This study explored the responsiveness of two Ontario Colleges (called Eastern and Western for the purposes of this study) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to internationally trained immigrant (ITI) students accessing college education for retraining purposes. Many highly educated immigrants are unable to have their credentials recognized because professional regulatory bodies and employers are reluctant to accept their previous education and work experience. Therefore, many ITIs access Ontario college education in the hope that, upon graduation, they will find skill-related employment that will contribute to their settlement in Canada. The purpose of this research was to examine how the two participating colleges address the ITI students’ occupation-specific needs in their current institutional policies and practices. Qualitative research methods, interviews and document analysis, were utilized to examine the admission and program delivery practices at each of the study colleges. Interviews were conducted with 13 ITI student participants and 14 college personnel to provide an opportunity for them to voice their opinions about their college experiences. To provide direction for interpreting and analyzing the research findings, the single- and double-loop organizational learning framework developed by Argyris and Schon (1974, 1978) was used. The findings suggest that Eastern and Western Colleges have different approaches in valuing and placing importance in responding to ITI students’ retraining needs. The data indicated that ITI students at Eastern College were not perceived by college personnel as a unique group of students having specific retraining needs; rather, they were seen as part of the larger student constituency. On the other hand, Western College recognized the ITI students’ distinctive occupation-specific needs and made commitments towards improving its policies and practices to increase the College’s effectiveness in meeting the ITIs needs. Although limited to only two Ontario colleges, the study findings have some important implications for theory and practice. The findings have contributed to increased awareness and a better understanding of challenges ITI students face in accessing Ontario college education, and it has offered recommendations for college efforts to respond to ITI students’ educational needs.

Canadian universities are challenged by the lack of graduating enough dentists to meet the future needs of the Canadian population. Foreign-trained dentists (FTD) represent a valuable resource to society and the economy. Dental programs have trained FTD for various reasons: public need for healthcare services, income generation for universities, and demand by FTD who desire to practice dentistry in Canada. Changes implemented by the National Dental Examining Board (NDEB) of Canada in 2000 have resulted in FTD no longer being able to gain Canadian dental licensure through a certification examination. FTD are now required to complete a two-year advanced placement qualifying or degree program at a Canadian dental school prior to receiving licensure. In 2003, the University of Manitoba launched a two-year International Dentist Degree Program (IDDP). In Part I of the study, 19 transcribed interviews of IDDP graduates between 2004-2008 were analyzed manually. Five qualitative themes emerged from the dataset. The themes are identified as: (1) isolation and physical relocation issues (i.e., from friends, family and their culture), (2) personal and professional demands of the program (i.e., maintaining home life with spouse and /or children as well as the professional demands of a dental student), (3) emotional stress associated with the program, (i.e., personal struggles and financial stresses), (4) re-learning a system (i.e., both cultural and professional), and (5) overall program satisfaction. In Part II of the study, the mean differences between the outcome variables (Clinical Grades, Didactic Grades, Final Grade Point Average, and NDEB Written and OSCE scores) were statistically analyzed between the 37 IDDP graduates and 246 regular-stream dental graduates from 2003-2011. Based on analysis of the data, the IDDP graduates performed better than the regular-stream dental graduates in all the variables. The mean scores in each of the outcome variables were higher than the regular-stream group, the only variable that was found to be statistically significant was observed in the NDEB Written scores (p>0.05).

Canadian universities are challenged by the lack of graduating enough dentists to meet the future needs of the Canadian population. Foreign-trained dentists (FTD) represent a valuable resource to society and the economy. Dental programs have trained FTD for various reasons: public need for healthcare services, income generation for universities, and demand by FTD who desire to practice dentistry in Canada. Changes implemented by the National Dental Examining Board (NDEB) of Canada in 2000 have resulted in FTD no longer being able to gain Canadian dental licensure through a certification examination. FTD are now required to complete a two-year advanced placement qualifying or degree program at a Canadian dental school prior to receiving licensure. In 2003, the University of Manitoba launched a two-year International Dentist Degree Program (IDDP). In Part I of the study, 19 transcribed interviews of IDDP graduates between 2004-2008 were analyzed manually. Five qualitative themes emerged from the dataset. The themes are identified as: (1) isolation and physical relocation issues (i.e., from friends, family and their culture), (2) personal and professional demands of the program (i.e., maintaining home life with spouse and /or children as well as the professional demands of a dental student), (3) emotional stress associated with the program, (i.e., personal struggles and financial stresses), (4) re-learning a system (i.e., both cultural and professional), and (5) overall program satisfaction. In Part II of the study, the mean differences between the outcome variables (Clinical Grades, Didactic Grades, Final Grade Point Average, and NDEB Written and OSCE scores) were statistically analyzed between the 37 IDDP graduates and 246 regular-stream dental graduates from 2003-2011. Based on analysis of the data, the IDDP graduates performed better than the regular-stream dental graduates in all the variables. The mean scores in each of the outcome variables were higher than the regular-stream group, the only variable that was found to be statistically significant was observed in the NDEB Written scores (p>0.05).

This study explored the responsiveness of two Ontario Colleges (called Eastern and Western for the purposes of this study) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to internationally trained immigrant (ITI) students accessing college education for retraining purposes. Many highly educated immigrants are unable to have their credentials recognized because professional regulatory bodies and employers are reluctant to accept their previous education and work experience. Therefore, many ITIs access Ontario college education in the hope that, upon graduation, they will find skill-related employment that will contribute to their settlement in Canada. The purpose of this research was to examine how the two participating colleges address the ITI students’ occupation-specific needs in their current institutional policies and practices. Qualitative research methods, interviews and document analysis, were utilized to examine the admission and program delivery practices at each of the study colleges. Interviews were conducted with 13 ITI student participants and 14 college personnel to provide an opportunity for them to voice their opinions about their college experiences. To provide direction for interpreting and analyzing the research findings, the single- and double-loop organizational learning framework developed by Argyris and Schon (1974, 1978) was used. The findings suggest that Eastern and Western Colleges have different approaches in valuing and placing importance in responding to ITI students’ retraining needs. The data indicated that ITI students at Eastern College were not perceived by college personnel as a unique group of students having specific retraining needs; rather, they were seen as part of the larger student constituency. On the other hand, Western College recognized the ITI students’ distinctive occupation-specific needs and made commitments towards improving its policies and practices to increase the College’s effectiveness in meeting the ITIs needs. Although limited to only two Ontario colleges, the study findings have some important implications for theory and practice. The findings have contributed to increased awareness and a better understanding of challenges ITI students face in accessing Ontario college education, and it has offered recommendations for college efforts to respond to ITI students’ educational needs.

This research project investigates the job search experiences of racialized internationally trained educators seeking to re-enter their professions in Canada. Previous studies have made extensive headway in understanding the job-search experiences of racialized immigrants. Specifically, some studies have demonstrated that racism is endemic to the Canadian labour-market, while others have concluded that work experience and credentials obtained in some countries are systematically undervalued in the Canadian labour-market. Further, studies have demonstrated that factors such as non English sounding names and accents can greatly limit some individuals’ job opportunities. Despite this widespread consensus, narrative accounts of job search experiences are almost entirely absent from present research. Hence, in distinction from the quantitative methods of the majority of recent studies of the subject, this work relies on the narratives of racialized immigrant educators for its principal empirical evidence. The counter narratives assembled in this work provide a unique and unprecedented insight into the experience of racialized immigrant educators in the Canadian job-market. Through interviews with racialized immigrant educators from various educational, racial and political backgrounds, this study seeks to explore the challenges that are faced by some racialized immigrants in Canada. The results of this study confirm the consensus in the existing literature, but also demonstrate that discrimination against racialized immigrants has often been greatly under-stated. The narratives suggest that racialized immigrant educators experience significant discrimination during the job search process and in Canadian society in general. Further, this study reveals the extent to which the discrimination faced by racialized Canadian immigrants is not the result of single factors—such as race, accent, non English names and culture—but is rather the cumulative and overlapping result of multiple factors of discrimination. The consequences of this discrimination lead to alienation from Canadian society, family breakdown, disenchantment, loss of self-worth and identity. Subsequently the effects can extend from one immigrant generation to the next. These results are mostly unheard and unexplored in existing literature and dominant discourse.

This research project investigates the job search experiences of racialized internationally trained educators seeking to re-enter their professions in Canada. Previous studies have made extensive headway in understanding the job-search experiences of racialized immigrants. Specifically, some studies have demonstrated that racism is endemic to the Canadian labour-market, while others have concluded that work experience and credentials obtained in some countries are systematically undervalued in the Canadian labour-market. Further, studies have demonstrated that factors such as non English sounding names and accents can greatly limit some individuals’ job opportunities. Despite this widespread consensus, narrative accounts of job search experiences are almost entirely absent from present research. Hence, in distinction from the quantitative methods of the majority of recent studies of the subject, this work relies on the narratives of racialized immigrant educators for its principal empirical evidence. The counter narratives assembled in this work provide a unique and unprecedented insight into the experience of racialized immigrant educators in the Canadian job-market. Through interviews with racialized immigrant educators from various educational, racial and political backgrounds, this study seeks to explore the challenges that are faced by some racialized immigrants in Canada. The results of this study confirm the consensus in the existing literature, but also demonstrate that discrimination against racialized immigrants has often been greatly under-stated. The narratives suggest that racialized immigrant educators experience significant discrimination during the job search process and in Canadian society in general. Further, this study reveals the extent to which the discrimination faced by racialized Canadian immigrants is not the result of single factors—such as race, accent, non English names and culture—but is rather the cumulative and overlapping result of multiple factors of discrimination. The consequences of this discrimination lead to alienation from Canadian society, family breakdown, disenchantment, loss of self-worth and identity. Subsequently the effects can extend from one immigrant generation to the next. These results are mostly unheard and unexplored in existing literature and dominant discourse.

This study examines how the credentialing process for foreign-trained engineers implemented by the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) affects newcomers from the former Soviet Union and Russia seeking to re-enter the profession. Applying critical sociological theory to its analysis of data generated through qualitative methods, it highlights how the ethnic, racial, and educational background of applicants shapes their encounters with the PEO and the outcome of their applications. It sheds light on the crises of identity and in social and family relations experienced by these individuals, as well as the lack of supporting services to address such crises. This study contributes to existing literature on the subject by taking a new approach to the credentialing of foreign-trained engineers in Ontario, focusing on the perspective of individual applicants rather than structural factors. It concludes with specific recommendations on how the process could be improved and the regulatory body itself reformed.

This study examines how the credentialing process for foreign-trained engineers implemented by the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) affects newcomers from the former Soviet Union and Russia seeking to re-enter the profession. Applying critical sociological theory to its analysis of data generated through qualitative methods, it highlights how the ethnic, racial, and educational background of applicants shapes their encounters with the PEO and the outcome of their applications. It sheds light on the crises of identity and in social and family relations experienced by these individuals, as well as the lack of supporting services to address such crises. This study contributes to existing literature on the subject by taking a new approach to the credentialing of foreign-trained engineers in Ontario, focusing on the perspective of individual applicants rather than structural factors. It concludes with specific recommendations on how the process could be improved and the regulatory body itself reformed.

The purpose of this study is to examine the phenomenon of institutional credential devaluation and the impacts on internationally-trained social workers in Canada. International social workers are recruited to immigrate to Canada based on their credentials and experience but some discover after immigrating that their qualifications are devalued which limits or prohibits their ability to engage in professional practice. This experience is recognized within the literature in other professions; however, there has been insufficient attention given to it within social work itself and to the various stakeholders involved. Using critical theory and interpretative phenomenological analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with internationally-trained social workers to gain insight into their experiences of devaluation and graduate degree repetition in Ontario universities. Extensive exploration of the institutional stakeholders in credential assessment, the field of social work and universities was also undertaken and provides systemic context to the experiences of international social workers. While internationally-trained social workers have high views of Canada prior to immigrating, these perspectives change upon encountering systemic devaluation and discrimination post-immigration. They describe confusion, frustration and powerlessness as they navigate through social work systems in seeking to gain recognition of their credentials in order to practice. When they eventually decide to return to Ontario universities to obtain the recognition they need/deserve, they experience continued devaluation. Instead of identifying different or better social work education in Ontario, they describe repetition of what they learned in their countries of origin, raising questions about the similarities and differences in international social work education. The personal costs and psychological impacts of these experiences are shared by the participants. The practices of social work and post-secondary institutions in creating systemic barriers to internationally-trained social workers are examined with recommendations for further research and policy and practice changes that will lead to greater justice and equity. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Foreign-trained healthcare professionals consist of a sizable and important portion of the United States healthcare workforce (Chen et al., 2013; Farkas, 2003; Lowell, 2012). Foreign-trained healthcare workers often encounter various challenges in acclimating and integrating into the American society and workforce. Even though foreign-trained occupational therapists are considered essential, and their difficulties in adjusting are well-recognized, there are very limited bridging and training programs designated solely for this population that incorporate a comprehensive approach and meets their unique needs. Therefore, this doctoral project aimed to understand the barriers to integrating into the local workforce and proposed ways for supporting these highly- educated and experienced professionals in their new country. The resulting solution is A Bright Future Ahead, an online educational and vocational program designed for new foreign occupational therapists. The program’s content and structure are based on existing programs for adjacent health professionals while customizing the program’s layout and content to target occupational therapists. A Bright Future Ahead suggests a multi-layered solution that requires an enormous investment in the program’s development and implementation; however, this program can be expanded in the future to other professions that share similar professional credentialing processes and experience akin barriers.