Immigration is one of the ways Alberta is dealing with the challenges of an increasingly tight labour market. In 2005, close to 20,000 immigrants came to this province and numbers are expected to increase in the coming years. Yet, Lethbridge companies face an acute shortage of skilled and unskilled workers in a number of industries. What are we doing to assist new immigrants so that they are able to fulfill their potential in the labour market and to participate more fully in the community?
Who are the newcomers to Lethbridge? What challenges do they face in finding employment? What can we do to maximize their skills and talents?
Speaker: Elma Guinto
Elma earned her Batchelor of Education degree from the University of Lethbridge. Most of her teaching career has been in southern Alberta, including 20 years as an accredited ESL teacher in Lethbridge. She also spent two years with Canadian Universities Service Overseas (CUSO) training teachers in Nigeria. In 1990, Ms. Guinto established Flexibility Learning Systems in downtown Lethbridge. This offers English classes to adult immigrants and refugees and an employment program to assist newcomers in finding work in Canada.