By Erika Rolling

Immigrant Mentorship

Grande Prairie Council for Lifelong Learning receives grant from province for newcomer career mentorship

Jul 13, 2022 | 8:00 AM

The Government of Alberta has dispersed $2.1 million to eight organizations across the province under the Alberta Immigrant Mentorship Innovation Grant.

The funds will be used to assist newcomers to Canada find meaningful employment that suits their previous work experience, skills and education level.

The organizations are based in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Athabasca, Grande Prairie, Peace River, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.

For Grande Prairie, the Grande Prairie Council for Lifelong Learning received $126,862 through the grant to facilitate their program – GP Career Mentorship for Newcomers.

Crystal Nedohin Fowler, Volunteer Tutor and Mentorship Coordinator for the GP Career Mentorship for Newcomers says the program will start this fall.

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“Newcomers as mentees and professional mentors from Grande Prairie will be working one-on-one in order to help the mentees and give them support in preparing them for a career here in Canada.”

The mentors will giving guidance and resources for immigrants and newcomers using the program to find employment that is suitable to their previous jobs, education and skill set.

Nedohin Fowler says many immigrants don’t get well-suited jobs due to the lack of resources to help them work in a new country.

“The mentors will have conversations with mentees about workplace culture in Canada, how it’s different from their culture, how to find jobs in their respective field and improving their overall Canadian work experience,” she says.

“They come here and don’t know if they are even able to practice their profession here, so it’s nice to have professional mentor them understand what they need to do, so that in the end they will have steady and full-time employment.”

GP Career Mentorship for Newcomers will be for level four English speakers, which Nedohin Fowler says is “the common small talk, how to read and write in English, but still need extra supports.”

The province says projects being funded by the Alberta Immigrant Mentorship Innovation Grant will range up to three years until March 2025 to make sure the organizations can provide long-term mentorship to immigrants and newcomers.