Building language skills for career success

Investing in developing language skills opens up more job opportunities and facilitates successful socialization and integration for newcomers in Canada.

When Liliia Shvets immigrated to Canada from Ukraine in 2022, she quickly realized that improving her language skills was crucial for establishing her career in Canada. She enrolled in the government-funded Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program offered by the settlement agency Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW).

“My course provided a lot of useful information, and the teachers understood that most newcomers are already under stress, so there was no additional pressure,” she recalls. “During each session, we covered various topics, including participating in mock job interviews. We learned how to effectively showcase our skills to potential employers and gained valuable insights into Canadian culture, resume writing, and interview techniques, among other topics.”

Shvets believes this knowledge is indispensable for job seekers. “I consider this essential knowledge that significantly eases the job search process for newcomers,” says Shvets, who now works as a retail business manager in the postal industry.

Newcomers like Shvets typically use the CLB Online Self-Assessment (CLBOSA), a free tool that helps assess English proficiency based on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). Those who have taken the IELTS or CELPIP tests as part of their immigration application can convert their scores to CLB levels to determine their proficiency and then enroll in LINC or English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to improve their language skills. Eligibility criteria include being a permanent resident, convention refugee, or a person with a pending PR status application. Settlement agencies can assist newcomers with the enrollment process.

Read the full article here.