The Voice - Winter 2020 - 36

INDUSTRY

the Bridging Programs offered on the
experience. She is currently
Over the past year, Leila has had
OSPE website and felt that both courses
working in a large company with
numerous interviews and job offerswere a perfect fit to support her goals of
opportunities for growth to reach
even during the pandemic! She has
employment and licensure in Ontario.
her engineering goals.
found herself able to choose work where
In September 2019, Leila participated
Having secured meaningful
she can build specific aspects of her
employment in 2020, Leila
in OSPE's EV100 Environment Bridging
Canadian experience.
Program where she wanted to learn about
decided to begin working on her
job trends in the engineering field and
second goal - obtaining licensure
how to create a professional résumé for
in Ontario. To get started, she
job postings in Canada. She graduated from the course with a
attended OSPE's one-hour webinar to become acquainted with
better understanding of environmental engineering jobs and with
the PEO process and moved quickly to submit her application and
critical communication skills for the workplace and the Canadian
supporting documents to PEO.
context. Leila also gained confidence in her presentation skills
By September 2020, Leila was ready to participate in OSPE's
through the course interview practice and coaching sessions, and
PE400 Exam Skills program for IEGs where she is now deeply
was pleased to learn that her ability to build positive relationships
involved in learning about legal and ethical principles relevant
in work teams was as much an asset in interviews as her technical
to her career in engineering. As the program prepares her for the
expertise. By the end of the program, Leila had clear goals and a
National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE), she is finding herself
plan for finding work in her field.
immersed in content that teaches her how to interpret and apply
Over the past year, Leila has had numerous interviews and job
complex concepts to different practice scenarios, leaving her feeling
offers- even during the pandemic! She has found herself able to
confident about her exam in November. Moreover, the in-depth
choose work where she can build specific aspects of her Canadian
instructor-led discussions with colleagues in the virtual classroom
are proving to be valuable assets as she acquires a comprehensive
understanding about the engineering work environment in Canada
and her duties and responsibilities as a professional engineer.
Of course, the program's role in Leila's journey does not end
here. After writing the NPPE, the program will continue to follow
Leila's progress and is organized to offer her continued support as
she completes the final steps in acquiring the P.Eng. designation.
Like the many participants before her, we wish Leila success on the
upcoming exam and we look forward to celebrating with her when
she achieves her licensure milestones.
Leila's journey is one of many success stories of the newcomer
experience here in Ontario. Finding one's career path can be
long and confusing, but OSPE's Bridging Programs continue to
equip international engineering newcomers with the skills and
confidence to navigate their new professional path in Ontario.
OSPE and Troost ILead (University of Toronto)
Leila concluded that " OSPE's Bridging Programs are crucial for
are conducting a research study to examine why
new arrivals to understand the Ontario context for employment
and professional licensure. "
some engineers are more reluctant than others

to embrace leadership. Beyond pure curiosity,
our goal is to enhance the social, political and
economic impact of the engineering profession
in Ontario by lifting personal and professional
barriers to leadership. Would you like to have
your say? Stay tuned for a short survey coming
your way in January.

36

THE VOICE Winter 2021

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For more information about OSPE's Bridging Programs for
IEGs, visit: www.ospe.on.ca/ieg
http://www.ospe.on.ca/ieg
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