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Internationally Educated Teachers Initiatives - Brief History

The Internationally Educated Teachers (IET) Initiatives at World Skills started in 1999 with surveys funded by the City of Ottawa and undertaken by two nonprofit organizations. The first survey done by the Association of Somali Canadian Teachers of Ottawa Carleton (ASCTOC) focused on Somali teachers in the region. The other survey done by LASI World Skills addressed all newcomers in the region. Both found that there were many newcomers with a teaching background residing in the Ottawa Carleton valley and further concluded that there was a high rate of unemployment and underemployment among these groups not to mention that none of them had access to work in their professions at the school boards.

With funding from Partners for Jobs and later the Maytree Foundation, the Internationally Educated Teachers Project was launched at World Skills.  The goal was to provide individual and group support to those in a teaching career before coming to Canada in order to enhance their eligibility and chances to resume their profession in Ontario. The project initiated an outreach campaign inviting all foreign trained teachers in the region to access the World Skills staff for assistance.

Our goal was and is to provide information, training, referral and support to all newcomers with a teaching background. Not all  fulfill the necessary requirements set by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) and therefore  need more training in order  to be eligible to teach in Ontario public schools. It is true that among the teachers we have served to  date, there  are many that don't meet all requirements of the OCT but have an impressive record in terms of academic training and professional experience. It is our intent therefore to seek how best such resourceful people can be supported so as to qualify to join the teaching profession in Ontario.

The need for  teachers in Ontario is well documented and the merits IETs bring demand appropriate acknowledgement especially in this day and age where we are immersed in the global village and as such must accept the adage "it takes a whole village to raise a child" For Canada to be competitive in this new global economy we must enrich our tools and recalibrate to do all that can put all of our children first.
IET- Accomplishments

  1. Since 1999 over 1000 internationally educated teachers have been served through World Skills IET projects.  As a result, dozens have received certification and are utilizing their teaching skills in some capacity in Ontario. 
     

  2. Together with Queen’s University and the OCDSB, we have initiated the Alternative Teacher Accreditation Programme for Teachers with International Experience (ATAPTIE).  Three cohorts and a total of 75  participants have graduated from this unique collaborative endeavor that led to a B.Ed. from Queens University and a recommendation to the OCT for the granting of a Certificate of Qualification.  Those eligible had teaching experience from their country of origin but unable to meet certification qualifications of the OCT.
     

  3. IET Project Staff have maintained an intensive advocacy network which has successfully realized positive relationships with funders at all three levels of government and private foundations as well as diverse key stakeholders (OCT, School Boards, principals, teachers community organizations, etc.)
     

  4. Regular presentations at forums that explain World Skills’ IET Projects – the approach, achievements, as well as the challenges – has raised not only awareness, but has induced the interest to emulate our approach and avail similar services to IETs in other parts of the province and country.
     

  5. Advocacy for IETs is a key factor in the creation of the Bridge to Employment for Internationally Trained Teachers - Teach in Ontario project.  The project (with sites in Ottawa, Toronto and at OCT) provides consultation for those who have applied to OCT for certification and a 6-week training course which illuminates the specific skills, issues and challenges of teaching in a Canadian classroom.  Since it’s inception in 2004, the project has served over 300 teachers in Ottawa alone and has seen the certification of 34 teachers.
     

  6. As a follow-up to the ATAPTIE model, there is now support for IETs who need a B.Ed.  This support comes in the form of protected corridors for groups of IETs at Queen’s University, Ottawa University, York and the University of Toronto
     

  7. The sustained support and steady expansion of services in these projects stand as a testimony of the needs as well as the value of the outcomes.


201-219 Argyle Ave. Ottawa ON CANADA K2P 1H4 (click here for a map)
Phone: 613-233-0453, Fax: 613-232-1757, ws@ottawa-worldskills.org
 

©1997-2004 Lasi World Skills Inc.