centre for Nursing Studies are responsible for PLA training and co-ordination within their own institutions. Cabot College is one of the leaders in this area and uses PLA in its Early Childhood Education program. Evaluation tools used to assess an applicant’s non-credit program include: written examinations, mini portfolios, interviews, essays, performance evaluations, simulations and any documentation such as chronological records of learning that students can provide. The college coordinates the design and delivery of training in Prior Learning Assessment for other institutions who wish to introduce PLA.

 

Chapter 4

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PLAR Practices in Canada: Selected Case Studies

In this chapter, we provide brief summaries of ten Canadian case studies which we feel offer valuable lessons and insights into the application of PLAR. They demonstrate imaginative and innovative tools and methods and deserve attention. The first six case studies are based in the workplace — three deal with PLAR in general while the other three focus specifically on foreign-trained individuals. In both cases the goal is to assist businesses and workers in dealing with work-related employment and training issues. The next four case studies are based in educational/learning institutions and their primary purpose is to allow students to proceed to a program of study taking into account their formal credentials as well as prior experiential learning.

1. Workplace-oriented PLAR Programs

Canadian Steel Trades and Employment Congress (CSTEC), Toronto

The CSTEC program is an outstanding example of partnership among labour, business and educational institutions in dealing with employment, training and adjustment issues in one major industry. It underscores the need for all stakeholders to work together if a PLAR program is to succeed. It also shows how important it is to be flexible in trying to meet the specific needs of both industry and workers and how a program can be tailored to cater to needs of a specific industry.

In 1996-97, CSTEC and 20 community colleges and CEGEPs developed a portfolio development course which allows participants to receive credit for prior learning from both work and life experience. It was aimed at steelworkers and the program combines classroom study and independent learning. The credits earned by the workers are recognized by the participating colleges for credit towards their individual academic programs and can be transferred from one institution to another. More than 50 workers have completed the program.

The CSTEC program also demonstrates the importance of a change in vocabulary and perspectives to achieve a program’s objectives and acceptability. For example, because of industry’s concerns, the word ‘recognition” was added to “prior learning assessment” which led to the acronym “PLAR”. As well, terms such as “pass” and “fail”, so common in educational institutions, did not instill self-confidence among steelworkers. Therefore, these and other such terms were discarded.

PLA Centre, Halifax

The PLA Centre represents another model of co-operation — this time a collaborative initiative of several major educational institutions, although the Centre is not located in an educational institution. This program moves far beyond the typical PLA education-based program, and works directly with individuals affected by changes in their work and career. It provides “single window” access for individuals to all post-secondary education and training resources in the Halifax area. This approach is important for any community-based PLAR initiative. The Centre also helps universities and colleges with program placement, admission, advanced standing and credit equivalency and assessment and recognition of prior learning.

New System of Apprenticeship in Quebec

The new apprenticeship program launched last year by the Ministère de l’Emploi et de solidarité in Quebec also highlights the need for and importance of active cooperation between those who provide training, the private sector and the ministry responsible for approving qualifications. The program takes into account workers’ formal credentials as well as their experiential learning.

Metro Labour Education Centre’s Portfolio Development Course (MLEC), Toronto

In contrast to the above programs, this pilot project focused particularly on second-language speakers and is of direct relevance to PLAR for the foreign-trained. Although it was not continued, it does provide some valuable insights.

With support from the Ministry of Education and Training, MLEC and George Brown College developed a portfolio-development course aimed specifically at English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers. The goals included developing the skills of college staff and encouraging workers to assess their own skills.

The project proved that second-language speakers need to be grouped homogeneously in accordance with the level of their English language skills to ensure they all progress at a relatively even pace. It suggested they also needed to be grouped according to training and educational objectives. The project demonstrated that ESL teachers must have intensive training and experience in adult education and counselling. Also, it was clear that it takes longer for second-language speakers to develop their portfolios; counselling is critical for participants; and portfolio development increases the workload of faculty members.

An obvious shortcoming of the project was the lack of direct participation of business. Perhaps, this is why participants were unable to obtain employment when the pilot project ended.

Mohawk College, Hamilton

In 1995, after finding that foreign-trained individuals did not have the language skills necessary to answer the written multiple choice test for auto mechanics, Mohawk College developed an alternate test. The MCZCR funded the project and test-takers had to demonstrate their automotive skills and knowledge as well as their ability to read and understand automotive manuals. Manuals were prepared for both test-takers and test givers, with clear instructions on how to test those whose first language was not English. Four pilot projects were conducted across Ontario and showed that an individual trained in another country who had some experience with Canadian industry standards would have an excellent chance of successfully completing the new practical test.

Despite these results, the test has not been used widely since the pilot projects ended. Apparently the cost of the practical test ($200 to $600) as compared to the traditional test (free until September 1998 when it will cost $100) is considered “prohibitive” by foreign-trained mechanics. Even though the test is demonstration-based, candidates are required to read and comprehend preparatory material including automotive manuals and some cite language as a barrier. Finally, during the tests, many foreign-trained auto mechanics found it difficult to work with unfamiliar, sophisticated, electronic and computer-based equipment. These are valuable insights for PLAR advocates and practitioners.

Sector Orientation Terminology Information Counselling (STIC), Toronto

Perhaps the most innovative of current initiatives for foreign-trained individuals, this project was developed jointly by Skills for Change and MCZCR and funded by HRDC. The STIC program offers newcomers to Canada a seven-week program which orients them to their respective trades and professions. At the same time, it imparts some essential skills necessary for employment in Canada including: navigating through the Internet, identifying and using sources of labour market information, working in teams, identifying job opportunities, making presentations and giving interviews. Some of these job ready skills are imparted as part of Skills for Change’s Employment Preparation Course. The overall result is that through this program, newcomers are able to orient themselves to sector/occupation-specific terminology and information and at the same time, acquire the basic skills for employment. The program also provides insights about potential uses and effectiveness of computer software, such as PBAS in assessing and validating newcomers’ skills and knowledge.

2. Educational/Learning Institutions

The primary focus of PLA programs in these institutions is to allow the students/participants to proceed to a program of study taking into account their formal credentials as well as prior experiential learning. However, approaches to assessing and recognizing prior learning vary considerably among these institutions.

First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI), Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, ON

FNTI provides an excellent demonstration of how the PLA process can be tailored to a unique cultural context. It is one of the most innovative of all the PLA programs studied. Rooted in aboriginal culture and traditions, the program provides a holistic model which effectively blends the portfolio approach to PLA with aboriginal ideas of teaching and learning. It has been highly successful and deserves a very close examination in launching other PLAR programs.

In particular, there are a couple of features of the FNTI program which could be imported into PLAR programs for the foreign-trained. One involves the use of forms of communication other than the written word in developing the portfolio. In the FNTI program, videotapes, audiocassettes, artwork and artifacts can be used. This turns the portfolio development process into a “story-telling” process. Such an approach is particularly beneficial to immigrants whose ability to communicate through the written word is limited. Another is the focus on the relationship of the individual with others and the world as a whole. This approach is quite different from the typical North American concept of individualism and independence, but immigrants, especially those from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America might find more affinity with it.

At the same time, it is questionable whether the FNTI-type of a program can be successfully implemented in its entirety in a situation that involves more than one cultural group and institutions wedded to mainstream Canadian approaches to learning, teaching, employment and training.

Douglas College, Vancouver

Two particular features of this PLA program are worth noting first, the Whole Program Outcomes approach and second, the Assessment Evidence Matrix. The Whole Program Outcomes approach gives each program a “graduate profile” of a competent employee/practitioner in their field of employment/practice. This allows the student to clearly see the program outcomes for their area in advance. The Assessment Evidence Matrix provides the student with a variety of different ways to demonstrate their competencies and is linked to the Whole Program Outcomes approach. Students can see the relationship between their program of study and employment/practice in their chosen field.

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Calgary

The SAIT program demonstrates how objective, effective and credible assessments can be carried out electronically. It provides assessments at a much lower cost than the traditional portfolio development approach.

The process has four steps. First, the student meets with the subject-matter expert to clarify personal goals and understand the process. Second, the student inputs his/her own evaluation using the student version of the course outline. Third, an electronic version of the student’s self evaluation and the instructor’s version of the course outline are inputted. Finally, the student’s learning outcomes are evaluated/ validated through one of the methods identified on the instructor’s evaluation form. This leads to a determination of the credit granted to the student as well as her/his additional course requirement. Should a student disagree with the results, appeals can be made through the subject-matter expert. There has been only one such appeal in the last two years and it was resolved through discussions between the student and the subject-matter expert.

This tool is important for foreign-trained individuals because the model can still be used even if they lack English-language proficiency. if a student does not have sufficient language skills, SAIT arranges help from another student fluent in that language or seeks help from the Calgary Immigrant Aid Society. This program has also been used by industry in Calgary and it merits a closer look as a possible approach to assessment of prior learning of foreign-trained individuals.

Forum for International Trade Training, Ottawa

The FITT program is relatively new but worth noting because assessments are carried out through the “challenge process”. An applicant may write an examination or complete a project to challenge a specific FITT skills module. Two features of this program are important for any PLAR program for foreign-trained individuals. First, a self-assessment scale is provided to assist the applicant. It identifies major skills categories required for engagement in international trade and outlines the main learning objectives of the program modules. This tool enables the applicant to determine the usefulness of challenging a module for PLAR credit. The second feature is that the FITT program provides mentors to assist the applicants in identifying relevant international trade experience, discuss how it relates to FITT skills modules and advise the applicant on the best method of preparation for the challenge process.

 

Chapter 5

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Lessons From Abroad

Except for Australia, the other three countries examined in this chapter do not distinguish between credential assessment and PLAR – they have integrated frameworks which deal with both. of course, each country has its own terms for these processes.

1. Australia

The terminology used to refer to PLAR in Australia is RPL. The main players are the federal government (Commonwealth), regulatory bodies and the states.

Credential Assessment

The Commonwealth Government has mechanisms for credential assessment through the Departments of Migration, Industrial Relations and Employment, Education and Training (NOOSR) at pre-migration and post-migration levels. At the pre-migration stage, especially with the emphasis on selecting skilled migrants, the need to assess qualifications is paramount. The process for assessment—professional, para-professional, trade, traderelated, educational equivalencies and work experience—is prescribed by law.

A number of occupations are assessed by immigration officers in overseas posts using set guidelines. Certain occupations are assessed in Australia by professional organizations with the assistance of the NOOSR and TRA of the Department of Industrial Relations.

At the post-migration stage, NOOSR in conjunction with state and territorial governments has developed a number of “bridging courses” for those trained overseas in order to meet the requirements within professions. Also, NOOSR provides funding to develop competency standards and methodologies with which to assess professions.

NOOSR publishes a database to indicate “pathways” to obtain recognition of qualifications received abroad. For instance, Country Education Profiles consist of 83 booklets providing comprehensive information to assess overseas qualifications. Each booklet describes the education system and major educational awards of a particular country in comparison with Australian qualifications. In addition, regularly-updated information booklets provide guidance to those who seek such recognition. NOOSR also provides educational assessment of formal overseas qualifications but does not do RPL assessments.

RPL

RPL assessments in Australia are fostered by industry and occupational recognition agencies, individual businesses, colleges and schools. The trades in particular are assessed and recognized by TRA.

The state of Western Australia, through its OQU, has developed a system of RPL. This unit publishes information and resource materials on RPL for those trained abroad and distributes this information through professional and business organizations. These publications range from Choices: Career Pathway for Overseas Trained Doctors to Plumbers Pamphlet and Information Pack.

A number of key projects have been funded or co-ordinated by the OQU, including one in particular, involving nurses. The OQU has a strong relationship with several professional organizations and universities and is also active in RPL in the development of competency-based assessment in trades ranging from Asian cooking to plumbing.

The Overseas Qualifications Network of Western Australia with members as diverse as government, NGOs, educational institutions and trade organizations, enables participants to: access up-to-date information on policies and procedures; provide input into the development of recognition and assessment policies; arrange training and information sessions and help develop strategies to minimize the barriers for those trained overseas.

Roof Plumbers RPL Project in Western Australia

This particular project shows how an industry association can play a critical role in a successful initiative and highlights the need for bridging training. Conducted and managed by the BCITC in collaboration with the industry, the union and the government, the goal of the project was to meet the need for qualified roof plumbers to supervise on-the-job training of new apprentices. The project identified applicants who required RPL, established an RPL process for roof plumbers, provided skills assessment and bridging training so that unqualified roof plumbers could attain recognition by their trade. The project was based on a previous “Building on Experience” project of BCITC, which looked at existing and “informally gained” skills in other trades such as brick laying, solid plastering, floor, roof and well-tiling, and carpentry.

Child Care Assessment and Bridging Project, Western Australia

This project for childcare professionals shows that bridging training is just as important as PLA for effective labour market integration of foreign-trained individuals. Funded by the Western Australian Department of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, this project is directed specifically at immigrants with the relevant overseas qualifications and experience. After going through PLA and if they required, specially tailored bridging training, participants acquire formal qualifications in childcare. The particular circumstances and needs of immigrants are taken into account in all aspects of the program – strategy, assessment and training. Support groups, sessions on developing self-confidence and self-esteem especially for immigrants from non-English speaking countries, as well as sessions addressing multiculturalism, diversity and “anti-bias” are part of the training phase. The success of the program was demonstrated by the fact that no difficulties were experienced by participants in finding jobs.

Key Features:

• Australia has developed a detailed and complex system.
• The “bridging courses” set up in Australia are helpful in the short run.
• NOOSR publishes a plethora of information on credentials assessment.
• Industry and occupational recognition agencies and other stakeholders participate in credentials assessment.
• Funding is available for a number of key pilot projects.

2. New Zealand

The NZQA was established in 1990. It represents industry, community and educational interests and is responsible for co-ordinating national qualifications from upper secondary to degree level, so they have a purpose and relationship to one another that the public and students can understand. It sets and reviews standards as related to qualifications, ensures New Zealand qualifications are recognized overseas and that overseas qualifications are recognized in New Zealand.

While this agency does not develop curricula or provide funds for education and training, it has developed an NQF which helps individuals/institutions assess both formal credentials and informal learning through a set of standards and competency and learning outcomes. The framework is used in the secondary and post-secondary systems and includes qualifications from both industry and education sectors. It leads to vocations or postgraduate study in a ‘seamless’ education system thereby reducing the separation of ‘school’ from ‘tertiary’ education, and ‘academic’ from ‘vocational’ learning, according to official documents.

The NQF is composed of ‘unit standards’ established by a consensus process among stakeholders. These standards must promote “flexible pathways to higher learning.” There are eight levels in the NQF and each unit standard is set at a particular level. They range from Level 1 comparable to a school certificate to Level 8 equivalent to post-graduate qualifications. Each unit standard has a credit rating and a full-time school student can receive up to 120 credits annually towards a national certificate or diploma. In theory, credits are transferable from one learning environment to another though there are difficulties in practice. Recently, proposals have been made by government committees to ensure that all major qualifications awarded in New Zealand convey a value that is clear and credible to both students and employers.

The NZQA also helps educational institutions and work places to ensure that all assessment decisions by education providers are consistent, by providing assessor training, other assistance and by organizing regional panels.

NZQA provides national examinations in schools, polytechnics, other educational institutions, the workplace and for university entrance. Each time a learner is assessed and receives credit, the institution notifies NZQA which then adds the credit to the learner’s record—an official document used as credential for employers or educational institutions.

As well, it accredits educational institutions and industries once it is convinced that the institution has sufficient expertise in teaching, assessing and quality management to deliver what has been promised to the learner.

NZQA has developed a qualifications framework for South Africa and is in the process of doing the same for Thailand, Malaysia and the Cook Islands. Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States are considering New Zealand’s system for further development of their own system.

Key Features:

• New Zealand has a single agency to oversee the development of a national qualifications framework and to approve degrees (in Canadian terms, to provide both credential assessment and PLAR.)
• New Zealand appears to be ahead of many other countries in terms of its PLA initiatives.
• There appears to be co-operation, communications and interconnection between the different streams of learning such as schools, academia and vocational centres.
• Well-defined unit standards promote flexible pathways to higher learning.

3. The United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, PLAR is referred to as APEL. In 1997, the QCA was established to promote quality and coherence in education and training within a national framework.

The QCA advises the government on matters affecting the school curriculum, pupil assessment and publicly-funded qualifications offered in schools, colleges and workplace. It is developing a coherent national framework of occupational qualifications divided into three ‘families’—vocational, general vocational and general. Qualifications are approved at different levels: entry, foundation, intermediate and advanced.

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs)

These are competency-based standards. Access to assessment is open to all irrespective of how prior learning occurred — through education, employment or unpaid work. NVQ can accommodate people with learning difficulties, those uncomfortable with written documents or individuals fluent in languages other than English, including Braille.

The key players are: candidates, assessors, internal and external verifiers, approved centres and their co-ordinators, awarding and lead accrediting bodies. As of March 31,1997, over 1.5 million NVQ awards (certificates) were given in 11 sectors from tending animals to engineering on the basis of five levels established at different degrees of complexity and responsibility from routine to significant responsibility and accountability.

The challenges encountered by the NVQ include difficulty in achieving the national target levels envisaged and the low level of interest shown by small and medium-sized enterprises, certain occupational groups and the workforce in the 35 to 55 age group.

General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs)

These are standards for vocational education aimed at people aged 16 to 19. They offer an alternative to secondary education, are flexible and give students an opportunity to try a range of activities to be used as a preparation for higher education. They are available in 14 vocational areas from art and design to science. GNVQs are awarded at three levels: foundation, intermediate and advanced.

Other Vocational Qualifications

These are neither NVQs nor NZQA. Currently about 17,000 vocational qualifications are available in this component. A proportion of these are work-based and provide opportunities to develop competence, based on occupational standards.

Key Features:

• A single national authority (possible in a unitary state) on qualifications and curriculum such as the QCA provides national status and credibility.
• The prospective candidates have 12 choices with three kinds of qualifications and four different levels.
• The system accommodates those with learning difficulties and languages other than English including Braille.
• Apart from education and employment, volunteer work is also assessed.
• Key players, sectors of activity and levels of responsibility/accountability are identified and NVQs are available in 55 different degrees of complexity and sectors.
• Special attention is paid to youth.

4. The United States

Recognition of prior learning in the United States began with the United States military during the Second World War. Currently, it involves more than 1700 colleges and universities. A significant percentage of these institutions award credits on the basis of standardized examinations administered by Educational Testing Service for the College Board and by American College Testing. About half the institutions employ the portfolio-assisted assessment method. Four out of five of the colleges and universities involved honour the ACE recommendations on credit equivalencies for learning in the military or in corporate programs.

Portfolio-assisted assessment is becoming more generally accepted as a way to measure, evaluate and document learning. Other methods of translating learning from life experience into college credit include the use of transcripts, agreements among colleges and other institutions, examinations and completion of programs or comparison with those previously evaluated.

Two particular institutions play a major role in PLA — the CAEL and the ACE. CAEL has over 750 members — colleges, universities, organizations, educators, industry, government, labour and individuals. Its goal is to implement a learning system empowering employees with life-long learning opportunities in line with long-range business goals. CAEL promotes the portfolio technique and brings together all stakeholders to expand life-long learning opportunities, support educational institutions and professionals working in this area; conduct related research, develop and advocate public policy on adult learning, and manage workforce education programs linking the needs of business, labour and government.

CAEL’S National Consulting Services (NCS) assists educational institutions to design and implement appropriate changes to respond to the needs of adult learners realizing that there is no single approach suitable for all situations.

CAEL’S Workforce Education Program has four phases. First, CAEL consultants formally assess a company’s training and educational needs such as literacy, skills in math, computer, communication and problem solving. Then they develop a customized plan linking employee training and education with immediate needs or long-range goals. A 12-hour Returning to Learning Workshop prepares employees to take responsibility for continuous learning and explores the connection between needs of the individual and of the company. Finally, CAEL helps to implement the learning plan by offering a wide range of learning opportunities from on-site classes to distance learning for employees. It monitors their progress and reports back to management.

The ACE facilitates discussion and decision-making on higher education issues of national significance. Its College Credit Recommendations Service helps individuals earn college credit for formal courses offered at the workplace, evaluates the courses and makes college credit recommendations, as appropriate. Over 5,000 courses for over 250 organizations (business, labour, professions, and government) have been evaluated in the last 25 years. The College Credit Recommendations Service validates training quality, motivates course participants to continue towards a degree program, improves the cost-benefit ratio to participants, gives the organizations concerned a competitive edge and facilitates linkages with other training organizations.

At a national conference in 1997, a number of recommendations were adopted to help recognize life-long learning as a national priority including ensuring resource commitments, equity of access, technology availability and strengthening the country’s position in the global economy. It is noteworthy that at the conference, vice-president A1 Gore announced tax credits to individuals involved in life -long learning and confirmed plans for a major summit conference on life-long learning in 1999 with the involvement of all major stakeholders.

State University of New York, Empire State College, New York

The college’s approach is based on learning through non-traditional means. It is similar to FNTI which also focuses on non-North American means of learning and teaching. There is no set curriculum at ESC and learning activities take place through a learning contract between the student and a mentor. The emphasis is on an individualized approach to higher learning and assessment of prior experiential learning is an * important ingredient.

In our view, this initiative shows that PLA programs can be implemented just as effectively in organizations that are not typical North American educational institutions and that this approach can succeed in the work place.

Key Features:

• The portfolio-assessment technique gets the most attention in the United States.
• Life-long learning is meshed with individual and business goals.
• It is recognized that there is no single approach suitable for all situations.
• Clear guidelines to award credit for extra-institutional learning have been formulated.
• Tax incentives offered indicate the government’s commitment to life-long learning.
• National conferences such as the one proposed for 1999 will give the PLA movement visibility and credibility.

 

Chapter 6

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PLAR Issues and Challenges for Foreign-Trained Individuals

Despite the challenges faced by those seeking to implement PLAR in Canada, there are many indications of a resurgence of interest in PLAR and indeed an apparent increased sense of its importance in the process of life-long learning.

Some signs of PLAR’s growing significance are:

• increased federal-provincial cooperation;
• current and emerging provincial arrangements;
• the evolving policies and practices of professional and trade regulating bodies;
• some trade union initiatives;
• the practices of some business firms; and,
• programs at many educational institutions, notably in community colleges and CEGEPs.

This chapter examines some of the major issues and challenges faced in recognizing the education, knowledge and skills acquired abroad by immigrants and other Canadians. It is divided into three parts: first, the results of a survey of PLAR’97 conference participants and some findings from the five focus groups; second, an outline of some major challenges and third, examples of two current national initiatives dealing with PLAR and foreign-trained individuals.

1. Results From PLAR’97 Survey And Focus Groups

A questionnaire was distributed to the participants of the PLAR’97 Conference. of some 600 conference participants, 102 returned their questionnaires. This is a return rate of 17%, considered to be satisfactory in such surveys.

The PLAR Concept

PLAR is a relatively new concept in Canada. The survey revealed that except for those attached to educational institutions and professional and trade regulatory bodies, many individuals associated with business and labour are not fully familiar with the basic concept. In focus groups and interviews, even immigrants, representatives of immigrant-serving agencies and immigrant settlement workers exhibited a lack of understanding of PLAR although most, if not all of them, were quite knowledgeable about the issue of credential assessment.

On the other hand, those who are considered knowledgeable about PLAR find the concept to be sound. Conference participants were presented with the CLFDB definition of PLAR and more than 95% agreed that the PLAR concept was sound.

Implementation

Equally as challenging as the concept is the matter of implementation. In the survey three specific questions were asked on this issue. Participants were first asked if they thought that PLAR could be implemented in an equitable, coherent and co-ordinated manner across Canada for immigrants and others educated and trained abroad. Four out of five respondents said they did. Many were concerned with national standards, others expressed worries about cooperation between various stakeholders, the need for fairness and objectivity, attitudinal barriers and other “high hurdles”.

Participants were also asked to identify the most difficult challenge in implementing PLAR for foreign-trained individuals. A wide variety of challenges were identified. At the top of the list was the matter of ‘setting of standards”, as indicated by 25 responses. This was followed by “establishing PLAR systems” (20 responses), “provincial issues” (13), professional organizations (lo), “language barriers” (9), ‘cost/administrative feasibility” (9), “training institutions” (7), ‘assessing” (5), and “validation methods” (4). Some respondents identified more than one challenge and therefore, the total is higher than the number of respondents.

Finally, we asked the respondents to suggest ways to address the challenges. Again, a wide variety of responses were received. The most popular suggestion was to educate stakeholders about PLAR, PLAR processes and its benefits (indicated by 15 respondents). This was followed by the need to set up standards (8 respondents), cooperation with and among occupational regulatory bodies (7), cooperation among provinces and between federal government and provinces (6), setting up a national/central agency (5) and collaboration among stakeholders (5). Several participants wrote “persistence”, “legislating PLAIT and ‘transparency of the process”.

Responsibility for PLAR

The question of who should be responsible for PLAR posed another challenge for two main reasons. First, the provinces have the jurisdiction over education and training as well as over occupational regulatory bodies, and second, so many different constituencies have a stake in PLAR. The survey asked participants whom they thought should have primary responsibility for implementing PLAR for immigrants and others trained outside Canada. Participants often gave more than one answer and as a result we received 276 responses. The most frequent answer was the federal government (17.0%), followed by provincial governments (14.9%), and universities/colleges (13.8%). Between 8 to 12% of the responses suggested that the primary responsibility should be with labour force development/training boards, professional/ regulatory bodies and businesses. Between 5 and 8% percent proposed labour, individuals educated/ trained abroad and NGOs.

2 Challenges

In addition to the survey results described above, there are a number of challenges that confront those who endeavour to implement PLAR in Canada. These are discussed below under two different categories – credential assessment and recognition of prior learning.

Credential Assessment

Perhaps the first and foremost challenge is the fact that our system of education is decentralized. Understood in constitutional terms, education is a field that falls within provincial jurisdiction and so does the regulation of the professions and trades. The net result is that the assessment of credentials for (and within) educational institutions in particular varies from province to province. Most academic credentials are not automatically portable even within provinces. There is greater pan-Canadian cohesion in the assessment of credentials by different professional and trade bodies because of the co-ordinating role of national associations and examining boards whose opinions are respected by the autonomous certifying provincial (and territorial) bodies.

As far as attempts at national cohesion are concerned, the breakdown of the Working Group dealing with implementation of the Agreement on Internal Trade and the reported abandonment of the mooted idea of a National Assessment Body create a vacuum at the federal level. The second major challenge in the area of credential assessment is the disparity between assessments made by the universities and other credential assessment organizations and other professional bodies. For example, there is a reported divergence between the professional engineering bodies (Ontario and the national association) and the University of Toronto Credential Assessment Unit. The same problem exists in Quebec between the evaluations made by the universities and those made by provincial professional bodies. This is one of the reasons why a “table de concertation” has been set up for joint management of the process.

Some technical weaknesses observed in the management of certain agencies by other investigators have been brought to our attention. These include the observation by the Saskatchewan Forum for Racialized Canadians that there is a need for greater publicity about credential assessment agencies operating in the province of Saskatchewan.

Price Waterhouse, in its study of the Ontario system, echoed that comment for the province of Ontario. However, that study revealed more fundamental shortcomings. Perhaps the situation, as those researchers see it, is best summarized in two observations they made:

• Academic credential services in Ontario have not tailored their products to meet the needs of business, occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions and foreign-trained individuals;
• The credibility of existing credential assessment services is at the heart of the “unmet demand” in the province: foreign-trained individuals are dissatisfied and frustrated with the service provided; the majority of educational institutions and business choose other ways to assess foreign-trained individuals.

We have also been made aware of some specific gaps in the assessment service in British Columbia. It has been put to us that in the case of technologists that serve as a back up for engineers there is a need [in B.C.] for courses to fill the gap between Canadian experience and the training and experience obtained abroad. There is, too, we were told, the need for a more ‘user-friendly’ system of assessment that business can understand.

In Quebec, the challenge seems to be two-fold: an attitudinal problem that results in the available funding for education credential assessment being very low; and, the absence of any real technical appeal process (instead of mere reliance on appeal to the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Immigration and the Protecteur du Citoyen).

PLAR

The challenges faced by advocates and practitioners of PLAR, as well as foreign-trained individuals, in Canada are formidable.

Starting at the national level, the point about the “decentralized” system made regarding credential assessment is equally valid as far as the recognition or prior learning and experience is concerned. Indeed, one might argue that such experience is considered hard to evaluate and acceptance of the principle is not broad, across the country, despite primary developments in several jurisdictions (as described earlier).

The first major hurdle, therefore, is in effect recognition of the value of such prior learning by employers in the private and public sectors. At the time of writing, in late summer of 1998, there was little evidence of widespread acceptance of the principle across Canada. It is our submission that such recognition would provide a propitious framework and context within which administrative and technical arrangements could be made.

The second major challenge is the patchwork pattern of acceptance by professional and trades regulatory bodies. While an increasing number of professional associations are demonstrating an interest in PLAR, there are many professional bodies which appear to show little or no current interest in PLAR. Those regulating veterinary medicine, engineering, medicine, architecture, and teaching are cases in point. Other professions are said to be “marginally interested” in PLAR. But even where this interest exists, there is often no practice of PLAR for the foreign-trained, such as in nursing in Ontario.

At the general operational level, some occupational groups (such as nurses) have no agreements with overseas bodies and others (such as engineers) have links with a limited number of countries. None appear to have “bridging” courses. The Australian model is worth examining.

At the strictly technical level, the challenge is three-fold: how to get detailed data on institutions, how to measure experience, especially that gained informally and how to fill the gaps in an applicant’s training.

3. Promising Initiatives

In considering the challenges faced by those who seek to implement PLAR in Canada, we focused on gaps in policy or procedure and technical deficiencies or weaknesses, as reported to us. However, as we mentioned above, we were also told of very promising positive developments — initiatives that augur well for the future of PLAR in Canada.

National (federal-provincial) initiatives

The joint federal-provincial initiative in creating machinery to help develop and eventually administer an international instrument to facilitate acceptance of credentials earned abroad provides a practical context for PLAR. The AIT serves as a domestic complement to that initiative, one which could ideally enhance efforts to recognize training or professional certification in other jurisdictions within the country. The leadership now exercised by the HRDC in the field, generally and in specific ventures such as the Dictionary of Occupations (in collaboration with CIC) and with the provinces, bodes well for the future.

As well, the recommendations presented by the Economic Council of Canada in 1991 and the CIC’s Legislative Review Advisory Group last January are promising.

Counselling

One such joint initiative – a project funded by HRDC and the Access to Professions and Trade Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Recreation and Culture and implemented by the organization Skills For Change – was mentioned earlier in the chapter on PLAR Practices in Canada. The STIC project is designed to orient newcomers to their trade and professions in Ontario. The sectors include health care, auto-mechanics, engineering and accountancy. The pilot has generated excitement and as mentioned earlier has yielded an electronic ‘spin off’ of particular interest — a PBAS developed by the JMJ Group, a Toronto-based company. PBAS creates a PLA profile; then searches and matches an individual’s competencies against customized program outcomes and occupational profiles, indicating training gaps. It was developed in consultation with occupational regulatory bodies. It also helps individuals develop action plans to fill their training gaps.

Increased Interest of Professional and Trades Regulatory Bodies in PLAR

This sort of self-help project is taking place in an increasingly favourable climate towards PLAR on the part of some of the occupational regulatory bodies. The Engineering Association of Canada has signed reciprocal licensing agreements (to recognize engineering degrees) with the USA, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong). Correspondingly, the nursing profession now seems to be open to the idea of PLAR. Specifically, the new advanced practitioner group (in Ontario) is premised on the value of experiential learning, and, in Ontario, the profession currently accepts practice in the nurse’s country of origin as counting for the experience requirement. We are told that authorities are also moving towards competency-based assessments and plan to start the approach with foreign-trained nurses. The hope is to have a program of “national competencies” in place for the year 2000 and PLAR is seen as part of an approach towards which employment and educational institutions are moving.

A similar ‘opening of the door’ is reported for architecture in Ontario: the provincial ‘experience requirement committee’ may give a foreign-trained individual credit (up to 18 months) for experience gained elsewhere if the person can answer questions relevant to practice in Ontario.

4. National Partnerships

At the same time, there are two innovative national partnerships which demonstrate employers renewed interest in PLAR and foreign-trained individuals.

Software Development Worker Pilot Project

The Software Human Resource Council (SHRC), HRDC, CIC and Industry Canada (IC) are collaborating on a pilot to streamline the process by which foreign workers with specific high-level, software development skills can enter Canada on a temporary basis to fill positions where no qualified Canadians can be found. The pilot began in May 1997 and will run until December 31,1998. Over 550 individuals have come to Canada under the project. An evaluation of the project is in progress.

No numerical targets or limits are associated with this project. The number of skilled workers who enter Canada to work is determined primarily by the number of offers of employment the industry extends to foreign workers during this time period. SHRC, working with industry, has developed seven job descriptions that identify skill sets known by industry to be in short supply in Canada. Missions abroad and CIC Ports of Entry have been given copies of these job descriptions. They range from Senior Animation Effects Editor to Telecommunications Software Designer.

It is clear that when an occupation experiences acute shortage of qualified individuals in Canada, the government is open to modifying normal procedures to meet the industry needs. As well, Canadian businesses are prepared to devote the resources necessary to identify and hire qualified workers outside Canada when they need them. And finally, the matter of recognition of prior learning of foreign-trained individuals is not an issue when the demand for qualified workers is greater than the supply.

Canadian Technology Career Advancement (CTCA) Project

The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board (CTHRB), in collaboration with HRDC, the Department of National Defense, technology practitioners, employers, educators and labour groups, is developing a national technology credit bank and career portfolio. The CTCA Project consists of a national data bank system that provides information on the technical competency of both Canadian and foreign-trained workers. It will be supported by a career portfolio or passport for individual workers and a national system of PLAR.

The CTHRB has developed national standards for applied science and engineering technologists and technicians which have been adopted by industry and the education sector as the benchmark by which training and certification is to be measured. Despite the adoption of these standards, many in the technology work force do not know how their education and experience measure up. With the national credit bank, career portfolio and a nationally recognized PLAR system, the CTHRB hopes to minimize this uncertainty.

The project will also serve the accreditation needs of students currently enrolled in technician and technologist courses in universities, colleges and technical institutions across Canada; the accreditation requirements of technicians and technologists in Canada who received their certification or training prior to the implementation of national standards; and it will evaluate and accredit the many technicians and technologists in Canada who acquired their training, skills and work experience in other countries but still require Canadian accreditation.

This project bears watching closely because it holds the key to several issues relating to the assessment of foreign-trained individuals.

 

Chapter 7

PLAR for Foreign-Trained Canadians: Recommendations

In this chapter, we present a framework and recommendations for facilitating labour market integration of foreign-trained Canadians in an equitable, coherent and co-ordinated manner through PLAR.

A Framework for PLAR for Foreign-trained Canadians 1. A Vision: The “Big” Picture A Program for the Foreign-trained: Characteristics and Components 2. An Implementation Strategy Development of a Strategic Plan (Rec 1) PLAR Co-ordinating Centres in the Provinces (Rec 2) Avoiding Duplication of Efforts (Rec 3) Accessibility (Rec 4) Occupational Regulatory Bodies (Rec 5) A National Co-ordinating Agency (Rec 6) A PILOT PROJECT (Rec 7) 3. Short-term Recommendations Partnership Building (Rec 8) Raising Awareness (Rec 9) Outreach through the CSTEC Program (Rec 10) Applying the NORTEL/CAW Program to Community (Rec 11) Extending Community College Programs (Rec 12) Electronic Assessment (Rec 13) Assessor Training and Adult Councelling Programs (Rec 14)

1. A Vision

The “Big” Picture

Our research leads us to conclude that PLAR can be an effective and powerful instrument for labour market integration, mobility and utilization of the knowledge and skills and talents and abilities of ALL Canadians. Indeed, PLAR can provide a sustaining link to life-long learning and at tne same time contribute greatly to Canada’s global competitiveness by allowing all Canadians to participate in the labour force more fully and equitably.

We envisage a national approach to PLAR that would allow and secure ongoing participation of all constituencies – business, labour, educational institutions, occupational-regulatory bodies, immigrantserving agencies and governments. This would necessitate collaboration vertically between federal, provincial and municipal levels and horizontally between all stakeholders at each level. There are and will continue to be major hurdles in the process; however, with Canadians’ commitment to excellence and fair play and the ability to reconcile differences, a national approach to PLAR can be attained.

A Program for Foreign-trained Canadians

We envisage that a PLAR program for foreign-trained Canadians would be an integral part and parcel of the “big” picture described above. Directed specifically to a distinctly identifiable constituency, a program for the foreign-trained would be closely linked with the national program.

Its Characteristics

In its 1989 report, the Ontario Task Force on Access to Professions and Trades identified five characteristics of systematic prior learning assessment, i.e. it must be public, accessible, comprehensive and credible and it must minimize cost. We endorse the Task Force’s observations.

However, many PLAR initiatives have been undertaken in various Canadian jurisdictions since the publication of the Task Force’s report. In view of these developments, we are prompted to go beyond the Task Force’s list and offer additional characteristics of a national PLAR program. We identify and comment on the combined list below.

1. The National PLAR Program would be public.
Unless clients, certifying and licensing agencies, educational institutions, business and unions play an active role in policy development and have ready access to policies and procedures, fears about the real or perceived secrecy of assessment policies and procedures will mvite skepticism about the quality of such assessments.

2. The National PLAR Program would be accessible.
if certain clients are denied access because of lack of language proficiency, high cost, insufficiently trained or inadeauate numbers of staff, exceedingly long time periods for completion of assessments, or lack of similar services across the country, the system would be greatly undermined and potential clients would lack cinfidence in its abilities to assist their integration into the Canadian labour market.

3. The National PLAR Program would be comprehensive.
Prior learning assessment must include assessment of formal academic credentials as well as learning acquired outside formal education through professional/trade/business associations, industry, trade unions, government and other organizations and learning obtained through life, work and voluntary experiences and independent study.

4. The National PLAR Proe-ram would minimize cost.
In devising an appropriate mechanism for prior learning assessment, duplication of effort must be minimized and monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure efficiency, adaptability, and appropriateness. Costs must be equitably shared by all those having a stake in the process, including the consumer.

5. The National PLAR Program would be credible.
All stakeholders – foreign-trained individuals, occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, business, unions and governments must have confidence in the integrity of the system.

6. The National PLAR Program would emphasize the “R” in PLAR.
Recognition of prior learning is as critical as assessment. We endorse the CLFDB’s approach which focuses on the recognition of PLAR policies and programs. Similarly, the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) has made recognition an integral part of its program. (It is worth noting that in Australia, another immigrant-receiving country, the term which refers to PLAR begins with the letter “R” — RPL or recognition of prior learning.)

7. The National PLAR Program would build on existing initiatives and structures.
A number of very promising initiatives are in progress across Canada. There are also useful structures in place in several provinces and at the national level. Not all of these specifically serve foreign-trained individuals; but a number of them have the potential to do so. Our recommendations build on these initiatives and structures and adapt them, rather than propose initiating new programs.

8. The National PLAR Program would observe jurisdictional and institutional integrity.
In undertaking a PLAR initiative, it is essential that the federalprovincial division of jurisdiction over education, labour market training and regulation of professions and trades be observed. At the same time, the varying areas of responsibility of educational institutions, professional and trade regulating bodies must also be respected.

9. The National PLAR Program would foster partnership and collaboration.
Individuals seeking assessment and recognition of their prior learning have a vital stake not only in results but also in assessment processes, tools and methods. It is important that the concerns of foreign-trained learnersjcandidates are taken into consideration during the PLAR process and they should be treated as partners in the process. Similarly, a number of constituencies have a stake in PLAR for the foreign-trained: business, labour, educational institutions, professional associations, trades regulators, governments, immigrants and immigrant-serving organizations. if the national initiative is to succeed, it must be a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders.

10. The National PLAR Program would integrate PLAR for foreign-trained individuals with PLAR in general.
To integrate foreign-trained individuals into the mainstream of Canadian labour market and society, it will be critical that in the long run, a program directed at foreign-trained individuals be integrated within general PLAR programs. However, because foreign-trained individuals face a unique set of circumstances and challenges, there is justification for treating them separately to begin with.

11. The National PLAR Program would include pre-migration measures.
To improve labour market efficiency and to lessen the frustrations of immigrants caused by an absence of a well-defined pre-migration approach, a PLAR initiative for foreign-trained individuals must begin with an outreach program before they enter Canada. Such an approach would allow prospective immigrants to obtain an assessment of their prior learning in relation to their occupations in Canada and thereby clearly understand requirements they would be called upon to fulfill before they could practice their professions or trades in Canada.

12. The National PLAR Program would provide for bridging training.
The ultimate aim of any PLAR program for foreign-trained individuals must be to facilitate their integration into the labour market. Assessment of prior learning would be only the first step in achieving this goal. It is equally important to provide for, and make available, the training needed to allow foreign-trained individuals to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to bridge the gap between their prior learning and the requirements of their occupations in Canada.

Components of the PLAR Program for Foreign-Trained Canadians

We envisage that the national PLAR program for the foreign-trained would have six components as described below.

Self-assessment (pre-migration for prospective immigrants and immigrants resident in Canada)

Post-migration Information and Counselling

Verification of Self-assessment

Bridging Training

Recognition of Prior Learning

Follow-up

Component 1: Self-assessment

The program would begin at the pre-migration stage. The goal would be to make prospective immigrants fully aware of the knowledge and skill requirements for their respective occupations; and to allow them to assess their own qualifications in order to identify gaps, if any; and to make them aware of the steps necessary to fill the gaps before they can practice in their occupations in Canada.

Thus, self-assessment would enable foreign-trained individuals to obtain a better understanding of labour market realities and thereby help reduce the tensions created by a lack of comprehensive information. Prospective immigrants would conduct self-assessment of their prior learning in their home countries through Canadian missions. An information package pertaining to their occupation would be provided to assist them in completing the self-assessment. Immigrants and other foreign-trained individuals already in Canada who have not been able to integrate into the labour market would also have access to self-assessment of their prior learning in Canada.

The simplest self-assessment tool would be a questionnaire completed manually by prospective immigrants. An example of such a manual questionnaire is included in Appendix VI to provide some idea of its format and contents.

Electronic self-assessment tools developed, for example, by the JMJ Group, i.e. PBAS, (portfolio builder and assessment software) and by the SAIT are other alternatives. PBAS has developed self-assessment tools for thirty occupations in four sectors and the SAIT electronic version has been used successfully for a number of years and has also been translated into Hungarian.

Component 2: Post-migration information and counselling

Upon arrival in Canada, foreign-trained individuals would be offered detailed and comprehensive information and counselling about their occupations, occupational regulatory bodies, bridging training and training organizations, ways to seek employment and other labour market information pertaining to their occupations from the new provincial PLAR Co-ordinating Centres. The same services would also be available to immigrants already in Canada.

Component 3: Verification of self-assessment

New immigrants would be required to obtain verification of their self-assessments in order to receive a certificate of recognition. This process would assure the validity of self-assessments; provide the opportunity to revise self-assessments if necessary; and supply information about options for bridging training necessary to fill the gaps between new immigrants’ competencies and the requirements of their trade or profession.

Provincial PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would refer immigrants to respective occupational bodies responsible for verification. Verification would be conducted by qualified individuals trained specifically for the purpose of assessing prior learning of foreign-trained individuals. Assessor training must include modules on cultural awareness so that different cultural contexts within which foreign-trained individuals acquire prior learning are understood. Assessment methods and tools used for verification would vary according to occupation.

Component 4: Bridging training

Depending on the nature of the new immigrant’s occupation and labour market constraints, bridging training would be available through a number of sources including apprenticeship programs, educational institutions, occupational regulatory bodies or training organizations. Bridging training would help foreign-trained individuals fulfill the knowledge and skill requirements of their occupations.

The design and conduct of bridging training would take into account a number of factors unique to foreign-trained individuals:

• training would be culturally sensitive and appropriate;
• training delivery would be flexible to accommodate culturallybased learning patterns and the work and family responsibilities of those in training;
• since immigrants from non-English/non-French speaking backgrounds may have had experiences which undermine their confidence and are likely to underestimate their prior learning, training would emphasize development of self-confidence and self-esteem in the participants;
• training would include modules on knowledge and awareness about Canad’a, Canadian culture, values, institutions and symbols

In addition to occupation-specific training, bridging training would include language training where necessary, delivered by qualified ESL/FSL teachers. To ensure quality, regular evaluations of training programs, trainers and training material would be carried out.

Component 5: Recognition of prior learning and effective integration into the labour market

Upon completion of bridging training to the satisfaction of the respective occupational regulatory agencies, foreign-trained individuals would be granted certificates in recognition of their prior learning in fulfilling the requirements for practicing their trades or professions. These certificates would pave the way for foreign-trained individuals’ effective integration into the labour market.

Component 6: Follow-up

In order to ensure consistency and weigh long-term effects and benefits of the program, follow-up of a sample of newly-arriving and current immigrants through interviews and focus groups would be carried out by Provincial PLAR Centres.

2. An Implementation Strategy

Realization of the vision and the national program described above will present enormous challenges. First and perhaps the most difficult of these challenges is that a single level of government or one stakeholder constituency alone will not be able to establish the program. Its implementation would require complimentary actions at all levels and all constituencies at each level must be involved: federal, provincial and territorial governments, occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, business, labour and immigrant-serving agencies.

Furthermore, to benefit from the work already initiated by others and to avoid overlap, the implementation process must be initiated in conjunction with other bodies like the Federal-Provincial Working Group on Access to Professions and Trade and the Forum of Labour Market Ministers.

Thus, implementation of the program would require a well-designed strategy and a collaborative process that would secure active participation of all key players. We estimate that this process would take 2-5 years. We offer recommendations for an implementation strategy.
 

A Strategic Plan

Recommendation 1 As a first step, we recommend that the CLFDB develop a strategic plan in conjunction with the Federal-Provincial Working Group on Access to Professions and Trades and the Forum of Labour Market Ministers through a collaborative process based on such techniques as a DELPHI survey and a Search Conference of stakeholders.

In making this recommendation, we emphasize two points. First, we do not believe that the strategic plan for such a program can and should be developed by one organization like the CLFDB alone. It will be most critical that other players and parties who are already active in this area must be involved in the process right from the beginning.

Two such bodies are: the Federal-Provincial Working Group on Access to Professions and Trade and the Forum of Labour Market Ministers.

The Federal-Provincial Working Group is an advisory group comprised of officials of the federal government and all provincial and territorial governments. Its mission is to ensure that prospective immigrants and residents of Canada have access to a portable, reliable and recognized assessment of their qualifications for use in Canada’s labour market. Specific objectives of the Working Group relate to coordination of joint federal-provincial action to improve the flow and quality of information to prospective immigrants and support of comprehensive assessment of their qualifications. As well, the Working Group encourages provinces and other stakeholders to recognize and make use of existing assessment services and supports initiatives to allow for the recognition of immigrants’ qualifications in order to facilitate their integration into the Canadian labour market.

The Forum of Labour Market Ministers is responsible for co-ordinating implementation of Chapter 7, the Labour Mobility Chapter, of the Agreement on Internal Trade. Chapter 7 takes Action to remove or reduce three main barriers to labour mobility: residency requirements; certain practices regarding occupational licensing, certification and registration; and differences in how occupational qualifications are recognized. The Forum has established the Labour Mobility Coordinating Group to, among other things, work with regulatory bodies and governments as they undertake the process for recognizing qualifications of workers and reconciling occupational standards.

Thus, activities of the Working Group on Access to Professions and Trades and the Forum of Labour Market Ministers would have direct relevance to PLAR for the foreign-trained. Therefore, we recommend that the CLFDB invite and work with representatives of these two groups from the very beginning of the process of developing the strategic plan. Since these two groups are comprised only of government officials at all levels, their participation in the process would compliment the CLFDB which consists of non-government labour market partners.

Second, we emphasize that the process for the development of the strategic plan will be just as important as its outcome. Therefore, we have recommended a collaborative process based on such techniques as the DELPHI survey and a Search Conference. DELPHI is a group process useful for generating and clarifying ideas, reaching consensus, prioritizing and making decisions on alternative actions. It uses a series of questionnaires, written responses and summarized feedback reports from experts, practitioners, resource controllers or administrators and at the same time preserves anonymity of responses.

The DELPHI process has proved effective in allocating budgetary resources, prioritizing among varied and conflicting interests and launching major programs. We suggest that this survey include representatives from business, labour, occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, federal and provincial governments and immigrant-serving organizations as well as individual experts, scholars and foreign-trained individuals with a special interest in the subject. The survey would consist of three questionnaires designed to identify issues, chart a course of action and generate consensus among respondents.

The final results would be used as the basis for a two-day Search Conference attended by spokespersons of stakeholder constituencies and conducted by professional facilitators. The objective would be to secure stakeholders’ input in the development of a strategic and operational plan through face-to-face interaction.
 

PLAR Co-ordinating Centres in the Provinces

Recommendation 2 We recommend PLAR Co-ordinating Centres in the provinces.

A number of innovative initiatives have recently taken place in various Canadian jurisdictions. Despite these developments, and perhaps because of the plethora of programs and structures that have been created in the last ten years, it is increasingly more important that PLAR activities in a province be centrally coordinated.

Role and Responsibilities
PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would work with occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, credential assessment agencies and other organizations currently providing PLAR and PLAR-related services. To be sure, these centres would not duplicate the work of these organizations in such areas as conducting assessment of the qualifications of foreign-trained individuals. Rather, PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would perform four inter-related functions: information dissemination, advice, development service and referrals.

PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would gather and update detailed information for various occupations and disseminate this information to immigrants and other foreign-trained individuals and various stakeholders. This would include information for certification, standards, rights of appeal, language training, retraining and general training programs, labour market information, available assistance from government and non-government organizations, immigrant-serving agencies, multicultural organizations and community support groups.

In their advisory role, PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would counsel individual clients to ensure they obtain the necessary services as efficiently as possible. Their clients would include: foreign-trained Canadians, employment insurance and social assistance recipients, workers in transition and those wishing to make life changes. The nature of advice would vary from simply giving out information to advising and guiding clients-on procedures for documenting and validating their prior learning.

In providing development service, PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would assist business, labour and other organizations in developing PLAR policies and programs. In providing this service, PLAR Centres would compliment activities of occupational regulatory bodies and educational institutions and facilitate development of PLAR partnerships between various stakeholders.

In their referral service role, PLAR Centres would refer immigrants to relevant occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions and/or credential assessment agencies for such purposes as initiating the process for the recognition of their prior learning, obtaining verification of their self-assessment and obtaining bridging training. They would provide a link between immigrants and other organizations and agencies involved in PLAR.

In performing these functions, PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would work with occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, businesses, unions, immigrant-serving agencies and organizations and governments within their own provinces. Externally, these centres would work with similar centres in other provinces and with the national PLAR coordinating body. For example, PLAR Centres would facilitate the development of self-assessment instruments in collaboration with occupational regulatory bodies and other players within their respective provinces and, at the same time, liaise with the national PLAR coordinating agency to ensure proper implementation.

Finally, the provincial PLAR Centre would work in collaboration with the national coordinating agency in such matters as establishing national standards, fostering cooperation among stakeholders and promoting understanding and use of PLAR through events, publications and the Internet.

Organization and Administration
Although created by provincial governments, PLAR Co-ordinating Centres would function at ‘arm’s length’ from the government as crown corporations. Policies and programs of PLAR Centres should be determined by boards of directors comprised of representatives of stakeholder constituencies — business, labour, educational institutions, occupational regulatory bodies, immigrant-serving organizations, clients and others.

In order to serve foreign-trained individuals who do not speak English or French, PLAR Centres must have the capacity to provide basic services in an immigrant’s native language. This does not imply that PLAR Centres need staff speaking many languages. Based on the composition of immigrant communities in the provinces, each province would acquire sufficient capacity to serve their communities. The centres would also avail themselves of interpretation/translation services and resources available through ethno-cultural and immigrant-serving organizations.
 

Avoiding Duplication Efforts

Recommendation 3 We recommend that: the mandate of the provicially-operated credential assessment agencies in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia and possibly Ontario, be broadened beyond assessment of academic credential to include all aspects of prior learning of foreign-trained individuals; the PLA Centres in Winnepeg and Halifax be mandated to perform the specific functions of the PLAR Centres described above; and, the enhanced Alberta agency, as per (a) above, serve the needs of the Province of Saskatchewan until a separate provincial PLAR Centre in Saskatchewan is established.

In creating PLAR Co-ordinating Centres, it is important to take account of the fact that Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia already have the basic infrastructure which can be turned into PLAR Centres without a heavy outlay of public funds. Currently, the focus of these agencies is on assessing academic degrees and diplomas; at the moment they do not assess experiential learning. However, over the years, these agencies have acquired a wealth of experience and expertise in assessing qualifications obtained by immigrants outside Canada.

In Ontario, assessment services are currently provided by two university-based organizations and one private agency; however, a recent study of these services concluded that they do not fully meet the needs of the stakeholders. Accordingly, the government is looking for a delivery agent to provide a comprehensive credential assessment service. In fact, a request for information (RFI) has already been issued seeking information and ideas to determine the nature and level of interest.

As for the Atlantic Provinces, we suggest that the four provinces in the region should collectively decide on a source for PLAR and PLAR-related services taking account of services currently provided in these provinces which might be useful in this regard.
 

Accessibility

Recommendation 4 We recommend that PLA offices in educational institutions serve as agents of provincial PLAR Co-ordination Centres in their respective cities.

We recognize that in a country as vast as Canada, a PLAR Co-ordinating Centre located in one city cannot serve clients located in other cities in the province. However, there are well-functioning PLA offices located in community colleges in various cities in each province. PLA Co-ordinators and staff in a number of these institutions have accumulated extensive expertise not only to serve their immediate clientele but also to reach out to other PLAR stakeholders in their communities. To utilize this excellent resource and to build on their knowledge of PLAR and related issues, we recommend that they serve as an important link in making PLAR Co-ordinating Centre services accessible in their communities.
 

Occupational Regulatory Bodies

Recommendation 5 We recommend that occupational regulatory bodies offer and/or expand on a range of PLAR activities by including evaluation of knowledge and skills, verification of self-assessment and advice on bridging training to foreign-trained individuals.

As noted in earlier chapters of this report, a number of occupational regulatory bodies have either initiated or are in the process of initiating PLAR programs directed at foreign-trained Canadians. However, there are many occupational bodies which have not yet taken much action in this regard.

Our recommendation is aimed at all occupational bodies and is in line with the national PLAR program discussed in this chapter. The recommendation would result in greater attention and allocation of resources on the part of trade and professional regulating agencies. As well, those occupational regulatory bodies which provide training would be required to modify their training programs in accordance with the bridging training criteria proposed earlier.

As in the case of occupational regulatory bodies, corresponding actions will be required on the part of educational institutions in their role on behalf of PLAR Co-ordinating Centres as well as providers of bridging training including language training.
 

A National Co-ordinating Agency

Recommendation 6 We recommend that a national organization such as the CLFDB monitor developments, provide information and serve as a co-ordination g body for the National PLAR Program.

For an initiative of this nature, it is critical that a national agency be in place to provide for national coordination, information exchange, monitoring and leadership. Its coordination function would require liaison with federal government departments and agencies such as HRDC, CIC, DCH and DFAIT (for example in planning and implementation of pre-migration self-assessment).

As well, the national agency would work with provincial PLAR Centres in such matters as the development of national competency-based standards for PLAR for foreign-trained individuals and collaboration among occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions and other stakeholders.

The national agency would exchange information on issues and new developments with and through provincial PLAR Centres. It is important for the national agency to closely monitor developments related to PLAR for foreign-trained individuals in Canada. Equally important, the agency must keep a watching brief on international developments since a number of countries are grappling with the issue of recognition of prior learning of foreign-trained individuals.

In any such program there will no doubt be issues arising from time to time which need to be dealt with, sometimes on short notice. The national agency could play a pivotal role in working with provincial PLAR Centres and others in resolving such issues.

In its leadership role, the national agency would promote understanding of labour market integration issues confronting foreign-trained individuals and advance the use of PLAR as a means to facilitate their integration. The agency would also provide opportunities for Canadian and international practitioners and scholars to meet periodically to share experiences and insights and learn from each other.

There are two options for such an agency: create a new agency or entrust these functions to an existing agency. In keeping with our view that to minimize costs, any new initiative should be built on the basis of current programs and structures, we do not subscribe to the idea of creating a new agency. Instead, we opt for allocating responsibility for PLAR for foreign-trained individuals to one of the existing organizations.

An examination of a number of organizations currently involved in labour market, PLAR and related issues suggests that the Canadian Labour Force Development Board is ideally suited for this role.
 

Funding

Within the framework of the present project, we have not estimated the funds which would be necessary to implement the national approach. In our view what is required at this time is acceptance of the basic principles and concept. Considerable further work will be required, including the pilot project and feasibility study referred to earlier, before funding requirements can be estimated adequately. As well, the results of the pilot projects outlined in Recommendations 9-14 should provide useful insights in estimating funding requirements.
 

A Pilot Project

Recommendation 7 Given the magnitude and complexity of the proposed national program and to test the viability, usefulness and efficacy of pre-migration self-assessment and verification as proposed in that program, we recommend a 12 to 18-month pilot project focussing on new immigrants from three countries in three occupations.

In terms of the countries to be included in the pilot, we suggest that consideration should be given to such criteria as the number of immigrants from these countries, their language capabilities and cultural mix. With regards to selection of occupations, consideration should be given to obtaining a mix of occupations depending on whether they are regulated or non-regulated, professional or nonprofessional and male or female-dominated. As well, such other factors as the labour market for the occupations and the role which might be played by the respective occupational-regulatory bodies should be considered.

We propose the establishment of a project advisory group to examine these and other criteria and determine the countries in which the pilot project would be carried out through Canadian diplomatic missions or alternative means like the Internet and the occupations of prospective immigrants who would be provided the self-assessment instruments.

The elements of the pilot project would include:

• consultation with CIC and HRDC to determine the feasibility and means for implementing pre-migration self-assessment through Canadian missions abroad;
• consultations with and participation of occupational-regulatory bodies of selected occupations in developing self-assessment instruments and verification procedures;
• development of a pre-migration self-assessment tool which would indicate the competencies required for practicing in these three occupations, identify prospective candidates’ competencies, pinpoint gaps, if any, between candidates’ competencies and the professional requirements in Canada and suggest bridging training if required;
• making the self-assessment tool available to Canadian missions in the three countries with an accompanying information package for immigration officers and prospective immigrants;
• training of immigration officers in basic PLAR assessment issues and the self-assessment tools;
• completion of self-assessment by prospective immigrants over a period of three months;
• return of self-assessments from the missions twice a month in order to begin verification and expedite the process;
• identification and hiring of three subject-matter expert assessors to verify self-assessments (perhaps from community colleges);
• further training of selected assessors with occupational bodies and imparting of skill-sets necessary for the task and understanding of cultural contexts by community colleges;
• verification of self-assessments;
• vetting of verifications by appropriate occupational regulatory bodies;
• submission of the verification results to respective Canadian missions and through them to prospective immigrants;
• feedback from Canadian missions about reactions to verification results and further actions planned or taken by prospective immigrants; and,
• an evaluation of the impact, efficacy and any modifications required by the Project Advisory Group before launching the national program.

Recommendation 8 We recommend that the CLFDB continue to play a leadership role in educating Canadians about PLAR and in promoting the concept. We believe the CLFDB should move beyond its traditional activities and join forces with PLAR network organizations as the Canadian Association of Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) and provincial PLAR networks. One of the aims of the partnership would be the creation of a national network to act as a communication link for Canadian and International PLAR programs and projects in general and initiatives directed at foreign-trained individuals in particular. To be created by CLFDB and CAPLA, the network would facilitate the exchange of information, related research, news, views, insights and experiences.

This kind of collaboration can ensure a broader audience for education and promotion about PLAR through outreach to constituencies not currently served by the CLFDB or existing network organizations. While the CLFDB has good contacts with business, labour and equity-seeking groups, CAPLA and the provincial BAR bodies have excellent ties with their local education and training communities. By joining forces, the CLFDB and PLAR network organizations can provide mutual benefit to each other and at the same time, provide greater access to their PLAR-related activities.

The national network will allow participation by both individuals and organizations having an interest in PLAR for foreign-trained individuals. This will include: business, labour, educational institutions, occupational regulatory bodies, training organizations, government departments and agencies at all levels, scholars and researchers, immigrants, immigrant organizations and immigrant-serving agencies and equity groups.

This project has provided an excellent starting point for the network — we have compiled a list of over 200 names of individuals interested in participating. This includes people who indicated their interest in response to the PLAR’97 survey questionnaire and many of the individuals interviewed during the course of the project. It should be supplemented by the names of interested individuals and organizations from CLFDB and CAPLA. We estimate that the list could swell to 500 names and will have to be periodically updated.
 

3. Short-term Recommendations

We now offer several recommendations for implementation within the next two years in order to get started.

Our research substantiates the view that there are a number of initiatives in progress across Canada which have the potential for extension to the foreign-trained with minimal modifications.

The following description of these short-term pilots is not detailed nor does it include cost estimates. At this time, our purpose is to offer basic concepts and ideas. It would be essential, on acceptance of these ideas, to consult with the parties involved in each of these initiatives to prepare detailed proposals.
 

Partnership Building

Two further goals of this study were to identify better and increased ways to involve the various stakeholders in implementing PLAR and to build a national network of interested and expert stakeholders to actively encourage and engage in research in this area.

The fact that so many constituencies across the country have a stake in PLAR presents both a formidable challenge and an excellent opportunity. The challenge arises because of the need to reconcile the divergent and often conflicting interests of stakeholders from coast to coast. At the same time, PLAR offers an opportunity to harness the interests, experiences and insights of many stakeholders and set the national agenda for life-long learning.

Inherent in CLFDB’s mandate, organization and structure is the concept of partnership among its stakeholders. The Board has already played an important role in nurturing and further strengthening partnerships through a variety of activities: publications, representation on its committees and task groups, annual labour market partners’ forums, biennial PLAR conferences and ongoing communication with key stakeholders. While these activities have been successful to varying degrees, it is important for the CLFDB to initiate other creative approaches, to cement and extend the partnerships. We offer a few suggestions.

At the same time, with the development of its definition of PLAR and PLAR standards and other initiatives, the CLFDB has been playing a lead role in the field. Indeed, the CLFDB is the only national, multi-stakeholder organization to deal head-on with the issue of foreign-trained individuals as is evident from its sponsorship of this project. Above all, the CLFDB is also an organization whose affairs are directed by a board composed of all major labour market partners – business, labour, education and training, women, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal Peoples and visible minorities. As well, representatives of federal and provincial governments participate in the CLFDB’s affairs on an ongoing basis. Thus, the CLFDB is equipped to mobilize participation of and partnership among all stakeholder groups, an important prerequisite for the success of the program.

The network would be housed at the CLFDB for day-to-day administration. Operationally, the network will be managed by a steering group to provide overall direction. The steering group will be comprised of one representative each from the CLFDB and CAPLA.

The network will issue short, bi-monthly bulletins to participants highlighting news, views and current research on PLAR and the integration of foreign-trained individuals into the labour market. In gathering information, the network will encourage participants to contribute to the contents of the bulletin.

The network will communicate with participants primarily through electronic media. However, in recognition of the fact that some participants may not have access, expertise, or ability to avail themselves of electronic communication, the network will also issue bulletins in traditional formats. We estimate that the network will require annual funding support of approximately $20,000 which will include 30 days of one staff person’s time plus related expenses.
 

Raising Awareness

Recommendation 9 In order to promote PLAR more widely, we recommend that the CLFDB hold: in-depth awareness raising sessions with targeted groups of its key constituencies such as business and labour; and, multi-stakeholder sessions focusing on a sector or industry.

During our research, we found that despite the CLFDB’s current efforts, vast segments of business and labour constituencies do not have a full understanding of PLAR and its role in fostering life-long learning. We suggest separate sessions with selected representatives of these constituencies to present exemPLARy Canadian and international practices with a view to marketing PLAR as a tool necessary for competitiveness and growth.

Biennial PLAR Conferences such as the ones organized by CLFDB have succeeded in bringing together large numbers of Canadian and international experts, practitioners, scholars and other stakeholders in one place. These events have been valuable and should be continued. However, they need to be supplemented by other, smaller events. This kind of more in-depth, targeted session will have greater impact and better results in promoting PLAR and improving collaboration between stakeholders.
 

Outreach through the CSTEC Program

Recommendation 10 We recommend that consideration be given to applying CSTEC’s workplace PLAR, through CSTEC, to an industry or employer whose work force is predominantly composed of immigrants or made available to foreign-trained individuals in one or two cities.

An outstanding example of a partnership among labour, business and educational institutions, CSTEC’s PLAR program provides important insights about how PLAR can be implemented in dealing with workplace issues. The program is not directed specifically at the foreign-trained, but it has the potential to deal with assessment and recognition of prior learning of immigrants.

This can be done by applying the CSTEC program through CSTEC to an industry or employer whose work force is predominantly composed of immigrants. Indeed, it is quite conceivable that such an opportunity will arise in the not too distant future. Another option is to request CSTEC to allow assessment of prior learning of immigrants in one or two cities under its program followed by bridging training at one of the participating community colleges/CEGEPs.
 

Applying the NORTEL/CAW Program to the Community

Recommendation 11 We recommend that consideration be given to extending Nortel/CAW’s Return to Learning (RTL) Program by inviting foreign-trained individuals in the local community to participate.

This is another example of a program which illustrates the success of a partnership between an employer, union and an educational institution. The attraction of this program lies in the fact that it is located in a smaller city, Belleville, and therefore, conducive to extending it to the community relatively easily.

We propose an extension of the program by inviting immigrants in the local community to participate in the program. There would be no obligation on the part of the company to hire them on completion of their training. However, such an extension would allow immigrants to benefit from the program and thereby help them in integrating into the labour market.
 

Extending Community College Programs

Recommendation 12 We recommend that three community colleges, one from the West, one from Central Canada and one from the Atlantic Provinces should be approached to extend their PLAR activities to foreign-trained individuals in their communities. Through such extension, these colleges would assist one employer or industry in their respective community in recruiting staff.

A number of community colleges across the country have developed exciting and effective PLA programs over the years. Examples include: Douglas College, New Westminster, B.C. and Algonquin College, Ottawa. While these programs are general in nature, they have the potential for application to the foreign-trained.

This recommendation would require identification and willingness of an employer or industry in the three communities to participate in the project as a means to recruit staff. Through an outreach program, the college would invite immigrants in the community for assessment of their prior learning. Where an immigrant is deemed to possess competencies required for a position, the college would refer her/him to the employer. On the other hand, if an immigrant is found to be lacking in certain competencies, the college would prescribe the bridging training (including language training) necessary for her/him to qualify.
 

Electronic Assessment

Recommendation 13 We recommend that arrangements be made to extend the SAIT and PBAS electronic assessment models to prospective immigrants for self assessment.

As noted earlier, two models of electronic assessment have been developed in the last few years. One is by the SAIT and the other is the PBAS developed by JMJ Group. The SAIT model has already been translated into Hungarian and the PBAS program model is already in use for assessing prior learning of immigrants participating in the STIC Project being carried out by Skills for Change.

These models can be used effectively by making them available for self assessment of prospective immigrants. Initially, their use can be confined to English-speaking source countries of immigrants. With experience, consideration might be given to translating these programs for use in non English-speaking source countries. These assessment tools can also be extended to the foreign-trained already in Canada.
 

Assessor Training and Adult Counselling Programs

Recommendation 14 We recommend that provision should be made for the development of cultural modules for incorporation in assessor training and adult counselling programs. The module would be developed in cooperation with an institution currently offering such programs, e.g. Algonquin College.

For successful implementation of the national initiative as well as other options described above, it would be important that prior learning assessors possess a thorough understanding and appreciation of the cultural contexts within which immigrants acquire their prior learning. While a number of institutions provide assessor training, there is a lack of content related to cultural contexts and awareness.

The assessor training and adult counselling programs can be improved in this regard by incorporating cultural modules in an institution’s current training program for assessors. Once developed and pilot-tested, the modules would be disseminated to other institutions through the PLAR Co-ordinating Centres. Such a program could serve as a template, with modifications where necessary, for inclusion in assessor training of other institutions.

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Appendix I

CLFDB’s PLAR Standards

The CLFDB defines PLAR as:

“a process of identifying, assessing, and recognizing what a person knows and can do. The process can take various forms and the outcomes can be used for a large number of purposes relevant to the goals of individuals, the labour market partners, and society at large.”

In 1996, out of consultations with its constituency groups and others with PLAR assessment experience, the CLFDB called for a national strategy and minimum standards for PLAR. The national strategy would be designed to facilitate the integration of PLAR across the labour market and education/training systems. National standards would be geared to the creation of a credible PLAR process whose outcomes “meet the goals of ensuring the effective and efficient use of resources for individuals and for the labour market partners.”

The Board established 14 principles to serve as recommended minimum standards for development of an effective national PLAR process in Canada.

1. PLAR must be accessible and relevant to people as individuals. It must focus on the unique needs and abilities of the individual.
2. Assessment and recognition must be of learning (knowledge, skills, and judgement acquired through study or experience) not of experience.
3. The PLAR process must be fair and equitable. It must be barrier-free and bias-free.
4. The PLAR process must be efficient. It must make the best use of resources for the individual.
5. The PLAR process must be effective. It must provide the opportunity for recognition of prior learning, but it must not hold out false promise.
6. The PLAR process must be transparent. The individual must know the criteria and standards used to assess his or her skills and knowledge.
7. The assessment must be reliable. The criteria and standards must be recognized and respected by all labour market partners. This principle applies to occupational and skill standards, the learning outcomes stated for a specific course or training program, and the credentials required for a specific job or occupational group.
8. The assessment tools and their PLAR application must be valid. They must be recognized and accepted by all the labour market partners.
9. Individuals assessing prior learning must be trained to perform this task.
10. The assessing organization must provide a number of way to carry out an assessment. Individuals should have an opportunity to choose how their assessment is done. if necessary, they should get help to make their choice.
11. Recognition awarded through PLAR should be considered equal to recognition awarded in a traditional manner.
12. Recognition awarded through PLAR should be transferable between organizations, provinces and territories.
13. PLAR must be an option or opportunity, not a mandatory process.
14. if a person is not satisfied with the PLAR assessment, an appeal procedure must be available.

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Appendix II

PLAR’97 Conference Survey Questionnaire

The purpose of this survey is two-fold:

• to seek your views about PLAR and how PLAR can be used to facilitate the integration of foreign-educated and trained immigrants and others into the Canadian labour force; and,
• to determine your interest in ongoing communication about developments on this issue.

All responses will be compiled together. Consultants will use ONLY aggregated responses. Individual responses will NOT be identified.

Your Name:
Position:
Organization:
City:		Province/State:
Country:
Phone: ( )		Fax: ( )
E-mail:
Your labour market constituency: (please check one) Business Labour Education & Training Government
Equity: (please specify)
Other: (please specify)

 
Question 1: The CLFDB policy paper describes PLAR as a process of identifying, assessing and recognizing what a person knows and can do. This means that regardless of which country a person receives her/his education and experience in, PLAR would allow the individual to be integrated in the Canadian labour force on the basis of their knowledge, skills and abilities.

Do you think this basic concept is sound? Yes No

if no, please explain:

 
Question 2: Do you think PLAR can be implemented in an equitable, coherent and coordinated manner across Canada? Yes No

if no, please explain:

 
Question 3: What do you think would be the most difficult challenge in implementing PLAR across Canada?

 
Question 4: Can you suggest ways to address above challenges?

 
Question 5: Who should have primary responsibility for implementing PLAR?

Business Labour NGOs Federal Government Provincial Governments Other (please specify):	Professional/Trade Regulatory Bodies Individuals educated/trained abroad Universities/colleges Labour Force Development/Training Boards

 
Question 6: Are you interested in participating in a national network to encourage and engage in research and communication on PLAR and related issues?
Yes No
 
Question 7: Can you recommend any individual or organization which you consider particularly important for consultants to contact in completing this project?
Please give details:

Name:	Phone No.: ( )
Organization:
Address:

Please return this questionnaire before you leave the Conference.
 
Thank you.

Navin M. Parekh
Training and Development Associates
15 Welkin Crescent
Nepean, Ontario

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Appendix III

List of Persons Interviewed by the Project Team

1. Educational Institutions

British Columbia

Roger Elmes
Dean, Social Sciences and Music
Kwantlen University College
Surrey

Alberta

Ken Collier (telephone interview)
Director, Centre for Learning Accreditation
Athabasca University
Athabasca

Mark Kolodziej
Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Calgary

Arunas J. Alisauskas
Registrar and Director of Admissions
Mount Royal College
Calgary

Saskatchewan

Gerlinde Sarkar (telephone interview)
Director, Research and Development
Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST)
Saskatoon

Dr. Angie Wong (telephone interview)
Professor, Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon

Manitoba

Marg Lees (telephone interview)
Nursing Coordinator
Keewatin Community College
The Pas

Ontario

Christina Nichols
FITTskills Program Manager
Forum For International Trade Training
Ottawa

Frank Wiley
Chairperson, Career Education Student Services
Career Education Department, Adult High School
Ottawa Carleton District School Board
Ottawa

Barbara J. Foulds
Coordinator
Prior Learning Assessment
Algonquin College
Nepean

Paul Zakos and
Ron Conlon
First Nations Technical Institute
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

Dr. Marie-Josée Berger
University of Toronto
Toronto

Usha George
Faculty of Social Work
University of Toronto
Toronto

Olga Kindiaoff
Comparative Education Service
University of Toronto
Toronto

Quebec

Catherine Gilbert (telephone interview)
Champlain College
Montreal

Yvon Chrétien and Louise St. Cyr (telephone interviews)
École des hautes études commerciales
Montreal

New Brunswick

Russell A. McNeilly
Chair Atlantic Human Rights Centre
Saint Thomas University
Fredericton

Nova Scotia

Janet Moulton
Nova Scotia Community College
Prior Learning Assessment Centre
Halifax

United Kingdom

Malcolm Day, Senior Nursing Instructor and
Heather D. piffle, CATS/APEL Officer
The University of Sheffield
Sheffield

2. Business

Manitoba

D’Arcy Phillips (telephone interview)
Coordinator
Manitoba Aerospace Human Resources Coordinating Committee
Winnipeg

Ontario

Jocelyne Achat
Director, Strategic Staffing
Consulting & Policy
Bank of Montreal
Toronto

Roger Hudson (telephone interview)
Manager, Organization and Employee Development
General Motors of Canada
Oshawa

Mintu Banerjee
Corporate Recruitment Advisor
Human Resources Services Division
Corporate Services Department
Imperial Oil Limited
Toronto

Rob Notman
President
Murray Axsmith (Ottawa) Limited
Ottawa

Sharon Rose
Program Liaison
Nortel/CAW Return to Learning Program
Belleville

Sujata Molyneux
Director
Human Resources Planning
Sun Life of Canada
Toronto

3. Labour

British Columbia

Debby Offermann
Coordinator
B.C. Government & Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU)
Nelson

Donn Stanley
National Representative
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Nanaimo

Ontario
David Onyalo (telephone interview)
National Representative, Women’s and Human Rights Department
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
Ottawa

Susan Giampietri
Vice President
Public Service Alliance of Canada
Ottawa

Cathy Remus (On behalf of the Executive Assistant to the President) and
Matthew Sanger, Research Department
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Ottawa

Gail Carrozzino
Metro Labour Education Centre
Toronto

Quebec

Louise Miller
Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du québec
Montréal

4. Occupational Regulatory Bodies

British Columbia

Marie Crowther
Director of Certification
British Columbia College of Teachers
Vancouver

Patricia Dewhurst, Advisor, Under-represented Groups and
Ian Hodgetts, Supervisor, Trade Certification Programs
Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission (ITAC)
Burnaby

Claire Kermacks
Director, RNABC Regulatory Services
Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC)
Vancouver

Ontario

Manon Allaire (telephone interview)
Administrative Assistant
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Ottawa

Anne Bosse (telephone interview)
Executive Assistant
Canadian Architectural Certification Board
Ottawa

Sheila Waugh (telephone interview)
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons
Ottawa

Claude Boivin (telephone interview)
Registrar
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
Ottawa

Noreen Nolan (telephone interview)
The Medical Council of Canada
Ottawa

Susan Hicks (telephone interview)
Canadian Nurses Association
Ottawa

Deborah Wolfe
Director of Educational Affairs
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
Ottawa

John Pugsley (telephone interview)
Registrar
Pharmacy Examining Board
Toronto

T.E.(Tom) Warner (telephone interview)
Registrar
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
Toronto

Jane Hilton
College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario
Toronto

Robin Kilpatrick
Registrar
College of Midwives of Ontario
Toronto

Kathy Badali
College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
Toronto

Lawrence Fogwill (telephone interview)
Admissions Administrator
Professional Engineers of Ontario
Toronto

Brenda Lewis (telephone interview)
College of Nurses of Ontario
Toronto

Hilel Roebuck
Registrar
Ontario Association of Architects
Toronto

Quebec

Diane Montour (telephone interview)
Ordre des technologues professionnels du québec
Montréal

Josée Prud’homme (telephone interview)
Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes de québec
Montréal

5. Sector Councils

George Nakistas
Executive Director
Canadian Steel Trades and Employment Congress (CSTEC)
Toronto

Michael Brennan, Executive Director, and
Frances Manning, Project Manager
Canadian Technology Human Resources Board
Ottawa

6. Government

British Columbia

Lurline Roy
Executive Director
International Credential Evaluation Services (ICES)
Burnaby

Alberta

Kathleen Morrow (telephone interview)
Coordinator
International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
Alberta Labour
Edmonton

Saskatchewan

Ken Saga1 (telephone interview)
SIAST Liaison
Saskatchewan Post Secondary Education and Skills Training
Regina

Manitoba

Gene J. Lloyd (telephone interview)
Credentials Assessment Officer
Immigrant Credentials & Labour Market Branch
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship
Winnipeg

Ontario

Paul de Latte
Ministry of Education and Training
Government Ontario
Ottawa

Shamira Madhany, Manager and
Felicity Corelli, Program Consultant
Katarina ACS, Senior Program and Policy Consultant
Access To Professions and Trades Unit
Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation
Toronto

Sheine Mankovsky
Access and Equity Consultant
Metro Toronto
Toronto

Federal Government

Lynda Joyce
Economic Policy and Program
Selection Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Ottawa, ON

Daniela Di Bartolo
Senior Researcher
Standards, Planning and Analysis
Human Resource Partnering Directorate
Human Resources Development Canaada
Hull, PQ

United Kingdom

Benita Poole and Theresa Gillard
Focus Central London
Training and Enterprise Council
London

Quebec

Barbara Good, Education Specialist, and
Norman Dufour and M. Lefebvre and
Laila Valen (telephone interviews)
Quebec Ministry of Education
Montreal

France Garon (telephone interview)
Direction d’Apprentissage
Emploi-Québec
Ministere de l’emploi et de la solidarité
Montréal

Jacques Robert (telephone interview)
Le Service des Équivalences
Ministère des relations avec les citoyens et de l’immigration
Montréal

7. Immigrants and Immigrant-Serving Organizations

British Columbia

Harpreet Bachra
Director, Employment Programs
Surrey Delta Immigrant Services Society
Surrey

Jagrup Brar
Director, Employment Programs
Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society
Surrey

Marius Curteanu
Settlement/Employment Counsellor
Immigrant and Multicultural Services
Prince George

Ontario

Affi, Ladan
Settlement Counsellor
Catholic Immigration Centre
Ottawa

Shelley Das
Executive Director
National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada (NOIVMWC)
Ottawa

Nityanand Varma
Vice President
Ottawa-carleton Immigrant Services Organization
Ottawa

Karen Lior, (telephone interview)
Coordinator
Advocates For Community Based Training & Education For Women (ACTEW)
Toronto

Mary Momolu
Director of Programs
Rainbow Women’s Centre
Ottawa

Ratna Omidvar (former Executive Director) and
Nuala Doherty
Skills For Change
Toronto

New Brunswick

Muhammad Arif
Chair
Ministerial Advisory Committee On Multiculturalism and Human Rights
Fredericton

Madhu Verma
President
Indo-Canadian Associaiton of Fredericton
First Vice President
New Brnuswick Multicultural Council
Fredericton

Darlene Lamey, Executive Director
Dave Peters, Past President, and
Sylvie Sparks
Prude
Saint John

8. Consultants

Ontario

Marla M. Metson
Principal
Metson Consulting
Newmarket

Dr. Hilroy Thomas
Formerly with Ontario Ministry of Education
Toronto

Robert Czerny
Consultant
(Former Director in several government departments)
Ottawa

9. Other

Manitoba

Rick Dedi (telephone interview)
Executive Director
Manitoba Prior Learning Assessment Centre
Winnipeg

Ontario

Robert Patry
Coordinator, Postsecondary Education
Council of Ministers of Education, Canada
Ottawa

Walter Noble (telephone interview)
Program Manager, Partners Program
Ottawa Centre For Research and Innovation (OCRI)
Kanata

Quebec

Nicole D’Avignon
National Coordinator
Canadian Information Centre For International Credentials
Hull

New Brunswick

Prof. Constantine Passaris
Chair
New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
Fredericton

Nova Scotia

Douglas Myers (telephone interview)
Executive Director
Prior Learning Assessment Centre
Halifax

Prince Edward Island

Frank Zakem (telephone interview)
Former Mayor
City of Charlottetown
Former Principal
Holland College
Charlottetown

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Appendix IV

Focus Groups

The study team conducted five focus group discussions with a wide cross-section of participants versed in matters related to the employment of the foreign-trained either as members of national organizations dedicated to analysis and advocacy of labour force issues, as members of agencies serving immigrants or as immigrants with first-hand experience of trying to secure employment.

Participants were asked to focus on five matters in particular:

1. The concept of PLAR and its application in Canada
2. The assessment of credentials
3. Experiential learning
4. Strategic alliances between stakeholders
5. Responsibility for PLAR

The aim was to elicit perspectives on the developments in Canada in the field and to garner some preliminary insights in “model” ways of enhancing the development of PLAR in Canada. As would be expected, the nature of the conversation varied with the composition and experiences of the respective groups.

The first focus group was with the Visible Minority Council on Labour Force Development, the reference group for that segment of the CLFDB’s constituency of “designated groups”. This was held as part of their meeting on 24 November 1997 in Montreal.

Two focus groups were held in Toronto with immigrant settlement workers on November 28 and December 3,1997. These focus groups were conducted as part of the ISAP 1997 Conference and allowed an opportunity to obtain input of people who deal with immigrants’ issues on a daily basis.

To solicit views of recent immigrants, another focus group was held in Toronto on November 28,1997, with a group of immigrants who had arrived in Canada during the previous nine months. Participants were from seven countries from Europe and South and Southeast Asia and were seeking work in accounting, software programming and engineering occupations. Skills for change, a Toronto organization assisting immigrants in settling in Canada, helped in bringing the participants together at its premises.

The last focus group was held in Burnaby, British Columbia, on 24 February 1998 with representatives of the B.C. Federation of Labour, the Canadian Labour Congress, the union of Operating Engineers and the Health Employees Union. This focus group provided some insights about labour’s perspective on PLAR.

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Appendix V

Case Studies

A number of innovative and exciting PLAR initiatives are in progress across Canada. In order to learn from these initiatives, we selected ten programs in more detail. In addition, during our examination of developments in other countries, we came across three noteworthy programs, two in Australia and one in the United States. We included these three initiatives in the study as well.

Canadian Case Studies

For the purpose of our study, we divided Canadian case studies according to whether they are workplace oriented or are at educational institutions.

Workplace-oriented Programs
Six of the ten Canadian case studies are based in the workplace. of these, three deal with PLAR in general while the other three focus specifically on foreign-trained individuals.

• CSTEC
• PLA Centre, Halifax
• New System of Apprenticeship in Quebec
• Metro Labour Education Centre’s Portfolio Development Course
• Mohawk Colleges’ Practical Test for foreign-trained
• Automechanics
• Sector Orientation Terminology Information Counselling (STIC)

PLAR Programs in Educational/Learning Institutions

• FNTI
• Douglas College
• SAIT
• FITT

Australian Case Studies

• Roof Plumbers RPL Project, Western Australia
• Child Care Assessment Bridging Project, Western Australia

U.S. Case Study

• State University of New York, Empire State College

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Appendix VI

References

CAPLA Note: since the publication of this report, many of the web sites listed below are now inactive or have been changed.

Abella, Judge Rosalie, Royal Commission on Equality in Employment, Supply and Services, Ottawa, 1984

Algonquin College, CD-ROM: Portfolio Development, Ottawa, June 1997

Algonquin College, Prior Learning Assessment: Instructor’s Manual, Ottawa, June 1997

American Council on Education (ACE), www.acenet.edu

Australia, Recognition of Pharmacy in Australia, November 1990: Department of Employment, Education and Training, 1990.

Australia, Recognising Your Trade Skills (for those trained outside Australia), Trades Recognition Australia, The Department of Industrial Relations, July 1992.

Australia, Migrant Skills: Improving Recognition Process, Minister of Employment, Education Training, Australia, Canberra: Government Publishing Services, 1989.

Bank of Montreal, Selection Guide, Toronto, April 1994

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