Alan Rego, Toronto

I would like to share my own experience as a newcomer to Canada. I arrived here from Singapore over 10 years ago, with 15 years of international management experience in blue-chip Fortune 500 firms. But no amount of knocking on employers’ doors yielded the breakthrough I was seeking — until a Career Edge internship two years later with a leading consumer products company in the GTA paved the way to a career in my field.

The employer offered a compensation package that was far more generous than the one prescribed by Career Edge, and offered me a full-time opportunity when they realized my contributions could help achieve their business objectives.

Because newcomers often lack the social networks needed to open employers’ doors, internships and mentorships play a vital role in providing them access to the labour market. In turn, successfully employed newcomers often help out others like them.

This cascading impact makes our economy stronger and ensures the use of incoming skills. Everyone wins when a newcomer does well. If internships do not continue to be offered, the potential for using immigrants’ skills to grow our economy could be lost.

I realize that the situation with fresh graduates is very different, and a few employers may be misusing internships. But that does not take away from the fact that hundreds of skilled immigrants like me have benefited from internships as a stepping stone to a successful career.

The media have regularly profiled such success stories. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we were to give up a program that has worked so well for so long.

 

Read other letters about internships from the Toronto Star readers.

Source: Toronto Star