The Knowledge Workers of Tomorrow

1
The Knowledge Workers of Tomorrow

• 2017 The Workplace
• October 16th, 2007

2
Outline

• Labour Force Projections
• Immigration
• Education
• Challenges and Opportunities
• Credential Evaluation
• World Education Services

3
Canadian Labour Force Projections

• In 2011, the first wave of baby boomers will
  retire
• More people will retire than will enter the
  labour force
• Immigration will begin to represent the only
  source of net labour market growth sometime
  between 2011 and 2017
• Current levels of immigration will not be
  sufficient to meet labour force needs

4
Changing Demographics

• A global issue in developed countries, the
  number of entrants to the labour force for every
  100 retirees will drop from 142 to 87 in the
  coming decade
• Europe, Japan, US, even China face this challenge
• 265,000 vacant jobs in Canada now
• 50 of companies express concern with lack of
  qualified talent (an all time high)

5
Changing Labour Market

• Increasingly, education matters
• Two thirds of jobs in Canada over the next decade
  will require post secondary education or
  management skills, a 75 increase since 1990
• Only about 45 of Canadian workforce has these
  skills (65 for those 25-29)
• 60 of immigrants have post secondary education

6
Labour force participation
7
Number of Immigrants

8
Education level of Immigrants
9
Skills of Immigrants
10
Country of Immigration
11
Education of Immigrants
12
Graduates in selected countries
13
International Students in Canada (2006)
14
Changing Canadian Workforce

• 23 of workforce between 25-64 has a university
  degree (about the same have a college diploma),
• OECD average is 19 US is 30
• 46 of immigrants to Canada have a university
  degree (95,000 in 2006)
• 20 of immigrants have a graduate degree ( 5 of
  Canadian educated do)
• 50 more immigrants of working age in labour
  force than Canadian born
• Immigrants are twice as likely to be unemployed
  as Canadian born

15
Opportunities

• Labour market integration of immigrants a global
  talent management opportunity
• Clients, suppliers and strategic partners are
  increasingly global and multicultural
• Skilled immigrants bring international expertise
  and help Canadian companies do business with the
  world
• Diverse perspectives enhance creativity and
  innovation
• Xerox survey found that 77 of Canadians believe
  that diversity leads to more innovation, 83 say
  that interaction with those from different ethnic
  backgrounds is enriching

16
Challenges

• 63 of Ontario businesses say they have no
  experience in hiring immigrants (CLBC)
• Only 10 say immigrants are a solution to
  shortages
• Employers indicate concerns with credentials,
  language/communication skills, and relevance of
  previous work experience
• Global competition for foreign talent
• Hiring processes particularly onerous on SMEs
• There are solutions to minimize risk, maximize
  return

17
World Education Services

• International not for profit organization
• Provides credential evaluation reports for over
  55,000 people annually, 20 in Canada 120,000
  reports sent
• Recognized service of the Ontario government
• Used by hundreds of employers, professional
  licensing bodies and post secondary institutions
• Proprietary data base with information on 40,000
  institutions (8,300 universities), and 22,000
  precedents for credentials
• Research on changes to education systems

18
Credential Evaluation

• Objective comparison of an academic diploma or
  degree earned in one educational jurisdiction to
  an equivalent in another jurisdiction
• Validates authenticity of documents
• Written report for ongoing use
• Assists in the recognition of international
  credentials to support labour and academic
  mobility
• Evaluation reports are advisory, represent
  independent third party opinion
• International quality assurance standards

19
Recognizing International Credentials

• Enables you to tap into the global talent pool
• Supports the recruitment, promotion, and
  retention of the best qualified candidates
• Majority of credentials earned overseas are
  equivalent to Canadian credentials, more so in
  specialized fields and at post graduate level
• Understanding credentials allows employers to
  make use of their skills, place people in right
  salary band
• Referring candidates at the beginning of the
  recruitment process broadens candidate base,
  increases diversity of applicants

20
Working With WES

• Provides greatest assurance of the authenticity
  of applicants credentials all documents
  received directly from institution
• Individuals normally pay the cost (115-200)
• Both the candidate and employer receive a copy of
  the report, (employer can receive one
  electronically)
• Standard turnaround time is seven working days
• On-line preliminary equivalency provides
  instant results for individual or institutional
  use
• Put a web link to WES in the Career Section of
  your website

21
WES Evaluation Report

• Individuals name
• Brief summary of all the education the individual
  has taken
• Indication of how documents were authenticated
• Basic details of each degree/diploma, including
  name of credential, year issued, program length,
  major area of study
• Canadian equivalency of each credential

22
Preliminary On-line Equivalency

• Self-directed tool which provides instant
  Canadian academic equivalencies
• Suggested equivalency for post-secondary academic
  credentials from 65 of the top source countries
• Allows users to prescreen candidates educational
  qualifications
• Preferential pricing for institutional users
• Disclaimer based on non verified documents

23
WES Resources
24
WES Resources
25
Questions?

• www.wes.org/ca
• Timothy Owen
• Towen_at_wes.org
• 416 972 0070 ext 222