Foundation Program

Marci Santos joined the program as a newcomer to Canada from Brazil. As an immigrant, she felt “a lack of Canadian experience really makes it a challenge when it comes to finding a job”.  She explained when she found out about the York University foundation program, “I joined the program to have a better opportunity in Canada and also to learn more about Canada and sharpen my skills”.

The IEP program provided her with the opportunity to develop her communication and gain a better understanding of the Canadian workplace culture, “the foundation courses were important in improving my English skills and learning about my rights in Canada and learning how to behave in organizations’ she stated. The language classed she explained improved her accent, pronunciation, and grammar a lot and it taught her “how to prepare presentations, write executive summaries and so on”.   She also talked about how the program helped her to build her networks, “I got to know many people, and I believe it can make a difference down the road”.

Marci explained the program was positive and helped her to achieve her goal to improve her English, and now her next goal is to find a job in her field. When asked what advise she would give another Newcomer who is looking for employment in Canada she suggests “Look for help with writing a resume, look to learn a new skill that is essential, and improve your English”. York University, she explained, gave her an opportunity and resources to enhance her skills and help her find a job.