A new path to a successful career

Jessica Li says that the skills she learned in the English for Foreign-Trained Professionals Course prepared her very well for her interview with the Ministry of Transportation.

For many new immigrants, their first few years in Canada can be a bumpy road. But for Jessica (Jie) Li, who arrived in Vancouver six years ago from China with a degree in Civil Engineering, the road has just gotten a lot smoother. One month after completing Douglas College's six-credit course, English for Foreign-Trained Professionals, Li landed her current position as Assistant Highway Design Coordinator for the Ministry of Transportation.

That's quite a difference from her first job in Canada working in a factory packaging tofu.

"Most immigrants have a big problem with language," says Li. "But even though I took a lot of English classes, they were not specifically focused on how to interview and get a job. Plus, it turns out that the content for English for Foreign-Trained Professionals is well-matched to the BC Public Service's core competencies."

For her interview with the Ministry of Transportation, Li recalls that she was very well prepared.

"At the interview, they gave me something to read by myself for 20 minutes. Then I had to answer a lot of questions about teamwork, leadership, organization and planning with examples of how I would handle different situations. The course really helped us prepare for and practice questions like these."

English for Foreign-Trained Professionals covers areas such as job interview skills, conflict resolution, written communications including resume writing, email, professional letters, report writing and minute taking, as well as verbal communications such as conflict resolution, job interview skills, meetings, workplace relationships, even how and when to network and the importance of small talk to creating connections and good working relationships.

"Organization and planning are very different here from in China," says Li. "Here the people and the company really care how organized you are. The process is different in China. It's more casual. Plus teamwork and communications skills are different here."

For students like Li, English for Foreign-Trained Professionals provides important training for highly-skilled professionals to match their formal schooling and work experience with careers in the Canadian work force.

ESL instructor Kathy Bell, who created and designed English for Foreign-Trained Professionals, was motivated by many of the highly-skilled students in her regular ESL classes. "I saw these students who had so much to offer. They've been high-functioning professionals in their countries of birth, their analytical skills are amazing and they are often very gifted learners. So I knew that if they could learn how to show what they know to prospective employers, they would stand a better chance of getting good jobs relevant to their training."

For Jessica Li, her success in the Canadian workplace has definitely accelerated since completing English for Foreign-Trained Professionals. And, for days when the road is still a bit bumpy, she laughs and says, "I have my own hard hat now."

To learn more about the English for Foreign Trained Professionals program, please contact Kathy Bell at 604-527-5489 or at bellk@douglascollege.ca

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