Alumni Testimonials

"The overall structure of the PAIE program prepares new immigrants for success in their career in Canada; from the classroom learning, interaction with program coordinators, and one on one with a job coach. The one-on-one resume review with job coach approach, opportunities to learn job-specific software, understanding common terms used in the Canadian workplace due to the cultural differences from where a new immigrant comes from are all a part of the program. PAIE prepares and guides you to the path of success in Canada" - Adekola, PAIE Participant, 2021

 

"Professional Access Into Employment Program organized by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority helped me improve my technical and non-technical skills, leading to my first job seven months down the program and with tough market conditions which arose due to COVID-19. The program was well planned and gave me valuble insights into the corporate culture in Canada, hands-on software training essential for environmental professionals in Canada (AutoCAD, MS Project), and several other workshops and webinars conducted by experts and various organizations to know more about the environmental sector. I feel the vital part of the program was interactions with our assigned coordinators. They helped us in selecting and shortlisting jobs based on our skills and past experiences, drafting applications as per the local standards, preparing for interviews, and also letting us know how to survive in the job market once we have a job. I am pretty sure that I wouldn't be in my current position if I had not been part of this program..." - Janardhanan, PAIE Participant, 2021

 

"The Professional Access into Employment (PAIE) had guided me through its professional development workshops and the mentorship program to learn about the employment culture in the construction industry here in Canada. The PAIE program enabled me to write a proper resume, secure and prepare for interviews and to be ready for professional job search. I enjoyed working with coordinators, mentors and other participants. Due to Covid-19, all program workshops were moved online quickly and continued as planned. That showed a high level of team preparation and planning. Using the knowledge I gained during the workshops and by attending in-person and virtual meetings with my coordinator, I was able to secure a full-time position in my field..." - Roopesh, PAIE Participant, 2020

 

"PAIE helped me to understand the soft skills requirements of the Canadian workplace culture, to be better prepared in presenting myself in resume and for job interviews. It is only through this program I was able to gain local work experience and achieved my objective of getting a full-time job. It was my best decision to attend this program, yet having 16 years of engineering experience, I understood the importance of continuous self-improvement and learning new skills. I am really grateful to the PAIE team and my coordinator for helping me start my career properly" - Sokol, PAIE Participant, 2020

 

"I was able to gain insight on how the job market works here in Ontario by means of the seminars provided as well as the advice from my coordinator. I was then able to develop a solid job search plan. My coordinator was able to advise me on preparing my resume, following up on job leads, preparing for my interview, and handling my job offer and onboarding. I continued to receive support from my coordinator while on the job as my next goal is to get my P.Eng license." - Daniel, PAIE Participant, 2019

 

"The PAIE program helped me to build my confidence through expanding knowledge about corporate culture in Canada and also networking and building professional relationships. Moreover, the assigned coordinator helped me in rewriting my resume and tailoring applications in an effective way along with helping me to prepare well for interviews..." - Laleh, PAIE Participant, 2019

 

"There are a lot of bridging programmes available, but what makes PAIE more useful is that it is more Profession specific. Being a newcomer, a person is not aware of the working culture, working communication and laws & regulations specific to that area. In JSCC, a lot of topics related to these challenging fields were covered. It made me more confident and more aware of the job market of Canada. I was able to target my resume more effectively through this training programme. There are lots of good things about this programme like informing trainees about companies directories from where we can search about profession-specific companies, interview tips and how to perform well in new job..." - Navjot, PAIE Participant, 2018

 

"Being a new immigrant to the country, I was not aware of the job market and employment targeting areas of the nation. Although I had a high level of qualification and professional experience, I was not confident enough to target the opportunities in a right array. This program taught me all the elevator ideas through effective activities in JSCC, helping me to open up among all other participants through encouraging towards volunteering events..." - Ravi, PAIE Participant, 2018

 

"The PAIE program helped me understand the Canadian job market in a completely different manner. My approach towards job hunting changed drastically during and after this program. I realized my mistakes as well as my shortcomings which helped me to improve upon them. The nature and schedule of the classroom program forced me to focus and complete the assignments which proved beneficial for me. I would say assigning the coordinator is the best part of this program which is not offered by any other program. It gave me the confidence as well assurance to discuss my approach one-on-one with the coordinator without the fear of being judged.The information and resources that were available through this program for the job seekers were truly overwhelming" - Ankur, PAIE Participant, 2018

 

"Learning new things has always been a great motivator for me. The PAIE bridging program of TRCA has been a great contributor to my job search activities. The program has increased my chances of getting a job that is aligned with my field of specialization. Thanks to the untiring support of my coordinator and all members of the PAIE team in the bridging program, I was able to learn new things or new ways to look at the challenges that hindered immigrants in finding suitable jobs. PAIE provided all the information I need to further understand the Canadian culture and adjust myself accordingly. It is interesting to see that an organization such as the TRCA, helping new immigrants like me, assists in reconnecting to the industry. I would definitely recommend this bridging program to new immigrants..." - Jones, PAIE Participant, 2017 

 

"Before joining the PAIE program, I had the basic idea of the Canadian labour market. However, this targeted program for environmental engineers helped me understand the market demand in my field. From providing the avenues to effectively search for jobs, preparing resumes and cover letters, professional networking and interview preparation to workplace culture training, the PAIE program team and my co-ordinator, in particular, helped me a great deal." - Ibrahim, PAIE Participant, 2017 

 

"The PAIE program was quite helpful as I had the opportunity of accessing their network with other professionals especially employers and hiring managers. They are experts in resume and cover letter writing and they offered helpful advice regarding interviews. Furthermore, by participating in the PAIE program, I had the opportunity of attending job search training sessions and becoming more familiar with the different methods of resume writing, cover letter writing and most importantly, networking." - Mohammadali, PAIE Participant, 2017 

 

"PAIE Program is a unique program, compared with other bridging programs that I previously took it is totally different. The key difference is that PAIE program is provided by TRCA, which is an authority operating in the environmental field. For this reason, TRCA staff has a lot of connections and understands the skills you really need to work in the environmental field. Moreover having the references of a TRCA employee really helped me in the process of getting the job." - Tomaso, PAIE Participant, 2016 

 

"PAIE is the strongest program for internationally trained Environmental Engineers and Geoscientists. After I joined this program, I started a close collaboration with my coordinator and I believe she had a key role in my success through her full-time help and support of my job search activities. She is so responsive and knowledgeable in her job and answered all of my questions and concerns in the shortest time possible. I also found the mock interviews she arranged for me extremely helpful as she covered almost all of my interview questions! It is very important for Environmental Professionals and Engineers to know about environmental regulations, policies, planning and approval processes to improve their chance of getting hired in their field. The PAIE program job development and professional workshops are very useful and informative in terms of making the participants familiar with these processes and policies." - Aida, PAIE Participant, 2016 

 

"Having a full-time job, job seeking was a complicated process for me with so many different tools and approaches. I have worked very hard and tried so many tools for finding an appropriate opportunity in my field as an internationally trained professional. Participating in the PAIE Program was one of the most powerful tools. During the Job Search training, I learned a lot about key points for a successful job search and when I received a call for an interview with AECON Group, my PAIE Coordinator helped me a lot by providing me with a practice interview and giving valuable advice. Having participated in the professional workshops conducted by PAIE staff, I have found them to be very useful as well." - Nadia, PAIE Participant, 2014