Throughout the month of March, RRC Polytech has supported Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) #ImmigrationMatters initiative, which encourages Canadians and established immigrants to engage with and welcome newcomers to their communities.

As part of RRC Polytech’s support for this awareness campaign, the Language Training Centre is highlighting a number of events and initiatives taking place that promote positive interactions between Canadians and newcomers.

Maria Chernova arrived in Canada in August 2021, equipped with an impressive portfolio of credentials: a bachelor’s and master’s degree in informational technology, a master’s degree in economics, and 10 years of experience in business operational and financial analysis. She had the skills, experience, and motivation to succeed in her new country, but she was missing one crucial thing: a proficiency in English communication skills. ​​​​​​​

“I’m a person who really likes to learn,” says Maria. “I had ambitions to work in my field but knew my language skills needed to be improved.”

As part of her 15-week language program at the Language Training Centre (LTC), Maria was one of 46 LTC students who participated in a work experience placement (WEP) in local industry.

Work experience placements provide language learners with an industry work experience where they can learn and use workplace language and communication skills, build confidence and skills while interacting in a Canadian workplace, and obtain industry information to assist them with their academic and career journeys, along with many other benefits.

Maria’s work experience was a three-week placement with RRC Polytech’s Information Technology Solutions department (IT Solutions), where she applied her financial analysis experience and technical knowledge to business intelligence reports, while gaining confidence in language.

“It was an amazing chance to work directly with professionals in my chosen field and get in touch with the real task environment,” she says.

However, her immersion in the profession did not end there – a few weeks later, she received an offer to continue working with IT Solutions as a student worker in business and data analysis, furthering her opportunity to practice professional skills while improving her English in a working environment. She is currently working on a project related to financial process automation, data analysis and reporting, and supporting IT Solutions Disaster Recovery team by providing assistance in process analysis and documentation.

While she was comfortable with the subject matter she was working with, Maria wanted to further develop her language and communication skills for the Canadian workplace – specifically the “language of business analytics,” so she could continue to communicate confidently in her chosen field.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Maria had many great learning experiences that helped develop her language, such as researching technical documentation, requirements elicitation, communicating with subject matter experts from different business areas, and regular online meetings and touchpoints. However, the most challenging – and rewarding – was facilitating her first meeting. While initially nerve-wracking, it was ultimately an empowering experience and an ideal way to apply her communication skills in the supportive environment of her team.

Maria’s placement with IT Solutions was the perfect fit for Craig MacDonald, the department’s director, who had been working on developing a strategy to involve more students in his area. The student worker position was new, and IT Solutions partnered with many different departments throughout the College to make it work.

“IT Solutions is a culture of customer service,” he explains, noting that the department acts as a service provider within the College, and that it was important to extend this service to providing opportunities to the College’s most important “customers” – the students.

Craig notes that as an educational institution, RRC Polytech and IT Solutions have the unique opportunity to foster learning opportunities within every department, not just in the classroom.  IT Solutions engages with all administrative departments and academic programs, offering students the opportunity to work within a wide-ranging scope of service needs – preparing them for success in a variety of sectors in the Manitoba workforce.

The WEP experience has been a win-win for IT Solutions. “We provide a quality and engaging work placement, see what the students are capable of, and we get to market ourselves as a great employment choice for these students should positions become available in the future,” says Craig.  “It’s about showing what a great place RRC Polytech is to work.”

Maria shared that the supportive environment was a real confidence-builder – her experience was so successful she has now been hired full-time in the department.​​​​​​​

“It feels like a team, a big family,” she says. “People try to help you grow.” Maria credits IT Solutions with helping her come out of her shell, noting it was intimidating at first to join a new department while being uncomfortable with her language and communication skills.

“Customer service is an important part of the IT Solutions culture. Staff need to be able to engage and interact with people you are supporting,” adds Craig. “It’s important that staff coming into these positions understand IT Solutions’ role is to create a great service experience.”

Craig notes this can be a barrier for many newcomers – so this becomes a great work-integrated learning opportunity, allowing his team to work with them to help develop these communication skills.

For Maria, moving to Canada has been a “beautiful story.” She now has a position in her field of interest in a department that fosters her creativity and supports her development. Maria continues her commitment to lifelong learning, taking language classes in the evening and studying data analytics online in her spare time.

“My husband calls me a ‘why-er,’” she says with a laugh, since her natural curiosity inspires her to question everything and ask why things are the way that they are.

In an industry built on problem-solving, it seems she’s found her reason why at RRC Polytech’s IT Solutions.

For more information on the Language Training Centre, visit rrc.ca/ltc.​​​​​​​