MODULE 2 -
CONTENTS
CAREER SPECIFIC SESSIONS
BEFORE YOU START: CHECKLIST 
Purpose
This module assists newcomers in acquiring career-specific
information such as: the profile and typical job descriptions at different levels of
complexity in an occupation; qualifications needed, introduction to the relevant
terminology, employment trends, outlooks, current employment/unemployment rates, career
development issues, the length of time required to access an occupation, etc. These
sessions include a guest speaker or a video profile of an immigrant who has either
re-entered their original occupation or optimized their previous experience while pursuing
a new occupation. The intention is to help newcomers expand the range of perceived
opportunities by showcasing immigrants who are now successfully employed. These newcomers
will be available to share their stories as well as their previous and present
concerns and successes.
General Information and Introduction
The career specific session is a group information session in which facts and
other information about a specific career field are shared with the newcomers. It consists
of the sharing of information in three parts. The first part consists of providing
information about the profession (fact sheets), terminology, labour market information,
information on certification, licensing and licensing bodies. the second part provides
information about other related occupational clusters and other occupations, where similar
transferable skills can be used. The third part is offering a group information sessions
with the foreign-trained resource person/s who have been successful in their desired
occupations in Canada/Ontario. This process provides a complete overview of the
professional field in the Canadian/Ontario context including the experiential information
that is rarely found in any document.
Important Note:
Unlike in the previous module, here, all six suggested sessions have common
general and specific expectations. Each suggested session is specific to a relatively
large cluster of occupations. When organizing career-specific employment and career
orientation please refer to the general information provided below and add adequate
resources and links listed under each cluster heading. In addition to the resources we are
offering a selection of resumes provided by employment support programs for newcomers from
the K-W region. These resumes are a good illustration of how newcomers make their first
entries into a field and how they market their transferable skills.
General Expectations or
Outcomes of this Module
Participants collect information about:
 | A career-specific area including its terminology, labour market information,
certification and licensing, licensing body, labour market information |
| Complete description of an occupational profile |
| Information about other related occupational clusters in the same field |
| Information about transferable skills from this field that can be applied to
entry level or transitional occupations in a related or unrelated field |
| Experiential information/anecdotes from the resource people that are not
in written form anywhere |
Specific Expectations from Module 2
Participants will understand:
| A job description, training and educational requirements, labour market
information and licensing/certification information about a typical profession in the
field |
| Similarities or differences between different occupations in the same field |
| Common transferable skills that can be applied to other occupations (related as
well as unrelated) |
| Experiential information/anecdotes from the resource people that are not in
written form anywhere |
Cross-Cultural Notes
| Most of the participants who complete General Employment and Career Orientation
sessions require some follow-up to Career Specific information. As different newcomers
have different interests, it may not be easy to get a sufficient number of participants
interested in specific career clusters to warrant group delivery. There are at least two
options to resolve this issue: One is to look at the ways of bringing together people with
a broader range of skills (i.e. medical doctors and medical technologists, or health
professionals). Another option may be to organize a session according to career
preferences rather than career backgrounds. |
| In an information circle on a specific occupation, participants listen to role
models, who have been foreign-trained and who have successfully made it into their desired
occupations in Canada/Ontario. this exercise is often inspiring and motivational for
newcomers. This information often bridges the gap and covers the grey area of the
certification and licensing process that is not written down in black and white. |
| Fact sheets and written information about obtaining licensing and
certification should be used as a guide as the experiences of people differ from person to
person, particularly in the teaching profession. |
Objective
To increase the participants' ability to define their own career
options by offering a range of occupational choices within a cluster of occupations (NOC).
Learning Outcomes/Measures
Participants are able to identify two to three occupations that
optimize their previous experience. The choices reflect different levels of complexity to
accommodate the needs for language improvement, technological upgrading or new career
training.
Methods
Multi-Dimensional, Information and Orientation sessions.
Techniques
Guest speakers, lectures, video and computer presentations and
participatory exercises. An Informational Interview is an excellent
technique for this module. It can be used both in an individual exercise, or in a group
setting as a guideline for the discussion with resource people.
Evaluation
The outcome evaluation information is to be gathered from the
participants at the end of each individual session and again at the end of the program.
Please refer to the attached evaluation forms.
Length
Three to five hours with guest speakers.
Participation
15 to 20 participants per session.
Possible Settings
Employment Training Programs, ESL classrooms, settlement agencies,
employment support programs, colleges and universities with immigrant students, and
various training programs.
Participant Profile
Newcomers facing barriers finding employment ("Not Yet
Ready" to engage in job search), such as ESL learners, newcomers with or without work
experience and with unclear career goals, newcomers attending training programs or
newcomers in the process of changing careers. The participants have to be able to
independently collect labour market information prior to attending.
Language Eligibility
Canadian Benchmark Levels 4 and up.
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