Credential evaluation for Canada Job market

[sharat_joshi77]

Hello All,
I atended the CIIP session yesterday.
During the session, they stressed about getting our credentials evaluated against the Canada standards while we are still in our home country.
They said for ON province, WES does these evaluations.

My questions to the seniors here is:
1. Is it really needed?
2. I have the Bachelors of Engg (computer Sceince and Engg) degree from Indian university. Will it be useful for just this degree to get evaluated?
3. Have any one of you guys seen the need for such thing in your experience ?

Regards,
Sharat Joshi

 

[amira_mais]

The answer to all your questions is yes. The vast majority of Canadian employers don't know anything about Indian universitites. They wouldn't recognize your qualifications even if you graduated from IIT. So yes, it will be VERY beneficial to get your credentials assessed - it's a valuable point to add to your resume and will give Cdn employers more confidence about understanding your educational attainments.

 

[shakira2009]

My questions to the seniors here is:
1. Is it really needed?
2. I have the Bachelors of Engg (computer Sceince and Engg) degree from Indian university. Will it be useful for just this degree to get evaluated?
3. Have any one of you guys seen the need for such thing in your experience ?

Yes to everything, it is not only necessary but also useful to have. A potential employer will appreciate the information.

Once you get the evaluation done, in your resume you can put something like this:

Education
Bachelor of Civil Engineering, University of Pune (2003)
Degree assessed by WES, as equivalent to Canadian four-year undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering.

(Please note, I have no idea about engineering degrees. This is just an example of how you can use the equivalency.)

I learned this from an employment counselor in Toronto. Hope it helps!

 

[sharat_joshi77]

Thanks for your inputs.
I have registered with WES and will send them the documents by mid of April.

 

[Ketevan]

My field is not governed by any body and my education is British, yet recruiters refuse to consider me before I get credentials evaluated. They claim they do not know the equivalent of British Msc and PhD. Now I need to wait 9 months for the evaluation. A placement agency said that I cannot even target bank teller jobs without evaliation.

 

[amira_mais]

It must be frustrating that even British degrees aren't taken at par. But for the placement agency to say that you can't even apply for a teller job sounds unreasonable. What field are you in?

 

[Ketevan]

Economics and finance.
I do not believe that british education is of exceptionally high standard, but I do not understand why Canada does not recognize it given that both countries are still formally headed by the same queen, even though she is just a symbol.

It must be frustrating that even British degrees aren't taken at par. But for the placement agency to say that you can't even apply for a teller job sounds unreasonable. What field are you in?

 

[shakira2009]

My field is not governed by any body and my education is British, yet recruiters refuse to consider me before I get credentials evaluated. They claim they do not know the equivalent of British Msc and PhD. Now I need to wait 9 months for the evaluation. A placement agency said that I cannot even target bank teller jobs without evaliation.

Wow, that's discouraging ..... although not hard to believe because Canadian employers are quite skeptical of degrees from any country.

May I ask, where are you located? I see a Quebec flag in your profile -is that where you are? I can't speak much about Quebec because I've only lived in Ontario, but a friend who lives in Montreal told me that employers are more conservative than in other provinces....

Have you tried going to other agencies or recruitment companies? Keep trying, remaining positive and networking, something has to come up!

 

[on-hold]

I know plenty of people who have used British degrees in Canada; and it shouldn't take 9 months to do the evaluation. In some way you are being jerked around.

 

[Ketevan]

Yes I am based in Montreal. I have talked to several employers at a local job fair and all of them demanded evaluation of the equivalency of studies.
The immigration ministry website clearly indicates that now (April) they are finalizing evaluation applications submitted in September, this gives 8 months of processing time + a few weeks for posting the result + 3 months to make appointment to go in person (because I am not going to post my original credentials). I phoned them last week and the earliest appointment they could give me was June 14th!
I am now applying to call center jobs to get a job to pay my bills as the permanent job hunting will extend for a year, I feel.

Wow, that's discouraging ..... although not hard to believe because Canadian employers are quite skeptical of degrees from any country.

May I ask, where are you located? I see a Quebec flag in your profile -is that where you are? I can't speak much about Quebec because I've only lived in Ontario, but a friend who lives in Montreal told me that employers are more conservative than in other provinces....

Have you tried going to other agencies or recruitment companies? Keep trying, remaining positive and networking, something has to come up!

 

[on-hold]

Oh, that's a different process I know nothing about -- I thought you were going through WES, who are quite fast.

And yes, in my experience the survival job period becomes longer than expected

 

[Ketevan]

No I have to evaluate credentials via MICC - Ministere de l'Immigration - and they are not fast at all.

I do not mind jobs that have limited relevance to my education. I have applied to a few call center jobs recently and hope to get any of them.

Oh, that's a different process I know nothing about -- I thought you were going through WES, who are quite fast.

And yes, in my experience the survival job period becomes longer than expected

 

[sharat_joshi77]

All,
Thanks for your inputs. I got my WES credential evaluation done.
Hope it will add anotyher point in my CV.

Regards,
SJ