Internationally educated professionals face a different set of challenges.
It's sometimes a battle trying to incorporate training questions, understanding cultural values and relevant experience and education when trying to find a job in the Canadian workforce.Our interview with Lionel Laroche provides fascinating insight into the challenges of being an internationally educated professional in Toronto.Then if you haven't already, read the story of internationally trained Dr. Sivakumar Gulasingam on the cover and his experience trying to bring his talent to the Canadian workforce.The ninth annual IEP (internationally educated professionals) conference will be Feb. 10 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre - and we encourage anyone who has a workforce in this city, or offers services to newcomers, to become involved. It's the ninth annual gathering and an expected 1,300 delegates are expected to register for the seminar series and trade show and opportunities for internationally educated professionals to come together with employers, trainers and coaches of many kinds.This year's conference spotlights five workplace sectors: finance and accounting, information and communication technologies, healthcare professions, engineering professions and the business services of human resources and marketing. There will be skill building and job search strategy sessions. There will be opportunities for potential employees to find potential employers.There will be tremendous sessions for employers looking to reach into this largely untapped and anxious talent pool just waiting to bring their best efforts to a suitable employer in the GTA.Laroche is one of the keynote speakers for the event. He is president and founder of MultiCultural Business Solutions, a 20-year provider of critical cross-cultural and other training.His interview is a compelling read, and the basis for many good questions each employer needs to ask themselves in this culturally diverse city.The day is presented by PCPI (Progress Career Planning Institute) a not-for-profit career planning group. You can find out more about the conference at www.iep.ca The event begins with a 7:30 a.m. registration and ends at 4:30 p.m.Even if you can't attend, follow the day's events and the concepts and challenges brought by IEP conferences. You'll improve your Toronto workforce - and in some cases you'll open the doors to a highly motivated professional workforce you may not realize exists in Toronto.