According to Mediacorp's 2009 list of "Canada's Best Employers for New Canadians," a growing number of Canadian companies are more interested in the skills and abilities of newcomers than in where they received their education and work experience.

Many featured Canadian employers now have programs in place to recognize foreign credentials and help employees obtain the Canadian certification they need, where applicable.

Montreal-based CAE Inc., for example, which manufactures flight simulators and trains pilots around the world, recognizes international undergraduate degrees on par with certification from Canadian universities and colleges. They also provide subsidies to newcomer employees who need to take courses for Canadian accreditation or to improve their skills, and they provide free English and French language courses in-house.

"It is of great value for CAE to have employees that speak the same language as our customers," says a spokesperson from CAE. "We feel that employees with diverse backgrounds make a unique contribution to CAE."

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is another Montreal-based company named to Mediacorp's list because of their recruitment process. They use various tools, including a one-hour exam, to determine the skills of newcomers who were trained abroad. They select employees based on these skill levels and their education and experience references.