International students at Dal will soon have another avenue for honing their career-building skills and gaining valuable work experience through a new pilot program launching early next year.
Any full-time international students with a valid study permit are eligible to apply for part-time paid positions with on-campus staff and faculty employment partners through the International Student Work Experience Program (ISWEP).
Developed by Career Services in collaboration with the International Centre, the program was designed with current Canadian labour market trends in mind 鈥� taking into consideration the impact of precarious work culture and the skills gap on international students in particular.
鈥淔or our international students, it鈥檚 not that they don鈥檛 have skills when they graduate. It鈥檚 that they often don鈥檛 know how to articulate them in a job search context,鈥� says Karen McCrank, director of career services at the Bissett Student Success Centre.
McCrank says participants in the program will learn as much about navigating the job search process in Canada, clarifying career goals, and the importance of networking as they will about the actual jobs they take on. ISWEP will also educate students on the types of skills and jobs that can help them secure a work permit following graduation or if they are looking to apply for permanent residency.
"A program like this can really set them up for success in that.鈥�
Engaging employers
Currently, the plan is to accept two cohorts of 70 students each for the coming Winter 2020 and Fall 2020 terms, with the potential to extend the program beyond that depending on evaluations of initial outcomes. Students from all campuses, including the Agricultural Campus in Truro, can apply.
McCrank says another unique aspect of ISWEP is that it also offers training for the employers and supervisors, who 鈥� like students 鈥� must apply to be part of the program. She says part of the intention is to bust myths around the difficulties of hiring international students as employees and to help employers understand the value of having international candidates in the work environment.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of misconception around 鈥榦h, I can鈥檛 hire an international student, what if they don鈥檛 have the right documents?鈥欌�� she says, noting that ISWEP will aim to inform and reduce fear from employers around work permits and how they work.
She says there鈥檚 also a lot of bias with employers around language.
鈥淧art of the con