Sheridan launches programs for newcomers at its new Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga

Starting this September, Sheridan will offer a range of language training programs for newcomers to Canada at our new Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga

For Immediate Release: August 5, 2011
Mississauga, ON

Starting this September, Sheridan will offer a range of language training programs for newcomers to Canada at our new Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga through the Sheridan Centre for Internationally Trained Individuals (SCITI). This will be welcome news to newcomers who have chosen to settle in Mississauga and would like to benefit by enhancing their English language skills under the instruction of Sheridan’s professional and qualified faculty.

Three types of language training will be available, all designed to facilitate the newcomer’s settlement and integration into Canadian society and the workforce. Thanks to funding generously provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, there is no cost for these programs to eligible newcomers.

LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) classes will be offered in LINC levels 5 and 6 on weekdays beginning September 6. Sheridan has been delivering LINC training since the program began more than twenty years ago, and has built a solid reputation for the quality of its program and the faculty teaching in it. In the words of Kulwinder Dhaliwal, a former LINC student, “The teachers at Sheridan are motivated, friendly, caring and professional. They want to know about our goals and help us to achieve them.”

For internationally trained professionals, participating in either an Occupation Specific Language Training (OSLT) program or an Enhanced Language Training (ELT) program can bridge the gap between just getting a job, and getting a job in their field or a related occupation. Evening OSLT classes in the Business occupational cluster will be starting in September at the HMC campus, while daytime ELT classes for a variety of occupational backgrounds will be offered starting in both September and October.

The OSLT program offers courses in which participants will develop the language and communication skills needed to understand workplace culture in their occupation and sector, and to interact effectively with their colleagues, clients and supervisors. The courses also help them learn how to give and receive information by email and telephone and to interview and network effectively. Our OSLT offerings at the HMC Campus reflect the Campus’ business focus, and will be geared to Business, Accounting and Finance professionals. For other professionals, OSLT programs in Health Sciences, Technology and Human Services are available at our Davis (Brampton) and STC (Oakville) campuses.

In addition to earning a Sheridan certificate, graduates of the full time ten week ELT program have the opportunity to benefit from an unpaid eight week work placement following the program to gain valuable Canadian work experience in their field. The effectiveness of the ELT program is captured in the words of Karla Liera, a former ELT student, “I am pleased with the education I have received at the College. The unpaid work placement helped me to get a job offer which is exactly what I was looking for.”

With hundreds of employer contacts that continue to grow by the day on the popular LinkedIn social network site, Sheridan’s Career Support Specialists, who work collaboratively with their faculty colleagues and the students to prepare students for their job search, are able to market our students to a wide variety of employers in a range of employment sectors.

Sheridan’s CIC-sponsored language training programs are also offered at our Davis Campus in Brampton and our Skills Training Centre campus in Oakville. With the launch of these new programs in Mississauga, the College is now able to offer convenient and accessible service to newcomers across Peel and Halton. “We are delighted to be able to expand our language training programs to better serve residents of Mississauga, and continue to value our excellent partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which enables us to provide these vital programs for newcomers in our communities,” says Sheridan President Jeff Zabudsky.