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Helping Internationally-Trained Professionals Make the Transition to New Careers in Canada: A case study of the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Employment Mentoring Program

Resource type
Thesis type
(Thesis) Ed.D.
Date created
2015-05-14
Authors/Contributors
Abstract
The research reported in this thesis explored the career development and mentoring expectations of recent immigrants in the category of Internationally-Trained Professionals (ITPs) who were currently living in British Columbia (B.C.), Canada. Previous research has found that mentoring can improve employment outcomes for skilled immigrants; however, the majority of previous research studies have been based on quantitative methods and do not provide a holistic view of the mentoring experience. The research reported for this thesis was the result of a case study examining the experiences of a group of ITPs and their mentors involved in an Employment Mentoring Program (EMP) offered by the United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.) in Vancouver, B.C. The research design was theoretically framed by Kram’s (1985) construct of the career and psychosocial elements of mentoring and employed a mixed method design involving an online survey and personal interviews with the mentees and mentors in the EMP. The study also elicited four rich narratives from mentees describing their job search experiences since coming to Canada. The study found that the psychosocial and career functions were complementary elements of the mentoring relationship - a perspective extended by several specific results. First, with the support of their mentors, the mentees met directly with local professionals having similar qualifications and extended their social networks. Second, the mentors provided encouragement and helped the mentees to advance their job search skills. Third, both mentors and mentees agreed that the mentoring experience was enjoyable and that the program was helpful in their search both for employment and effective participation in Canadian society. The participants also identified some program challenges including a lack of consistent funding and an insufficient number of organisations willing to participate by offering practicums (work placement) or job shadowing opportunities to the newcomers. It is recommended that the findings be reviewed by stakeholders and policy-makers in order to improve future mentoring programs and employment policies focused on ITPs in Canada.
Document
Identifier
etd9014
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Copyright is held by the author.
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This thesis may be printed or downloaded for non-commercial research and scholarly purposes.
Scholarly level
Supervisor or Senior Supervisor
Thesis advisor: McClaren, Milton
Member of collection
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etd9014_KHui.pdf 3.54 MB

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