Newcomers Celebrate a Milestone in Career Development in Canada

March 31, TORONTO – Over 100 immigrants with accounting or finance background were awarded with the certificate of graduation in the graduation ceremony held at the CPAC Conference Hall today for successfully completing a bridge training program that has helped them find employment in their field and start CGA certification. The bridge training program, named Gateway for Accounting and Finance Professionals Program, is delivered by the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC) with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

“I am so excited to receive my graduation certificate because it marks the beginning of my professional life in Canada,” said Glenn Huang who just started his new job as accountant with the help from the training program. “It is of crucial importance for us to get the support from such a program that helped us go back to the profession of my training and do the work I am good at,” he continued.

“It is our mission at CPAC to assist immigrant professionals in integrating into the community and the Gateway for Accounting and Finance Professionals program is just one of our efforts to fulfill our mission,” remarked Dr. Hugh Zhao, president of CPAC, in his speech. “We worked for all the international trained immigrant professionals. Just like this program, one third of the participants are without Chinese background. We are so happy today to see our efforts paid off,” said Dr. Zhao.

The Honourable Charles Sousa, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, joined the celebration event and congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments. “The Ontario government is pleased to support organizations like CPAC which help newcomers put their skills and knowledge to work,” said Charles Sousa, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “When newcomers succeed, we all succeed.”

Representatives from the two partner organizations, CGA Ontario and the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, also offered congratulations to the graduates and expressed continued support to the program and the immigrant community.

About the CPAC Gateway for Accounting & Finance Professionals Program funded by Government of Ontario, CPAC Gateway for Accounting and Finance Professionals Project is a tailor-made program for the internationally trained accounting and finance professionals. It is aimed at helping these professionals obtain the Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation with a clearly illustrated road map; to gain relevant job experience in Canada through CGA certification support and specialized employment services; and to become successful in the workplace by equipping themselves with essential soft skills. Depending on their individual needs, participants will receive in-depth information on the certification process, workplace culture and communication training, job readiness workshops, as well as job placement services.

About CPAC

The Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC) is a federally registered, not-for-profit organization with the objective of serving and representing the interests of immigrant professionals. The Association has a membership of about 27,000 across Canada and is the largest of its kind in Canada. Since its inception in 1992, it has expanded to serve diverse internationally trained professionals and plays an increasingly important role in our multicultural Canadian society, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area.

Affix: Success stories of CPAC Gateway for Accounting & Finance Professionals Program

Glenn Huang

Before joining the Gateway program, I had been working in Canada for a couple of years. However, something was holding me back from getting the required senior level experience for CGA designation. I didn’t figure it out until I joined the Gateway for Accounting and Finance Professionals program. The training provided just the right knowledge and practical skills for me to adapt and it substantially improved my performance and working relationship with coworkers.

During the course of the program, I also got continuing support and encouragement from CAPC staff which was critical for me because the journey of pursuing the CGA designation was such a long way. They helped me to overcome the frustrations and depression and keep going. I got my designation at last in 2011.

On behalf of all the participants, I would like to give thanks to the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, CPAC, the University of Toronto School of Continuning Studies and CGA Ontario. Thank you for teaming up together such a wonderful program for us. Especially, thanks to all the staffs such as Min, Jason, Jun, and Alice who have been working so hard for this program. They are all very dedicated, knowledgeable and approachable. Without their tireless efforts and enthusiam, we won’t be able to benefit so much and succeed. Let us give them a big round of applause!

Andrew Zhou

Andrew Zhou is a graduate of CPAC Gateway for Accounting & Finance Professionals Program. Through training and services of the program, Andrew was able to re-start his professional career with a multi-national company and he is excited to share his experience with the new job in Canada.

I joined Johnson & Johnson in Canada. I was impressed by their friendly culture. I am currently working in a start-up organization at J&J. We are launching products and services globally. The business is about $20 million sales, and has about 30 people in UK, Canada and US. Currently, I am in the global leadership team of this organization, and responsible for UK, Canada, and US monthly closing, quarterly updates, annual budget, strategic planning, compensation plan, and business intelligence, etc. I travel quite a lot throughout the year. For example, I was at the head office in Florida in March. In April, I was at San Diego for North America National Sales meeting. In June, I flew to London, UK for quarterly global leadership team meeting. In October, I was at Montreal for Canada national sales meeting. Plus, every month, I need to go to Cincinnati for global video conference.

For the next year or two, we will expand to France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece. In 2013-2014, we have planned to expand to Russia, other European countries, and Middle East. In 2014, we may also expand to Japan. This is a very exciting but challenging job for me. Thanks to the Gateway program, I am well prepared and able to take up the challenges. This is also a unique opportunity for me to further enhance my skills and develop a global perspective.

Yan Guo

With assistance from the Gateway for Accounting and Finance Professionals program I was able to become licensed as a CGA. In particular, I benefitted from the following parts of the program: Canadian Workplace Culture and Communication Training, employment support and CGA certification support. The training and services opened a door for me to the working culture and environment, and helped me to obtain my employment and CGA goals successfully.

CPAC staffs are very knowledgeable and friendly, and they have always been inspiring and encouraging in my job searching.