Is it worth applying for Ontario Bridge program?

[aylar10]

My husband landed a month ago. He has 8 years experience in civil engineering.
We thought, the best approach for him would be to spend a year or so to get a certificate from a college so it would help for him to find a job later on. We came across the Ontario Bridge program and we are not sure if it's worth trying to apply for that or it would be better to apply to any other college for one year program. He is already on a waiting list for a program for January, however we are thinking about other options too and since the Ontario bridge program came to our attention, we want to get a bit of information about that too.

I would appreciate if someone can share his or her knowledge or experience with his program. Has anyone done it before? how much is roughly the tuition fees? would it worth applying and waiting for it for next year?

Many thanks and gratitude for anyone who could help us with this.

 

[BonManush]

I'm not sure if the bridging program or even the certificates/diplomas will help in find a job at the end really. What any of these do is help you create a network and helps you get to know others. You could have multiple degrees and many years of experience but it comes down to be able to market yourself at the end.

I got my wife to sign up with one of the newcomers program at a government affiliated agency and she attended a bunch of workshops through them. The bridging program is offered through them as well. She completed all they had recommended her to do even though she didn't need to and also got accepted for the bridging program in January. They saw how eager and professional she actually was. They lined up and offered a bunch of coop positions (unpaid) for her. She is completing one short coop term right now and this most likely would lead to a paid position. This experience itself would be helpful towards the next job application.

Now, we are thinking we may not be going with the bridging program anymore. What we feel is the exposure out there is what helps. Your husband should start applying to any related job in his field. This would give him a clear picture and possibly a job - may not be expected salary at first. But this will still be as valuable if not more than doing a year long certificate. I'm not saying the certificate won't help. I'm saying he needs to start pursue a career right now and have it ongoing while doing the certificate or bridging program.

My wife's bridging program is only $500 and that is also reimbursed from the government if requirements are met. This is offered at Ryerson University and a full time 4 months long program. The program is facilitated by the agency I mentioned. Attending this program will mean not able to work during this time and the added expense of travel and accessories. Different bridging programs for different fields are priced differently of course. They do not qualify for OSAP as far as I know. The certificate or diploma courses usually do qualify for OSAP and living expenses.

You'll have to weigh in your personal situation in making this decision. There are lots of construction related jobs in Toronto (if you are nearby). My wife is an Architect and your husband is a Civil Engineer. These are all in related field. The construction management program for new comers at George Brown has a really good track record especially with its coop option at the end that almost guarantees a job. I believe it also qualifies for OSAP.

Good luck!

 

[shakira2009]

Hi there,

I did a bridging program for HR professionals. Overall, it was worth it because I was able to build friendships, get 4 college courses for free, a good mentor and an internship that helped build my resume.

It should be noted that, as it happens with anything in life, not everyone is satisfied. Some of my peers in the same program never got meaningful work, and their mentors/career counselors were not helping them much with their advice. In the end they were frustrated and disappointed.

I wasn't expecting much from the beginning since this program was all free. I took whatever learning was there for me, did my best to keep a positive mindset, and looked at the whole thing as part of my experience as a newcomer in Canada. Maybe the key is not to expect much!

Not sure if this helps, it's just my experience and two-cents contribution

Good luck with your endeavours!

 

[valsanail]

Hi there,

I did a bridging program for HR professionals. Overall, it was worth it because I was able to build friendships, get 4 college courses for free, a good mentor and an internship that helped build my resume.

It should be noted that, as it happens with anything in life, not everyone is satisfied. Some of my peers in the same program never got meaningful work, and their mentors/career counselors were not helping them much with their advice. In the end they were frustrated and disappointed.

I wasn't expecting much from the beginning since this program was all free. I took whatever learning was there for me, did my best to keep a positive mindset, and looked at the whole thing as part of my experience as a newcomer in Canada. Maybe the key is not to expect much!

Not sure if this helps, it's just my experience and two-cents contribution

Good luck with your endeavours!

Hi dear, did you find a regular paid job as a result? My husband id a hr professional with 9 years of experience and is about to start an unpaid placement program of 2 months in a couple of weeks. Simultaneously he has been registered for 2 Seneca College courses as a start and is going to obtain a security guard license as a survival job, he either attended all those workshops bu YMCA as well

 

[shakira2009]

Hi dear, did you find a regular paid job as a result? My husband id a hr professional with 9 years of experience and is about to start an unpaid placement program of 2 months in a couple of weeks. Simultaneously he has been registered for 2 Seneca College courses as a start and is going to obtain a security guard license as a survival job, he either attended all those workshops bu YMCA as well

Hi valsanail,

I found a decent job (not survival) thanks to the Canadian experience on my resume, but not in HR. It's somewhat related to HR because it's a training company, however it's not what I was hoping for. Now that I have more experience I keep applying to HR jobs and hope to get one at some point! HR jobs are very difficult to get but I'd say that local college courses are useful to make connections and learn the HR practice.

Good luck to you and your husband!

 

[MaryamAttarzoghi]

Guys do you know how much does this bridging pprogram cost for architects?

 

[hemotep]

I'm not sure if the bridging program or even the certificates/diplomas will help in find a job at the end really. What any of these do is help you create a network and helps you get to know others. You could have multiple degrees and many years of experience but it comes down to be able to market yourself at the end.

I got my wife to sign up with one of the newcomers program at a government affiliated agency and she attended a bunch of workshops through them. The bridging program is offered through them as well. She completed all they had recommended her to do even though she didn't need to and also got accepted for the bridging program in January. They saw how eager and professional she actually was. They lined up and offered a bunch of coop positions (unpaid) for her. She is completing one short coop term right now and this most likely would lead to a paid position. This experience itself would be helpful towards the next job application.

Now, we are thinking we may not be going with the bridging program anymore. What we feel is the exposure out there is what helps. Your husband should start applying to any related job in his field. This would give him a clear picture and possibly a job - may not be expected salary at first. But this will still be as valuable if not more than doing a year long certificate. I'm not saying the certificate won't help. I'm saying he needs to start pursue a career right now and have it ongoing while doing the certificate or bridging program.

My wife's bridging program is only $500 and that is also reimbursed from the government if requirements are met. This is offered at Ryerson University and a full time 4 months long program. The program is facilitated by the agency I mentioned. Attending this program will mean not able to work during this time and the added expense of travel and accessories. Different bridging programs for different fields are priced differently of course. They do not qualify for OSAP as far as I know. The certificate or diploma courses usually do qualify for OSAP and living expenses.

You'll have to weigh in your personal situation in making this decision. There are lots of construction related jobs in Toronto (if you are nearby). My wife is an Architect and your husband is a Civil Engineer. These are all in related field. The construction management program for new comers at George Brown has a really good track record especially with its coop option at the end that almost guarantees a job. I believe it also qualifies for OSAP.

Good luck!

Thanks for the precious information, I'm an architect by training working in project management and I hold a PMP certification, I intend to target a position in management and I'm trying to develop my strategy to secure a job, what I get from your experience and some other feedbacks is that bridge programs won't guarantee a job but it will help you in building your network and maybe putting your first feet in the Canadian market, do u have any suggestion, any advice for me as a result of the experience of your wife who is architect like me.

Thanks once again for the information
Have a nice day!