Foundation Program

Safety & Sustainability Analyst
Kinross Gold Corporation

With a passion for sustainability and a desire to develop his career in Canada, Beli Samuel pursued the IEP Program “to gain knowledge and skills appropriate Canadian labour market”. He had faced several challenges as a newcomer to Canada, particularly in finding employment that matched his skillset and expertise. However, with his determination and the support of the IEP Program, he was able to overcome these barriers and achieve his career goals. Today, Beli works as a Safety & Sustainability Analyst at Kinross Gold Corporation.

Beli shared that the IEP Program provided them with “a solid knowledge about life in Canada, gaining both hard and soft skills relevant for the Canadian Labour market”. They particularly noted the English classes, which he found were “very useful, the teacher was an expert and developed good course content and training activities”.  Mr. Alvarado highlighted the impact of the courses, “I improved my communication skills, and this helped me to get more interviews and eventually get a new job related to my field of expertise.”

He believes the IEP Program helped him to expand his networks stating, “the opportunity to meet other students from diverse backgrounds, was very good for me to expand my professional network in Canada”. Beli also attributed his success to the various resources available to newcomers, such as participating in job fairs and updating his resume to match job requirements. When asked what advice he would give to another Newcomer who is looking for employment in Canada, he stressed “To always use the available resources in all the organizations that support newcomers. It is good to always be looking for new opportunities (participating in job fairs or events) and updating the resume to match the job requirements”.

Beli's advice to other Newcomers is to “always use the available resources in all the organizations that support newcomers. It is good to always be looking for new opportunities (participating in job fairs or events) and updating the resume to match the job requirements”.

“The IEP program allowed me to gain further knowledge and skills relevant to the Canadian Labour Market. I highly recommend this program to newcomers to expand their knowledge, skills and social connections. I am very grateful to York University for this learning opportunity.”