The Bulletin

The Conflict Survival Kit: Tools for Resolving Conflict at Work
Cliff Goodwin and Daniel B. Griffith
Prentice Hall, 2006
ISBN: 0131183036

By Jan Sheppard Kutcher

Stories of physicians driving taxi cabs and engineers working in fast food outlets are all too well known and are now widely recognized as a discouraging waste of talent and a loss for both the individual and the country. The complex barriers related to international qualifications assessment and recognition (IQAR), particularly in the regulated professions and trades, have also been well documented. Provinces across the country continue to grapple with these challenges so that skilled newcomers to Canada may enter their occupations of choice as readily and efficiently as possible, while still protecting the public interest by maintaining solid standards of practice. However, while identifying the frustrations and barriers is relatively easy, finding solutions is much more challenging.

By Devin Munro

WIL Employment Connections & Libro Financial Group Announce Skilled Immigrant Loan Program

On December 7th, 2007, WIL Employment Connections (WIL) and Libro Financial Group announced a new Skilled Immigrant Loan Program that will give skilled immigrants access to funds for training or certification assessments needed to qualify for employment in their fields.

By Christine Gertz

What are Human Rights?

Human rights are accorded to human beings to respect and protect a person’s body, dignity and property. However, there is some disagreement among individuals, states and countries regarding the degree to which each human right should be met, if that right should be applied to all persons, and if some of the rights accorded are truly human rights and universal for all individuals.

By Lesley Perrin

Ken Li arrived in Canada from China on September 18, 2006, at age 38. He is presently employed in a job similar to his previous position in China that carries with it a bright future. His message to any new immigrant, especially an internationally trained professional, is not to stop trying until you have achieved your employment goal. However, he reflects that new immigrants have so many challenges after arriving in Canada that they can become overwhelmed. This often leads to an individual becoming literally paralyzed from proceeding further. Such feelings are very much part of Ken’s story.

By Sharon Graham

As dedicated employment practitioners, we often work closely with mature workers to ease them through their job search. In our role, we are regularly presented with the difficulty that older workers perceive in their career transition. To our clients, employers may seem discriminatory as they appear to favour younger candidates over more mature ones. We empathize with the trepidation that comes with stepping back into a labour market that seems unreceptive and unwelcoming. We feel the pain of our clients and work hard to help them gain another perspective.