Tanya Chute Molina, Policy & Program Adviser Gatineau, March 13, 2014

1. A race against time: successes and challenges of alternative routes to licensingMetropolis Conference Tanya Chute Molina, Policy & Program Adviser Gatineau, March 13, 2014

2. Agenda Four perspectives on alternative routes to licensing • Research • Tanya Chute Molina, Office of the Fairness Commissioner • Immigrant experience • UcheIsiuwe, Internationally educated pharmacist • Assessment • MouradMohand-Said, Canadian Architectural Certification Board • Bridging • Jan Sheppard Kutcher, Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education Office of the fairness commissioner

3. Partnering for success “Integration is a sharing process where both newcomer and host society are influenced and in some way both need to change. What immigrants need is the opportunity of the first door.” Leticia, internationally educated psychologist Office of the fairness commissioner

4. The race against time • For immigrants, the race is to meet licensing requirements before losing currency of practice. • Internationally educated vets take 3-6 years to complete exams. • Internationally educated doctors lose their chance of getting matched to a residency spot after 3 years away from practice. • For Canada, the race is to meet skill shortages before immigrant professionals give up or go elsewhere. • Baby boomers are retiring. • Engineering sector is facing a shortage of experienced professionals. Office of the fairness commissioner

5. Types of acceptable alternatives • Alternatives that allow applicants to demonstrate competencies • Paper-based assessment of education and experience • Direct assessment of knowledge and skills • Alternatives that allow applicants to fill gaps in competencies • Self-paced learning • Bridging programs • Transfer credit and advanced standing • Regulators may combine several types of assessment. • Regulators may offer several options to fill gaps in competencies. Office of the fairness commissioner

6. Competencies • Competencies = knowledge and skills required to practice a profession • No one-size-fits-all way to develop or demonstrate competencies • Fair access principles • All licensing requirements must be relevant and necessary to the practice of the profession. • Regulators should identify any acceptable alternatives for meeting requirements. Office of the fairness commissioner

7. Challenges related to competency-based alternatives • Competencies, like requirements, must be relevant and necessary • “historical study reveals that competencies have moved on and off lists sanctioned by each profession with regularity, partly as a result of advances in the sciences but also for economic, political, and sociological reasons” (Hodges, 2012) • Competency-based alternatives for meeting academic requirements can pose challenges related to: • access • affordability • efficiency • sustainability Office of the fairness commissioner

8. Paper-based assessment of education and experience • Availability: 10 professions (9 non-health, 1 health) • Challenges for applicants: • documentation may be difficult to prepare • unfamiliar task • language fluency • documentation may be difficult to obtain from overseas • work samples • witnesses • Considerations for regulators: • warn applicants that the assessment process is long and complex • provide clear and comprehensive instructions Office of the fairness commissioner

9. Direct assessment of knowledge and skills • Availability: 16 professions (10 health, 6 non-health) • Challenges for applicants: • significant time may be required to study and save for exams • work experience may not be reflected in test performance • Considerations for regulators • explore feasibility of practice based assessment approaches, maximizing objectivity through careful attention to assessment criteria and training • eg: practice ready assessments, work experience interviews • offer exam preparation materials and seminars Office of the fairness commissioner

10. Self-paced learning • Availability: 20 professions (14 non-health, 6 health) • Challenges for applicants: • filling competency gaps without repeating prior training • no access to individual modules without taking full course • no access to individual courses without taking full program • Considerations for regulators • negotiate access to courses • develop targeted training to address gaps common to many internationally educated applicants Office of the fairness commissioner

11. Bridging programs • Availability: 13 professions (10 health, 3 non-health) • Challenges for applicants: • access (location, wait lists, competitive application) • program length and cost, access to financial assistance • filling competency gaps without repeating prior training • Considerations for regulators • encourage bridging providers to explore flexible options such as • providing online and distance learning options • partnering with professional programs, for greater sustainability and student access to financial assistance • developing modular approaches Office of the fairness commissioner

12. Transfer credit and advanced standing • Availability: 5 professions (3 health, 2 non-health) • Challenges for applicants: • limited advanced standing spaces • even with transfer credit or advanced standing, there is usually a high time and cost commitment to complete academic program • Considerations for regulators • advocate for formal advanced-standing spots for internationally educated candidates • introduce other acceptable alternatives so that applicants have more than one route to meeting academic requirements Office of the fairness commissioner

13. Recommendations to regulatory bodies • Focus on competencies, not credentials. • Work with appropriate partners to: • design and implement alternative assessment approaches • ensure access to learning opportunities that allow internationally educated applicants to develop missing competencies • minimize the time and cost associated with acceptable alternatives Office of the fairness commissioner

14. Recommendations to post-secondary educational institutions • Focus on teaching competencies, not on maintaining traditional program structures. • Strengthen prior learning assessment and introduce flexibility into educational offerings to better meet diverse learning needs. • Integrate bridging and bridging-like programs into the regular business of academic departments. Office of the fairness commissioner

15. Recommendations to government  • Maintain and enhance funding for foreign-credential-recognition initiatives and bridge training. • Improve access to financial aid to help internationally educated professionals access the competency based assessment and training opportunities needed to complete the licensing process. • Ensure that all relevant departments actively support the successful licensing and employment of immigrant professionals, rather than relying only on departments of citizenship and immigration. Office of the fairness commissioner

16. Partnering for success “What immigrants need is the opportunity of the first door. How many of you could contribute to opening that first door?” Leticia, internationally educated psychologist Office of the fairness commissioner

17. OFC Contact Info Office of the Fairness Commissioner 595 Bay Street, Suite 1201 Toronto, Ontario M7A 2B4 1-877-727-5365416-325-9380 ofc@ontario.ca www.fairnesscommissioner.ca • Presenter contact info: tanya.chute-molina@ontario.ca Office of the fairness commissioner