Skills Connect, a British Columbia (BC) employment initiative that helps immigrants find jobs that match their skills and experience, is now providing its services to the health care sector. It will focus on clients in the twelve health occupations experiencing labour shortages in BC, including physicians, laboratory technologists, registered and licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists. The goal is to help 200 clients through the health sector of the program by the end of March 2008 and 400 in the next fiscal year. The program guides immigrants through the unfamiliar labour market, helping them to overcome language barriers and obtain the necessary skills and experience to obtain work in BC.
With a $9.9 million budget for this fiscal year, Skills Connect is an important component of Work BC, the provincial action plan to address BC labour shortages. Since it was created in July 2006, the program has helped more than 1,300 immigrants find employment in sectors where provincial skill shortages exist or are projected. In addition to the health sector, Skills Connect helps immigrants obtain occupations in the energy, transportation, construction, and tourism and hospitality sectors.












