The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has officially launched the Group Mentoring, Online Mentoring and Employer Outreach Pilot Program for Internationally Trained Professionals in the architectural profession in partnership with JVS Toronto and funded by the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.
“We are proud to announce the Group Mentoring, Online Mentoring and Employer Outreach Pilot Program for Internationally Trained Professionals. This pilot program is an excellent example of what constructive partnerships can achieve,” said OAA President, David Craddock.
Anat Wertheim, JVS Toronto, Vice President, Program Development, stressed the importance of experience by illustrating JVS Toronto’s long history of providing employment services to newcomers and other community groups.
Eighteen internationally trained professionals from the Greater Toronto area will be participating in the pilot program. The professionals immigrated to Canada from nine countries: China, Colombia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Sierra-Leone and Syria. Each will be partnered with an architect who will be a mentor and assist them in integrating into the architectural profession.
The program has been developed as a multi-pronged initiative utilizing group mentoring, online mentoring and employer outreach to address challenges faced by internationally trained professionals in integrating into the architectural profession. The first phase of the program, group mentoring, begins immediately.
Online mentoring, employer outreach activities and a second phase of the group mentoring activities will begin this fall. Online mentoring for five ITP newcomers and five architects will be provided by JVS Toronto through their Canadianinfonet Online Mentoring Web site.
This program was developed to: facilitate access for ITPs into the profession to utilize their skills and experience; change the profession’s demographics to better represent the multi-cultural population of Ontario; enable the profession to leverage ITPs’ experience and better compete in a global marketplace; and ensure the economic viability and sustainability of the profession for future generations.