CANADA - Guide for Skilled Workers

EDUCATION IN ONTARIO

Seeking for a school for your children and enrolling them in is one of the first thing to do in your second week after your arrival. In Canada the academic year starts in the first week of September and finishes by the end of June. It is compulsory that every child between 6 and 16 attend school.

Canada offers free public education from kindergarten to college, where more the 80% of Canadian children attend. Most schools are Anglophone (education in English), although there are also some francophone schools. There is also a number of private schools approved by the Ministry of Education where students pay for their education.

- ENROLLING YOUR CHILDREN ON SCHOOL

IMPORTANT: There are two official school systems that run the educational system:

Public Schools, run by the Public School District Board.
Roman Catholic Schools run by the Roman Catholic District board.

Both systems depend on the Ministry of education and are run by the Education Boards of the different areas. All schools must follow the same programs and texts of the Ministry of Education so, at least in theory, their educational quality is similar. The difference between both school systems is that some religious knowledge is taught at the latter. Students from different ethnic groups and religions attend public schools, where no religious knowledge is taught.

RECOMMENDATION

If you and your family are Catholic, it is advisable to enrol your children in a good Catholic school. He will find children from different nationalities and customs, but closer to their beliefs than in a public school, and with a little better discipline and supervision.

To seek a school in Ontario and Toronto, click the following link:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/sbinfo/

http://www.tcdsb.org/ (Catholics Schools in Toronto)

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/ (Public Schools in Toronto)

These are the documents you must have when you go to enrol your children on Pre-school, Elementary or High School courses:

• Permanent Resident Visa in Canada

• Passport

• Birth Certificate

• School Certificates if applicable (for college or university)

Note: Certificates of vaccination must be handy, to be produced on demand.

IMPORTANT

Your children will be enrolled on the form corresponding to their age, no matter if they don’t speak English nor their previous educational level. In Canada all children of a certain age attend the same form, in general terms. So, if a child is 7, he will be assigned to grade 1 or, if he is 12, to grade 6. You must produce a valid ID document to certify your child’s birth date.

- KINDERGARDEN – PRE-SCHOOL

This is the first stage in the educational system and the aim is to make students familiar with their partners and teachers in a stimulant school atmosphere. It prepares children to start their elementary level successfully. It is not compulsory and it is available for everyone in the province.

Students can attend pre-school in one of these two ways:

· Half board: for children of 4 years old

· Fill time, for children of age 5

- ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Every child of six, or turning 6 before October 1^stmust be enrolled to start elementary school. Attendance to pre-school is not a pre-requirement.

Elementary school in Canada goes from form 1 to 8. Classes start in the first week of September and end in the last week of June. Usually, schools ask parents to take an active role in the educational life of their children.

IMPORTANT

Newcomer students can access extra English classes (ESL clases) to improve their performance in this language. If your child doesn’t speak English, it may be difficult for him to attend school and fit into his group of students. Ask for the best help available for him to learn the language as soon as possible and be a part of the course activities. Many schools a re repaired to help in such cases.

- HIGH SCHOOL

After the 8 forms of elementary school, students attend secondary or “high” school. It prepares them for college or university, or for a future job.

Students are free to choose some areas of interest. One Credit is obtained after completing a 110-hour course.

After attendance to the general program, of 5 years, students get the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and can attend higher studies – College or University. The diploma is obtained after getting 30 credits

Students also have the choice to take some vocational programs to get specific knowledge in a certain craft.

Those who intend to go to university, must do the Ontario Academic Cueres, which have three difficulty levels:

• Basic, job oriented

• General, prepares students for COLLEGE or for a job

• Advanced, prepares students for University or special Colleges.

- COLLEGE

After the general program of high school, students can attend college, the first step of higher education. Both public and private colleges offer the following options:

• Pre-university 2-year courses as a preparation for University

• Technical Studies, of up to three years, to get the level of Qualified Technician

Every College sets its own course list and schedule, fees, duration, requirements, etc.

For general information, consult the Ministry of Education and Training (Tel (416) 325-2929

These are some of the largest Colleges in Ontario:

• Seneca College

• George Brown College.

• Sheridian College

• Humber College

• Georgian College

• Centennial College

You can also get information on these college-related websites:

• List of Colleges in Ontario

• Community and Technical Colleges in Canada

- UNIVERSITIES

The requirements to start University vary according to the course of studies and every specific educational institution. To enter a professional program it is often required the highest level of education and a high performance.

The application for every Canadian University in Ontario is made by the OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Centre), the sole institution devoted to do that job. Once submitted the application form for a course in an University, the OUAC assesses the applicant’s marks and, after that, accepts or denies the application to that specific University.

University courses of studies have several levels. The first is called Undergraduate study, which issues the professional Bachelor’s Degrees, equivalent to a university degree in Latin American countries, such as Lawyer, Doctor in Medicine, or Mechanical, Chemical or Electronic Engineer, etc, with a duration of 10 semesters of full time studies.

The second level of university education is the Master Degree and the third level, the PhD. degree

To learn more on the main Universities in Ontario, follow these links:

• University of Toronto

• York University

• Queens University

• University of Western Ontario.

• University of Ottawa

• University of Guelph

• University of Waterloo

• MacMaster University

IMPORTANT

Elementary and high school are free for residents, and are supported by taxes. However, vocational courses in colleges and professionals courses in Canadian Universities are costly and must be paid by every student’s family resources. There are no government Universities or Colleges.

For example, a year of the course of studies in Law or Medicine in Ontario costs between 12,000 and 30,000 dollars, Engineering between 6,000 and 10,000, apart from the everyday life expenditure typical of a university student.

That is why the Canadian government has created a saving program for university education, that intends that parents open an account when the child is little and then deposit certain amount every year for him / her to count on that money when turning 18, and be able to pay for their higher education. The program, called RESP (Retirement Education Scholarship Plan) has as an incentive that the government will deposit $20 for every $100 deposited by parents. The system has some restrictions, as those funds can only be devoted to the higher education of the beneficiary. You can ask for more information at your bank, asking about the RESP.

- LEARNING ENGLISH

The government in Ontario will help you and your family to study English and get a better integration at school, the society and the productive system. Every newcomer should devote as much time as possible to study the language from arrival. There is a broad variety of free English and French courses in cities. There are two English teaching programs oriented to newcomers in Canada.

• LINC - Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada

• ESL – English as Second Language

LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada): It is a free program oriented to adult new permanent residents who need to learn the language. LINC English classes can be found in different institutions all over Toronto and the rest of the province, such as:

• Community Organisations

• Schools

• Agencies of help for newcomers

• Community Colleges.

You can do these courses full or part time. To enrol on the program you must go to a LINC Assessment Centre, to take a placement test based on the different abilities of language acquisition: reading, writing, etc. According to the exam results, you will be placed in the corresponding level.

DURATION: LINC English courses last around 32 years, for those who start from scratch. However, every student is assessed and will start from the corresponding level.

ESL – English as Second Language. The program is organised in three levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. It is oriented to improve the student ‘s reading, writing, and listening abilities, along with grammar, intonation and conversational skills.

ESL courses are intended for newcomers who need extra English classes to learn or improve their abilities in the language. If their children need it, help must be asked at school for their program to help them learn the language as son as possible en integrate to the activities of the course. Many schools have specific teacher for these programs.

Some educational institutions holding these programs offer day care centres and economical support for transportation. Moreover, you will learn about the lifestyle, history, politics, Geography, and other interesting aspects in Ontario and the rest of Canada by studying French, as these topics are used for newcomers to learn the language.

IMPORTANT

The ability to communicate fluently in English or French will be the most important key to reach a good job position in Canada and get the opportunity to show your level, professional education and personal skills.

Also is the key to to relate properly to your environment, meet other people, meet new friends, start and keep your networking and improve your possibilities to get a good and salary

RECOMMENDATION:

Once you find housing, you should enrol full time to study English. That is a fast way to improve your level and will help you to make your way in this new country as well. Remember that when you start working, you won’t have the time to attend intensive language classes.

- OTHER CONTINUING EDUCATION RESOURCES

In many community centres where English classes are taught, it is possible to find other training or continuing education courses as well. The courses that are taught more often are:

• Computing (introduction, uses, fast typing, etc)

• Ms Windows

• Ms Office (Word, Excel)

• Internet Usage

• Autocad

By attending those courses not only you will learn specific vocabulary but you will also improve your language from the practical point of view and because of dealing with other students of different nationalities. Those courses are affordable, in general terms, and are job oriented.