A panel will discuss how the challenges in accessing employment in their professional fields impacts immigrants to Canada Thursday.
The deprofessionalization and labour market integration challenges of immigrant professionals are well known. However, more attention needs to be paid to the impact of these challenges on the professional identity of immigrants.
Four speakers will address the topic, Exploring Immigrants’ Professional Identity and their Access to Professions, during a panel discussion Sept. 18, from 2 to 4pm, at the 519 Church Street Community Centre, 519 Church St., Toronto. The discussion is organized by CERIS. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
This multi-sectoral panel will explore the ways in which immigrants experience identity growth or identity crisis as they face barriers to professional practice. Policy implications will also be addressed, including the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s policy on removing the “Canadian experience” barrier. First-hand experiences of professional immigrants will be shared along with insights from practitioners working with this group.
The panel will be comprised of York University Professor Jelena Zikic of the School of Human Resource Management; Cherie Robertson, senior policy analyst, Ontario Human Rights Commission; Stephen Chase, manager, Program Development and Partnerships, World Education Services; and Ike Agbassi, medical laboratory technologist.