TESL Ontario Conference: November 13, 2008

The Language ofCorporate Canada

Andrea Strachan Paula Calderon Ollie Zaydik

Agenda

• Career Edge Organization Overview Success Stories Video Segment

• The Career Bridge Program• Career Bridge Language Screening Tool

Development Implementation Realities Evolution

• Summary of Key Insights• Outcomes• Questions?

Career Edge Organization Overview

• Created in 1996 by major employers seeking an innovative way to help graduates enter Canada’s workforce

• A national not-for-profit organization that works with reputable employers to provide paid internships to new and recent graduates (Career Edge), graduates with disabilities (Ability Edge) and internationally qualified professionals (Career Bridge)

• To date, Career Edge Organization has partnered with over 1,000 host employers and provided over 8,800 talented interns with meaningful work experiences in supportive and professional work environments

Three Paid Internship Programs

Entry-level positions

Mid-level professional positions

Career Edge OrganizationSuccess Stories Video

Employer Needs

• Typical barriers to hiring internationally qualified professionals:

English language skills

Business communication skills

Understanding of candidate’s credentials, experience and transferable skills

Addressing Employer Needs

• English language skills

• Business communications skills

• Understanding of candidate’s credentials, experience and transferable skills

LanguageScreening

Tool

The Career Bridge Program

• The Career Bridge program:

originated as a pilot bridging project with Government of Ontario

now a self-sustaining CEO program

responds to Canada’s labour market demand for internationally qualified professionals in unregulated professions

helps break the frustrating cycle of “no job, no Canadian experience, no Canadian experience, no job.”

Eligibility Immigrated to Canada in the last 3 years, and legally able to work in Canada

Experience Have more than 3 years full-time international professional work experience

Education Canadian equivalency assessment demonstrating minimum bachelor’s degree or degree from a Canadian University

Screening In-person screening to verify eligibility and assess English business communications skills

Internship Positions

Mid-level professional positions

4, 6, 9 or 12-month paid internships

Host Employers 290+

Internships to Date 900+

Career Bridge Candidate Profile

Career Bridge Registrant Statistics

36%

29%

15%

9%

8%3%

Business Engineering

Health/Sciences IT

Arts/Humanities Other

49%

43%

5% 3% 0%

Masters Bachelors

Doctorate Post Degree Cert

Slice 5

DisciplineEducation

Some of Our Host Employers

Origins and Process

Career Bridge Language Screening Tool

Development Implementation Realities Evolution

Development of Language Screening Tool

1. Analysis of language to be assessed Employers, employment counselors, HR specialists

2. Use Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) CLB 8

3. CLB language assessment developed S/L/R/W

4. Screening tool to determine whether candidate is Eligible (internship criteria) Employment ready CLB 7-10 range

Development of Language Screening Tool

Interacts socially

Describes credentials

Describes work experience

Discusses career goals

Organizes information

Responds to questions

Demonstrates clarity of speech

Uses sector-specific language

Demonstrates fluency

Overall task completion

• A Screening Tool to observe how the candidate:

• Categories integrate interview target situation & CLB

Development of Language Screening Tool

• 10 descriptors • CLB 6-10 performance descriptors: a 5-point scale • Total possible points: 50• 33 and above qualifies• Example: Description of credentials

1 2 3 4 5

Provides simple description. Unable to offer sufficient details or define time sequence. Requires prompting from interviewer.

Provides a simple description of training and experience with a somewhat comprehensible time sequence and sparse in details.

Provides a comprehensible description, with appropriate level of detail and in appropriate time sequence. May be somewhat rigid.

Provides a good description. Explains and exemplifies. Offers supporting details and time sequence is clear. Speech is flexible.

Provides a complex and accurate description with a sophisticated time sequence organization. Speech is fully comprehensible and flexible.

Implementation Stages

STAGE 1 (pilot bridging project) Screening by Employment Counselors (CLB 7-10?) Testing by ESL Specialists:

Reading and writing test online (1 hour)

If scored CLB 8 on R/W then full CLB interview (30 min)

STAGE 2 Screening by Employment Counselors Language screening training and calibration developed

STAGE 3 (current) Screening by ESL Specialists/Account Managers Tool becomes more specific to the needs of the internships

Implementation of Language Screening Tool

• User Manual Documentation of process Reference for existing screeners Calibration Materials Training new screeners Master files for revisions and updates

• Exemplars Authentic interviews Used for calibration Used to set the standard

Realities of Language Screening Tool

• Using the Canadian Language Benchmarks framework Speaking & listening only Social interaction and information (interaction one-on-one)

• Is it Screening or Assessment? Assessment of language skills as observed in an interview No reading and writing component

• Balance employer needs and program objectives Review eligibility while observing language skills Assessment of readiness to interview successfully

• Cross-cultural communication skills Identifying and communicating the need for awareness

Evolution of Language Screening Tool

• Original 4 skills language test evolved into the Workplace Language Assessment (WLA) available through CCLB

• Original pre-screening tool part of the WLA package

• Career Bridge screening tool became more complex and detailed because it replaced the full test

• Employer Feedback = Career Bridge screening tool reflects the language demands of the job interview

Insights Around Our Screening Process

• About the benefits of using the Career Bridge Language Screening Tool …

• About the CLB as applied to this process …

• About the candidates who participate in the process …

Career Bridge Outcomes

• Internationally qualified professionals enter at mid-level professional positions in their field

• Within 6 months of completing the internship, over 80% of interns within a specific sector have found employment in their field

• Successful employers are adapting HR practices

• Coaching component has become an essential piece of the success of the internships

• Employers view CEO as a viable staffing solution

Questions?

Thank you!For more information:

Donna Smith, Vice PresidentPhone: 416-977-3343 x 259

dsmith@careeredge.ca

www.careerbridge.ca