International students get lesson in workforce prep on P.E.I.

Navpreet Juara has thoughts of becoming a doctor, maybe even enrolling at UPEI's new medical school when it opens.

Ananya Kaur is hoping to get a full-time job in her field of kinesiology.

And Yashi Gupta, in his fourth year of bachelor of business administration degree, would be thrilled to stay on P.E.I. and work as an accountant.

Saturday in Charlottetown, they were learning how to make that happen.

The three were among 150 international students who recently graduated, or are about to graduate, taking part in a conference in Charlottetown to learn more about their options as they enter the workforce.

"There are many career options that I never thought about," said Jaura, who is working as a lab technician after graduating from UPEI with a major in biology and minor in psychology.

Need for health-care workers

She said her parents are encouraging her to become a doctor, and notes the strong need for health-care workers on P.E.I.

"That's the thing that really motivates me to be in the field, to be the helping hand of people or something like that. I have a strong belief in god and divine so I think wherever he'll take me I'll go there."

Yashi Gupta, a fourth-year accounting major at UPEI, said it's helpful to know all the resources available to international students entering the workforce. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)

The students learned about resources like P.E.I. Connectors, the Atlantic Student Development Alliance, as well as Immigrant and Refugee Services Association P.E.I.

It was in conjunction with the Study & Stay P.E.I. program, an initiative funded by the province and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

It began in 2018 with 35 students, and now has 125, with an about an 80 per cent retention rate, said Sherilyn Acorn, the program's project manager.

"We encourage students to transition into the workforce here on P.E.I. and we help them build the tools that they need to transition from student to professional."

Gupta, who is originally from Nepal, said he appreciates all the help he can get.

"It's really important for me to have access to these kind of resources that were noted today because after we graduate, we are no longer students, we are youths who are entering the workplace  and one day we'll have our family so it's kind of good to know all the resources."