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8 economist suntribune the human factor thursday sept 26 2002 this is a real humiliation for them from page 3 but mr moros an architect and mrs moros a speech pathologist hope one the family lives on social assistance day to work in their trained professions markham fairgrounds 5 km north of hwy 7 on mc at 18th ave all shows free with admission family pass 2 adults 3 children adultsyouths seniors s children 12 yrs under s children 4 under free 3 day pass 1 adult 600 prices include gst i jbktfam i n mmtmmmivm acquiring the proper qualifications to work in canada however is an uphill battle even getting menial jobs is difficult as employers would prefer someone who speaks english we have found that what employers want is people to speak english said felina rezza the moros settlement counsellor with catholic community services of york region one of the largest agencies serving new immi grants in the region an employer doesnt have the patience how is he mr moros even going to make change when hes pump ing gas employers have a large pool of prospective workers to draw from the agency is funded annually by the federal government 1 million for immigrant services including settle ment and adaptation job workshops and school programs the province gives 90000 catholic charities offer 375000 and york regions united way gives the agency 60000 meanwhile the moros have no cred it history drivers licences or employ ment references here they are trying to get volunteer jobs so they can build their resumes it is very hard mrs moros admit ted but the most important thing is we are happy now we are together we have good things to share and we found spe cial people these people all the time open doors for us all the time help us ms rezza a settlement counsellor for 15 years said the moros are typical of the clients she sees settling in york region they are welleducated families many of whom have fled atrocious con ditions in their homelands looking to become productive members of society however ms rezza said many stum bling blocks stand in their way government gives immigrants the impression there are countless jobs available in canada for highly skilled professionals she said but professionally trained immi grants such as doctors teachers and engineers usually spend years attempt ing to get the qualifications or creden tials they need to work here this is a real humiliation for them ms rezza said in some ways it makes it harder for professionals to come here i think they came with higher expectations some really come unprepared a lot of our clients really thought they would get a job in their field ms rezza complained the govern ment offers misleading information about employment opportunities to immigrants and argues politicians should provide more training and sup port so newcomers can qualify to work in their professions at the same time she said immi grants also face hurdles learning english adapting to a new culture find ing affordable housing establishing credit finding agencies that will advo cate on their behalf securing health care coverage and seeing their children assimilate into a society they dont understand and are often uncomfort able with i think for most people they find it really really difficult its difficult for the first few years ms rezza said the first five years its just trying to hold it all together with survival needs an immigration symposium called embracing diversity sponsored by the united way catholic community services ofyork region york region and the simcoe york district health council was held last october to determine the needs of yorks growing multicultural population a report highlighting issues identi fied at the symposium concluded immigrants find it difficult to get information about services in york because it often isnt available in their mother tongue or is too complex to understand there isnt one single place where newcomers can get information affordable housing is hard to come by and isnt designed to house extended families public transit is difficult to use improvements are needed in english as a second language courses foreigntrained workers often find it difficult to compete in a labour market that is generally highly sophisticated and one that seeks workers with canadian expertise and formal aca demic credentials students are often branded by their peers as different or feel they must iso late themselves from their ethnic com munities if they want to fit into the see immigrants page 9 featuring pfpp 4 bk you got ii