CIITE Phase 1 (December 2003 – December 2004)

CIITE Phase 1 was built on a province-wide consultation that included key stakeholders, including colleges, immigrant settlement agencies, government departments, employers, and internationally trained immigrants (ITIs).

Following extensive consultation with 21 of 24 Ontario colleges, Phase 1 identified myriad barriers faced by ITIs in the colleges. These are presented under categories corresponding to the major stages in the progress of an ITI through an Ontario college:

• Information and Advisement
• Assessment of Credentials
• Assessment of Language
• Transition to Employment

Phase 1 results included the identification of service and structural barriers for ITIs and the establishment of a vision for an ITI pathway to employment through the college system. Project proposals were submitted to address the high-priority issues and define best practice models for college implementation.


Phase 1 Final Report.pdf
Appendices to Phase 1 Report

CIITE Phase 2

This section provides high-level summaries for each of the seven Phase 2 projects, quickly recapping the issues, activities, and recommendations in each.

To view the Phase 2 Final Report click here.

• Advising
• Competency Assessment
• Continuing Education Data Collection
• Credential Assessment and Advanced Standing
• Employment Preparation
• Language Proficency (Assessment)
• Admissions Project

Advising Project

ITIs need access to an advisor who is culturally-sensitive and knowledgeable about the work environment, labour market needs and educational offerings, in order to advise them about how to achieve their employment objectives and how to most efficiently use the college system – including making proper program choices, navigating the application and admission processes, and resolving program-related academic concerns. The lack of comprehensive, easily accessible advising services often leads to ITIs spending excessive time and money in inappropriate programs, or to ITIs not finding an effective pathway to employment.

The Advising Project Team recommended that Ontario colleges implement advising services for ITIs using the tools developed and piloted in Phase 2; implement the data tracking and reporting required for system management; and create an ITI advisor network to transfer best practices across colleges.

The anticipated impact of this project includes more informed program-choice and career decisions by ITIs, reduced and more effective time spent in the college system, a faster path to employment, and employment commensurate with their prior learning and experience.

The participants were Algonquin, Centennial, George Brown, and St. Clair colleges.

Advising Project Report
ITI Advising Guide
French ITI Advising Guide
Advising Key Findings

Competency Assessment Project

ITIs acquire professional knowledge and skills in several ways, other than through formal education. Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) and competency assessment are both processes for assessing knowledge and skills, to the benefit of ITIs seeking employment. PLAR is a distinct process already in place in the Ontario college system and differs from institution to institution. PLAR assesses non-credential prior learning against course outcomes, for the purpose of receiving individual credits and grades for college courses. PLAR is primarily conducted through a lengthy process of portfolio development. Opportunities for ITIs in the college system to obtain PLAR are limited and not well publicised because they are too costly for colleges to sustain. Ontario colleges lack guidelines and updated tools for conducting PLAR.

A related but distinct concept is competency assessment, which assesses previous learning (including credentials and non-credential knowledge and skills) against the overall learning outcomes of a program or profession. The purpose is to identify the skill and knowledge gaps that need to be filled in order for an individual to be ready for employment. Competency assessment will primarily be conducted through written and practical skills demonstrations that take no longer than a few weeks to complete. The difference between competency assessment and PLAR is that competency assessment provides an employment-focused overview of an individual’s competencies, while PLAR is focused on course credits and grades.

This was a short project as it was one of the two additional projects funded in 2007. It investigated competency assessment as an additional option to PLAR. Competency assessment was perceived to offer processes that could provide a timely, practical, and holistic assessment of an individual’s knowledge and skills. Two models were designed for competency assessment, one in a regulated profession and one in an unregulated profession, and a set of operational guidelines was created.

Recommendations include piloting the competency assessment model in two professions, the development of college capacity to provide methods of recognition that correspond to flexible programming, and the exploration of the development of regional centres of assessment.

The anticipated impact for ITIs will be the creation of much more personalised and efficient plans for gaining employment, including the identification of job requirements, currently-held skills and competencies, education/knowledge gaps, and recognition of previous education and experience.

The participants were Algonquin, Boréal, Centennial, La Cité, Conestoga, Fanshawe, George Brown, Humber, Mohawk, Niagara, St. Clair, and Sheridan colleges.

Competency Assesment Project Report

Continuing Education Data Collection Project

Current college data collection practices do not effectively identify ITIs, making it impossible to track their progress through the system and difficult to target and manage initiatives to help them. This is particularly true in Continuing Education and part-time studies.

In a consultative process through the Heads of Continuing Education, current data collection practices for part-time (PT) and Continuing Education (CE) students were examined.

Recommendations included revising the Continuing Education Provincial Survey (CEPS) to better identify ITIs in CE and PT programs in order to track these individuals and develop interventions and initiatives to assist them. The impact on ITIs from tracking their presence and progress in the system will be an improved ability on the part of college management and faculty to meet the educational and support needs of ITIs.

The Heads of Continuing Education (HCE) Committee participated in this project.

Continuing Education Data Collection Project Report

Credential Assessment & Advanced Standing Project (CA & AS)

The Ontario college system does not have recognized system-level guidelines or procedures for international credential assessment, or for determining the academic credits individuals may be granted through Advanced Standing or Transfer Credit . Individual colleges have their own processes, but inconsistencies exist between institutions, resulting in a lack of clear guidelines for ITIs wishing to apply for credit, as well as inefficiencies and inequities in the granting of credit.

The CA & AS Project developed and piloted standardized tools, operational guidelines, and communication materials related to credential recognition that can be applied and used across Ontario colleges.

Project recommendations included that Ontario colleges adopt the standardized tools and guidelines for ITI academic recognition and that college staff in these roles be trained in the use of the tools and guidelines.

The impact for ITIs will be reduced cost and faster assessments, and improved and consistent recognition of previous education across Ontario colleges.

The participants were Algonquin, Centennial, Fanshawe, and Seneca colleges, the International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS), the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS), and World Education Services (WES).

CA & AS Project Report

Employment Preparation Project

Specialised ITI-focused employment advisement services are not commonly offered at Ontario colleges. ITIs would benefit from more co-op and work placements that prepared them for employment. The Job Connect program is present at 20 of 24 colleges, but its service scope has been limited and it has not fully utilized the potential links to the colleges’ wide range of services and resources, nor has it fully engaged other ITI-relevant community agencies such as settlement services.

Research was conducted to understand (a) Job Connect in Ontario colleges and (b) how ITIs access employment preparation services. Twenty-five employment preparation service providers were interviewed and 59 ITIs participated in focus group discussions.

Project recommendations include piloting an integrated model to improve links between college and community-based employment preparation providers, and capacity-building initiatives within colleges to better serve ITIs. Job Connect or an equivalent service should be placed at every college. As well, the implementation of enhanced workplace experience opportunities for ITIs should be piloted in Ontario colleges.

The anticipated impact of the Employment Preparation Project for ITIs includes a faster path to employment and an improved rate of achieving employment commensurate with their level of skills and experience.

The participants were Fanshawe, Mohawk, Niagara, and Sheridan colleges.

Employment Preparation Project Report

Language Proficiency (Assessment) Project

Language assessment tools in colleges are inconsistently applied and not clearly linked to the language requirements of programs. Colleges can better serve the language development requirements of ITIs by assessing them appropriately into programs, and delivering programs in a manner that encourages the development of language proficiency for the profession.

In the Language Project, college program benchmarking for selected programs was piloted and a protocol developed for implementing program benchmarking at individual colleges, in conjunction with the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB). Staff in seven colleges were trained in benchmarking, and 31 post-secondary programs and 8 language courses were benchmarked.

The Canadian Language Benchmarks Placement Test (CLBPT) was piloted to assess its suitability for system adoption for post-secondary program

placement, and other commonly used language assessment tools were analysed using the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000. Project recommendations include that the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 be adopted at Ontario colleges as a language proficiency framework, with training for staff, and that the colleges adopt benchmarking as an essential tool for assessment and program design and delivery. Based on the pilot, adoption of the CLBPT for college entry assessment was not recommended, because it was designed for ESL placement and does not test all of the skills required for program and employment success. It was recommended that colleges use a suite of language tests aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks, and that the college system support the eventual national development of a new CLB-based test appropriate for use in post-secondary environments, by the CCLB.

The impact of the Language Project for ITIs will be portable assessment results accepted by all colleges and the ability to use prior test results for assessment purposes. This will result in cost and time savings for ITIs and a more streamlined college entry experience. As well, when program language benchmarks are established, curriculum can be tailored and enhanced to improve the ITI learning experience, ensuring communication skills development that aligns with workplace requirements.

The participants were Algonquin, Centennial, George Brown, La Cité, Mohawk, Seneca, and Sheridan colleges, and the CCLB.

Language Proficiency (Assessment) Project Report
Language Benchmarking Guide

Admissions Project

College application and admission processes, including some OCAS processes, are confusing to applicants who were educated outside Canada. Admissions and application-processing staff would benefit from more training in how to work with diverse clientele. As well, data collected on ITIs through the application process is quite limited, making it impossible to accurately track this population through the college system.

Research was structured to identify the roadblocks for ITIs in application processes and the gaps in college data collection and management related to these processes. Project recommendations included changing the OCAS online application to make the process and tool more user-friendly for ITIs, training OCAS and college admissions staff to understand and deal more effectively with the specific needs of ITIs, and developing consistent policies across Ontario colleges regarding the acceptance of recognized external credential assessment reports.

The impact for ITIs from this project will be more understandable, user-friendly application processes across Ontario colleges.

The participants were Algonquin, Cambrian, Fanshawe, Seneca, and St. Clair colleges, and OCAS.

Admissions Project Report