ECA help needed if I only have technical / vocational education

[hunbrit]

Experts please help.
I read all the education related text on cic website, and also checked the site of all accepted ECA firms, but have no idea where to assess my education if i want to claim points after them in EE.

I have a high school diploma.
Also have an IT Software Operator degree (2 years learning = 1000 hours course)
What makes it colourful is that I completed studies for the degree WHILE I was learning in high school, but took my exams and got my degree a week after I got my high school diploma, as having a high school diploma was a pre-requisite for my degree.

Now the degree is a post-secondary one, as there was a requirement that before the exams I had to hold a valid high school diploma, but how will the years of study will be counted if i studied while I was in high school?

 

[hunbrit]

Experts please help.
I read all the education related text on cic website, and also checked the site of all accepted ECA firms, but have no idea where to assess my education if i want to claim points after them in EE.

I have a high school diploma.
Also have an IT Software Operator degree (2 years learning = 1000 hours course)
What makes it colourful is that I completed studies for the degree WHILE I was learning in high school, but took my exams and got my degree a week after I got my high school diploma, as having a high school diploma was a pre-requisite for my degree.

Now the degree is a post-secondary one, as there was a requirement that before the exams I had to hold a valid high school diploma, but how will the years of study will be counted if i studied while I was in high school?

Ahh and all ECA firms state that they are not assessing vocational/trade educations.
How can I figure out if my one is vocational/technical or trade?
I am Hungarian, and terminology there is different.
I am in NOC code 2171

 

[hunbrit]

I just phoned around ALL of the accepted ECA firms for immigration purposes, except WES, as they cannot be contacted due to busy lines.
I found that none of them assessing vocational degrees.
Now in EE I need an ECA report to claim points, and based in CIC data I can earn points for vocational education.
Now this is a catch 22.... how can I get an ECA

(still though I cannot decide whether my degree is classed vocational or technical, as this is English terminology and cannot be applied to my Hungarian education, unless someone would explain accurately what makes a school technical... )

Any experience anyone?

 

[jes_ON]

I just phoned around ALL of the accepted ECA firms for immigration purposes, except WES, as they cannot be contacted due to busy lines.
I found that none of them assessing vocational degrees.
Now in EE I need an ECA report to claim points, and based in CIC data I can earn points for vocational education.
Now this is a catch 22.... how can I get an ECA

(still though I cannot decide whether my degree is classed vocational or technical, as this is English terminology and cannot be applied to my Hungarian education, unless someone would explain accurately what makes a school technical... )

"Trades" are occupations like plumber, electrician, carpenter... Your occupation is not a trade. Technical maybe, but that's OK. Canada has 2 year diplomas in technical occupations, so it should be comparable.

The bigger question is whether the institution where you earned your post-secondary degree is recognized by any of the credentialling organizations. You should start there, by asking your ECA organization of choice if they "recognize" the institution as an accredited educational institution.

 

[hunbrit]

"Trades" are occupations like plumber, electrician, carpenter... Your occupation is not a trade. Technical maybe, but that's OK. Canada has 2 year diplomas in technical occupations, so it should be comparable.

The bigger question is whether the institution where you earned your post-secondary degree is recognized by any of the credentialling organizations. You should start there, by asking your ECA organization of choice if they "recognize" the institution as an accredited educational institution.

Thanks for your answer Jes.
After calling around all ECA firms, none of them answer any question over the phone.
I will probably try with WES to start with, and will attach a letter to explain what I exactly did.
It isn't clear whether to attach high school degree as well or just the highest which is this "technical" diploma to get the points in EE.
Checked the forum by searching much, but mostly people have such degrees who also have a bachelor's, which case is different.

 

[jes_ON]

Thanks for your answer Jes.
After calling around all ECA firms, none of them answer any question over the phone.
I will probably try with WES to start with, and will attach a letter to explain what I exactly did.
It isn't clear whether to attach high school degree as well or just the highest which is this "technical" diploma to get the points in EE.
Checked the forum by searching much, but mostly people have such degrees who also have a bachelor's, which case is different.

As long as you're doing it, you might as well have the high school diploma assessed as well, just in case WES does not recognize the technical institute.

 

[hunbrit]

As long as you're doing it, you might as well have the high school diploma assessed as well, just in case WES does not recognize the technical institute.

Agree
Thanks

 

[sandra02]

Hi Hunbrit,

I am from Hungary also.
Did you check the website of ECA to check your degree? Vocational school (4 eves szakkozepiskola) from Hungary is equal a 3 years secondary school in CAnada. But yours is only 2 years. It was an OKJ course, or something like that?

 

[hunbrit]

Hi Hunbrit,

I am from Hungary also.
Did you check the website of ECA to check your degree? Vocational school (4 eves szakkozepiskola) from Hungary is equal a 3 years secondary school in CAnada. But yours is only 2 years. It was an OKJ course, or something like that?

Szia Sandra02,

I finished a 4-year vocational school (4 eves szakkozepiskola) and got a normal secondary school maturity certificate (szakkozepiskolai erettsegi 5 targybol) in 2001.
Also there was an integrated 2 year course I selected within my school after I finished my 2nd year (when I was 16 years old). The last two years of my studies were extended with more lessons to achieve an OKJ degree, where it was stated to be able to get my exams done only after I passed the maturity exams (erettsegi).
The same OKJ course is available for adults in the same building with the same amount of lessons (500hours a year).

I heard that the "szakmunkaskepzo iskola" with no "erettsegi" would worth less than the Canadian high school.
Where vocational more means "szakmunkaskepzo".
Technical would mean some specific subjects in "szakkozepiskola".

I have an IT Software Operator OKJ certificate. (szamitastechnikai szoftveruzemelteto) which was classed in my school as a "technikus".
Therefore in Hungary it is a technical degree.

There is confusion in how to interpret technical / vocational. I called the ministry of education in Hungary, where the secondary school responsible lady stated that vocational is "szakmunkaskepzo" and abroad many of our complex secondary school education is seen as "nothing" as abroad these studies can only start after maturity certificate, and no such "integrated" courses available. Also abroad normally universities / colleges running these courses, and not high schools, where it "seems" better what a British or a Canadian student has achieved just by looking at the name of the school.

Have you had any experience already?
I am ready to fight this battle, and get my school accepted. This seems like a catch 22.
If I would have finished my secondary school, and a year later go back to do the SAME OKJ 2 year course, that would be accepted as a "post-secondary study". This is not fair. (i only got this through the phone)

Unfortunately life didn't let me to study more...

 

[sandra02]

Szia Hunbrit!

Szerintem is a 2 ev tanulmanyodat el kellene fogadniuk, fuggetlenul attol, hogy mikor vegezted. Probaltad az ECA honlapjan ellenorizni a sulidat, beirva 2 evet? Az otthoni technikumok itt college-nak felelenek meg.
Vocational school-szakkozepiskola, az itt 3 ev secondary schoolnak szamit.
Trade school-szakmunkasiskola-2 ev secondary schoolnak szamit.
Itt nemigen jellemzo a kozepiskolaban szakmak megszerzese, csak kozepsuli utan, college formajaban. Leginkabb az otthoni technikumoknak felelnek ezek meg. A te 2 eves kepzesed valami hasonlo lehet, bar az OKJ-s minosites nekem bezavar. Melyik suliban vegezted?
En a levelezo kepzeses diplomammal kuzdok, mert itt a levelezo kepzes az online oktatast jelenti, amikor a tanulo sohasem talalkozik tanarral, nincsenek rendes vizsgak... Otthon teljesen mast jelent, de itt nem akarjak elfogadni... En is kuzdok, honapok ota.
Egy probat meger. A kaosz miatt van eselyed, csak a megfelelo embert kell kifognod, a legtudatlanabbat.

 

[Frollo888]

Szia Sandra02,

I finished a 4-year vocational school (4 eves szakkozepiskola) and got a normal secondary school maturity certificate (szakkozepiskolai erettsegi 5 targybol) in 2001.
Also there was an integrated 2 year course I selected within my school after I finished my 2nd year (when I was 16 years old). The last two years of my studies were extended with more lessons to achieve an OKJ degree, where it was stated to be able to get my exams done only after I passed the maturity exams (erettsegi).
The same OKJ course is available for adults in the same building with the same amount of lessons (500hours a year).

I heard that the "szakmunkaskepzo iskola" with no "erettsegi" would worth less than the Canadian high school.
Where vocational more means "szakmunkaskepzo".
Technical would mean some specific subjects in "szakkozepiskola".

I have an IT Software Operator OKJ certificate. (szamitastechnikai szoftveruzemelteto) which was classed in my school as a "technikus".
Therefore in Hungary it is a technical degree.

There is confusion in how to interpret technical / vocational. I called the ministry of education in Hungary, where the secondary school responsible lady stated that vocational is "szakmunkaskepzo" and abroad many of our complex secondary school education is seen as "nothing" as abroad these studies can only start after maturity certificate, and no such "integrated" courses available. Also abroad normally universities / colleges running these courses, and not high schools, where it "seems" better what a British or a Canadian student has achieved just by looking at the name of the school.

Have you had any experience already?
I am ready to fight this battle, and get my school accepted. This seems like a catch 22.
If I would have finished my secondary school, and a year later go back to do the SAME OKJ 2 year course, that would be accepted as a "post-secondary study". This is not fair. (i only got this through the phone)

Unfortunately life didn't let me to study more...

Hi ! Did you find out how to get ECA for your vocational studies ??