Higher Education Levels

Immigrant women in Canada are more educated than ever and more likely to have gone to university than their Canadian-born counterparts. However higher levels of education do not always translate to improved employment prospects – particularly for women – since their credentials and education often go unrecognized by Canadian employers. While foreign-born women are generally better educated than women born here, they are still less likely to be employed.  Many are concentrated in low-wage jobs, such as manual labour and sales, service and clerical work. Canada’s failure to create an effective accreditation system and fully utilize highly educated and skilled professionals – conditions on which most newcomers are permitted to immigrate here – will hinder the country’s participation and progress in the global economy. It also contributes to the de-skilling of an invaluable segment of the Canadian workforce.         

Did You Know?

• 18% of all foreign-born women have a university degree compared with 14% of Canadian-born women.

• Recent arrivals are even more likely to have a university degree.
  

• In 2001, 26% of women who arrived in Canada in the last decade were university-educated.Immigrant women are also more likely to have an advanced university degree with 6% holding a masters or doctorate compared to 4% of their Canadian-born counterparts.
  

• Only 64% of working-age women born outside the country were part of the paid workforce in 2001 compared with 70% of non-immigrant women.

• 83% of foreign-born females aged 15 to 19 are attending school compared with 78% of young Canadian-born women.    

What Is IWC Doing?

• IWC provides Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada at our three sites throughout Hamilton.

• IWC Provides a 6-week, interactive, confidence-building, critical-thinking Orientation to the Labour Market Workshop.

• IWC provides an Education Assessment Service available to IWC participants currently looking for employment. In partnership with the Adult Basic Education Association, an experienced on-site assessor provides counseling related to education, training and accreditation as well as assessing academmic levels.

• IWC offers Driving and Computer Training to encourage the independence of immigrant women.

• IWC programs and workshops include free, professional Childminding Services.

• IWC provides a multitude of other related services. Please see our Programs and Services section for more details.

Further Reading:

Advocates for Community-Based Training and Education for Women
CASWE - Canadian Association for the Study of Women and Education
Ontario Student Assistance Program
Maytree Scholarship Program
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada