The Information & Technology Bridging Program is a 16-week training program, offering 10 weeks of internship with reputable IT companies. In partnership with SAIT, this program provides foreign-trained IT professionals, who have education and experience in the IT field, with the necessary soft and occupational skills training to better equip them for the Canadian workplace.
**This program also accepts Employment Insurance (EI) recipients that have received EI in the past 5 years.
Program Starts: Feb 2023.
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Learn about the program!
The Information & Technology Bridging Program
INFORMATION SESSIONS
October 25, 2022
November 8 & 22, 2022
December 6 & 20, 2022
Jan. 03, 12, 24 & 31, 2023
Feb.06, 13 & 17, 2023
Application and written assessment forms will be shared for those interested after the information session.
Program Starts: February 2023
Eligibility Criteria
- Have prior international education and experience in the IT Sector.
- An Employment Insurance (EI) recipient or have ended a claim for EI benefits within the previous 5 years.
- Born outside of Canada and currently a Permanent Resident or Canadian Citizen.
- Unemployed or underemployed and can demonstrate that they are actively seeking employment.
- Willing to commit to full-time training leading to full-time employment in your field of training.
- Resident of Calgary and surrounding areas.
Meet our staff
Mehrzad Eftekhar is the Project Manager (PMP)® for the Information and Technology Training Program (ITB). Since 2017, she has managed 10 programs.
Mehrzad holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Toronto’s Ryerson University.
Mehrzad has had a unique immigration experience, which she later paired with her academic and professional career. Throughout the years of her professional work, Mehrzad has connected with over 1000 businesses and has a successful track record of liaising employers with Alberta’s immigrant talent pool. She is a relationship-builder at heart.
Yared Gabe is an Employment Counsellor and the Program Facilitator for the ITB program. Since 2018, he has worked closely with skilled newcomer immigrant professionals. He provides employment-related services and referrals to different training programs and helps reach their employment goals and easily resettle and integrate into the Canadian Labour Market.
Yared holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and an advanced diploma in Computer Applications.
Success Stories
Deepti Fadnavis
As an IT Professional, I was told by friends that I would never find a dearth of IT jobs in Canada. Though I got calls from recruiters and had interview opportunities, after clearing the first round of technical interviews, I was told that some other candidate is selected. Talking to the recruiter, I found out the reason; I did not have Canadian experience and references.
That's when I applied for the ITB program and attended the information session. I was fully geared for it!
The course is designed perfectly to address all the challenges new immigrants face having international IT experience but lacking the required skills for a successful career in Canada. It covered both soft skills and technical skills, plus two (2) months of the much-awaited-for Canadian work experience, which in turn gets you Canadian references.
The four (4) courses at SAIT were good for brushing up some technical skills, which you may have forgotten, even with 10 + years of experience
The internship was a complete game changer for me as I was able to work hands-on at Azure, which not only provided me the experience I was looking for, but also gave me an opportunity to network with industry specialist who were working in my domain and build my reference list.
I would like to thank everyone involved who guided me to accomplish my goal of landing a dream job in IT and helping me start my journey as professional in Canada.
Ludmila Gritcu
I emigrated to Canada two months before the pandemic. My plans to continue my career in Fitness Management were no longer possible, even with over 10 years of experience in the field.
I made the decision to switch my career to IT, specifically a QA Analyst. I like this job because it is detail-oriented, very proactive and tries to predict customer behaviour.
I typed a resume like the one I had in my home country, only in English. I sent over 100 resumes and guess, how many interviews I received? Zero! None! I was not used to this result.
From that moment, I understood that what worked before will not work here in Canada. After a search on the internet, I chose to apply to the CCIS Information and Technology Bridging Program. At one of the pre-selection sessions there were proximately 70 people, with only 15 being selected. Fortunately, I was selected.
This program taught me to find solutions to IT market problems, helped me network correctly, increased my confidence, and taught me the correct way to write a resume.
This program gave me direction, and with my hard work, I capitalized on my opportunities.
After the program, I sent four resumes and had four interviews. Immediately after graduation I received a job offer from the company where interned.
I am deeply grateful to this program. You are doing a wonderful thing!
Giselle Rodrigues
Since my arrival in Calgary in 2015, I have worked in many different positions, always with basic income.
I was laid off in 2020 as my position was permanently eliminated due to the Covid pandemic. This allowed me to qualify for this CCIS program. The layoff it was a great opportunity to move from my comfort zone and overcome the challenge of getting a new job.
During my job search, I noticed that IT professionals in Calgary were in high demand. I believed that with my transferable skills, my degree in manufacturing engineer, IT college in Brazil, and more than 10 years’ experience as a supply chain analyst, I would have a chance to work in this sector with success.
I applied for the program because of the package of technical trainings from SAIT college, and the CCIS soft skills trainings. The mandatory internship included in the program showed me exactly what the market required. I believed that by taking this program seriously, I would be able to achieve my goals. Fortunately, I was right!
After finishing my internship, I was happy to receive a job opportunity as an IT Business Analyst with the same company where I interned. I am grateful for the networking opportunities and the friends I made in class.
This program has been a life-changing achievement for me. Now I am helping other immigrants eliminate myths about the IT Canadian workplace.
Thank you to the CCIS team for all the support and constant guidance. I am so blessed to have had this great opportunity.
