Free, virtual conference on February 24: Crossover is a bridge to success for immigrant professionals

Every year, hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals make the move to work in Canada in the hopes of providing a better life for their families and themselves. To secure meaningful employment, several might need to bridge the gap between their international qualifications and the Canadian labour market. New Canadians TV Network is proud to organize the Crossover virtual conference on February 24, 2024, to serve as a bridge to success for immigrant professionals by helping them kickstart their careers in Canada.

Crossover – A Bridge to Success for Immigrant Professionals

Crossover is the first-of-its-kind virtual conference that will provide employment-seeking internationally trained immigrants or refugees with an excellent opportunity to learn about the importance and availability of bridge training programs for them. As the name suggests, these are specialized bridging programs that act as connectors to assess newcomers’ international experience, address skill and knowledge gaps, and make them career-ready to thrive in their new workplace. 

With Canada currently facing a labour shortage in many professions across the country, there is an urgent need for newcomers to step into currently vacant roles. Bridge training programs help newcomers transfer their skills to the Canadian labour market, enable them to learn about workplace culture in Canada, and in some cases, even offer work placements, enabling them to gain valuable professional experience.

Renowned immigrant-serving organizations are coming together for the Crossover virtual conference

New Canadians TV Network, since its inception almost a decade ago, has earned the reputation of being newcomers’ trusted connection to valuable information and resources to help them meet their settlement, employment, education, small business and integration goals and build their Canadian success stories. “We always strive to provide incoming and landed immigrants and refugees the infrastructure and resources needed to settle here and relaunch their careers successfully,” says Gerard Keledjian, Managing Director of New Canadians TV Network. “Bridging programs specifically play a big role in helping newcomers connect to employment. They act as a safe space where newcomers coming to Canada can focus on their strategies and career plans, make connections, and begin to build their professional networks. We wanted to create an event to highlight the valuable role bridging programs could play in an immigrant’s career, which is why we decided to launch Crossover as one of our newest events.”

This interactive and informative event is backed by sponsors and community partners such as COSTI, JVS Toronto, Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto (MNLCT), and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. “At New Canadians, we believe in collaboration and are delighted to work with organizations that work dedicatedly to ensure that newcomers are equipped with the tools to start a new life in Canada. We look forward to having a great event and uniting our efforts to support the new talent arriving in Canada,” says Gerard.

Speaking about COSTI’s partnership with New Canadians TV Network for the Crossover conference, Karen Traboulay, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications at COSTI, shares: “When newcomers come to Canada, they bring with them new ideas, energy, skills, resources, and a strong desire to succeed and contribute to their new country. This [event] aligns well with COSTI’s mission of empowering people from diverse communities to succeed and achieve their full potential by providing education and employment.” COSTI is a community-based multicultural agency providing employment, educational, settlement and social services to immigrant communities and vulnerable populations.

“JVS Toronto has collaborated with New Canadians TV Network on a variety of initiatives over the years and we share the same vision of facilitating newcomer pathways to success in Canada. The Crossover virtual conference is a great example of creating more opportunities for skilled immigrants to build their networks, connect to local resources and bridge the gaps between their international qualifications and the Canadian labour market,” says Irene Vaksman, VP of Stakeholder Engagement, JVS Toronto – a non-profit agency offering a range of services including job search support, employment counselling, training, mentoring, job coaching, and job retention delivered across nine locations in Toronto, and Ontario’s York Region.

“The Mennonite New Life Centre is pleased to be part of the Crossover event because we understand the challenges internationally trained professionals face when they move to Canada. Our four bridging programs were designed to help newcomers transition their careers to Canada by educating them about the Canadian labour market and how they can bring their skills to rebuild their careers here. Our longstanding friendship and partnership with [New Canadians founder] Gerard [Keledjian] have only helped to solidify our mission to serve newcomers and pursue their careers in Canada,” says Tracy Docheff, Bridging Program Director at MNLCT – a community organization in Toronto that facilitates newcomer settlement and integration through several programs, including bridging programs that provide credentials recognized by employers.

Among the institutions in Ontario that will be seen exhibiting their bridge training programs and/or employment resources & supporting services are Humber College, York University, Intercultural Skills Lab – Rotman School of Management (Univesity of Toronto), The Career Foundation, Queen’s University Professional Studies, CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC).

Workshop presenters include experts from the Intercultural Skills Lab – Rotman School of Management (Univesity of Toronto), Devant, and Orbit 5.

Crossover will help newcomers to Canada increase their employability 

Crossover – A Bridge to Success for Immigrant Professionals will truly serve as a platform for skilled professionals to network, learn, and thrive in Canada! The conference agenda includes information sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and a fireside chat with employers besides exhibitor booths showcasing participating bridging programs across industries.

• Information sessions will provide details of program delivery, eligibility, modules, etc.
• Panel discussions will be packed with experience-sharing from established immigrants and their advice on the mistakes to avoid and the tried-and-tested paths to follow for success.
• Workshops apply to all job seekers, irrespective of one’s occupation and will revolve around the following themes:
  – Understanding key intercultural workplace communication skills for the Canadian workforce
  – Gaining insights into Canadian labour market trends and how the future of work is shaping up
  – Taking advantage of AI tools to boost one’s job search as a newcomer to Canada
• A special fireside chat will help internationally trained professionals hear from employers what they look for in newcomer talent.
• Crossover will also be packed with networking opportunities for attendees to build professional connections and explore new opportunities in their fields of work.
• The event will be gamified – attendees will compete to win sponsored prizes. They will earn points for engaging with speakers and exhibitors, asking questions, sharing insights, networking with others, and more! The higher their rank on the leaderboard, the closer they get to winning prizes!

“There is something for everyone at this event. Whether one attends the sessions, visits the exhibitor hall, or connects with service providers and fellow newcomers, they will have learned a lot and gathered tips for success,” says Gerard. “We are organizing this conference virtually so that individuals, wherever they are in Canada or arriving soon, can learn about bridging programs, gain a competitive edge and then pass on the knowledge to their friends and family members across professions,” he concludes.

If you are new to Canada/immigrating soon and eager to join the workforce, click here to register for Crossover – A Bridge to Success for Immigrant Professionals. If you know other skilled newcomers who would benefit from this free, virtual conference, please share this information and invite them to register, too.