Foreign Academic Credential Recognition in Canada TESL Ontario Conference December 11, 2009

2 OutlineOutline  Recognition  Two New Initiatives with Regulators  The Alliance  World Education Services  Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE)  Live Demo of the POE  Online Resources  AICES (WES Database)  Selected Clients

3 RecognitionRecognition  37% for employment  35% higher education  19% for licensure  5% for immigration Top 12 countries of Education  India, Philippines, USA, UK, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Colombia, Iran, Jamaica, Iraq and Australia

4 Two New Initiatives With Ontario Regulators  Developing standard documentation practices; best documentation practices guide; glossary of terms  Developing standard training curriculum for Evaluators; identifying and developing competencies

5 The Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada The Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada  Academic Credentials Assessment Service (ACAS) - Manitoba  International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) - British Columbia  International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) – Alberta, Saskatchewan and N.W.T.  Service des évaluations comparatives (SEC) - Quebec  World Education Services (WES) - Ontario

6 The Alliance … The Alliance …  Quality assurance alliance of five provincially mandated services  Conform to national quality assurance practices consistent with international guidelines - UNESCO and 1996 Lisbon Convention  Working together to facilitate recognition of international academic credentials  The Alliance promotes the portability of assessments and qualifications in Canada and pan Canadian mobility  Developing pan Canadian Quality Assurance Standards  Members are publicly accountable

7 World Education Services (WES) World Education Services (WES)  An international not-for-profit agency whose purpose is to foster the integration of those with international credentials into academic and employment settings  The recognized service of the Ontario government, funded in part by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI)  Began in 1974; in Canada since 2000; in 2008, served about 9,000 applicants in Canada  Staff of 20 in Toronto office, 7 in Evaluation Dept.  Used by universities, colleges, professional licensing bodies, employers, apprenticeship training programs and Canadian Visa Posts

8 Online Equivalency (POE) Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE)  Self-directed tool which provides instant Canadian academic equivalencies  Information required: country of education, name of degree/diploma, major, length of the program, and name of the institution  For $25, preview Canadian equivalency for one credential – an additional 4 credentials can be reviewed for $10  Disclaimer, based on non verified documents

9 Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE) Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE) Suggested equivalency for post-secondary academic credentials from 157 source countries: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan…

10 Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE) Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE) Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe

11 Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE) Preliminary Online Equivalency (POE)

12 POE … POE … End-Users  Initial screening of job applicants, international students, applicants for licensure, or immigration  Provide immediate results while waiting for an official evaluation report from WES Immigrant Service Agencies  CIIP – Canadian Immigration Integration Project  Employment Assistance Services  Job Search Workshop Program

13 Online Resources/Services Online Resources/Services  iGPA – international Grade Point Average Calculator  WENR – World Education News and Reviews  WEP - World Education Profiles  AccessWES; plus images of the documents verified in the evaluation process are available

14 AICES (WES Database) AICES (WES Database)  AICES (Automated International Credential Evaluation System)  Searchable database of all completed evaluations, documents received and a file management tool  Contains:  19,500 credentials  1,600 grading scales  48,000 institutions in 215 countries  6,830 program majors specific to the level of education  Thus far, evaluated over 70,000 credentials and established over 175 possible Canadian equivalency outcomes, e.g. B.A. (3 years)

15 Selected Clients  Apotex  Dofasco  General Motors  HydroOne  IBM  KPMG  Magna International  Monster.ca  Mt. Sinai Hospital  RBC; CIBC  TD Financial Group  Athabasca University  College of Nurses of Ontario  College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario Therapists of Ontario  Graduate Rehabilitation Science Programs Science Programs  McMaster University  Ontario Medical Schools  Queens University  Seneca College  University of Ottawa  University of Toronto  University of Western Ontario

16 Questions and comments? Questions and comments? Kevin Kamal ext