CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – Feb. 10, 2012 – When they arrive in a new country, it is not always easy for immigrants to integrate themselves into a new community and especially into the workforce since they don’t necessarily know about all the procedures and local ways of doing things.

Since a part of its mandate seeks to improve people’s employability, RDÉE Prince Edward Island has just launched a new project seeking to help francophone newcomers integrate themselves into a new job. Thanks to funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the RDÉE has just hired Tanya Gallant from Cameleon Productions of Charlottetown to coordinate this initiative.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada and the University of Prince Edward Island. The coordinator will first serve as the liaison between the project’s partners.

Secondly, taking into consideration the suggestions of all partners, Gallant will prepare a program of activities, training sessions and networking opportunities for immigrants with Canadian citizenship that have arrived on PEI to ensure that they have access to the necessary tools to help them integrate into the Island workforce.

“The global objective of the project is to make immigrants aware of the employment and entrepreneurial opportunities available in our province and to help Island businesses and entrepreneurs become more aware about immigration and its importance. We also want to explain to them how to go about hiring immigrants,” explains the coordinator.

“To increase the bilingual population of PEI and to retain immigrants with Canadian citizenship here on the Island, it is important that we have someone to guide them in their job search process, to educate them about the available tools to help them in their searches and to show them how to actually apply for various positions,” she adds. “This project will help meet these basic needs.”

As well, this initiative will provide opportunities for meetings and networking events between immigrants and Island entrepreneurs, through three of PEI’s chambers of commerce, including the Acadian and francophone chamber and the Summerside and Charlottetown chambers, notes Christian Gallant, the RDÉE PEI development officer in charge of the immigration dossier.

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For more information:

Christian Gallant
Development officer, in charge of immigration dossier
RDÉE PEI Inc.
(902) 370-7333