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You may have seen Lankan-born Dharmasena Yakandawela behind the counter at the local 7-Eleven in Port Moody, B.C. That was the former judge and lawyer’s first job after landing in Canada in 2006. He only lasted about a month at the convenience store, because he realized the fall from doling out justice to doling out slurpees was just too steep. “I was crying to myself, ‘What am I doing here?’” he says with a chuckle. “Immigrants can end up in jobs like that forever.” But, like many Canadian immigrants, he knew he would not be able to transition easily into his field in Canada. For starters, law is a licensed field, so Yakandawela would have to take exams and even retrain.

He had some decisions to make, so he started making calls to local immigrant settlement agencies, universities and law schools to help him gather as much information as he’d need to make some educated choices. After one of his calls, he learned of a certificate program for immigration consultancy at the University of British Columbia. “I called up schools and explained my background. [UBC] told me about this program and said they would bring me in now.”
Yakandawela realized that becoming a certified immigration consultant was the next best thing to being a lawyer — a solid Plan B career. “I realized that instead of settling for a survival job, this was the start of my career in Canada,” he says. After completing the program, he started up his firm YLD Canada Immigration and Recruitment Services Ltd., first as a home-based enterprise and now with an office in Surrey, B.C. Today, he helps other immigrants not only come to Canada, but he is working in co-operation with Kwantlen Polytechnic University on a special project that will help nurses from Sri Lanka come to Canada and transition more easily into the licensed nursing field. Yakandawela has many other projects on the go, including studying toward elicensing as a lawyer in B.C. For Yakandawela, retraining has been a necessary step in getting back to his field of expertise in Canada.

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The University of Prince Edward Island is not holding a job fair for new teachers graduating this year because in a tight job market few recruiters felt the need to travel to the province. The cancellation is a symptom of the oversupply of qualified teachers across the country. According to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada, for every teaching position open across the country there are 10 people looking. That makes teaching the most sought after yet unavailable job in Canada. The situation worries Kristen Rix, a UPEI student who has her heart set on being a teacher. "Out of all the people who want to be a teacher, there's not a whole lot of opportunity for them anymore," said Rix.

UPEI has been holding a job fair for its education graduates for several years, but it was simply not able to put together a viable event this year. The dean of education said school boards have been cutting back on travel budgets. Some students travelled elsewhere to attend a job fair. "[It's] disappointing that we had to travel to New Brunswick to go the job fair to see who is recruiting across Canada," said education student Heather Cardy. But Cardy said there was not a lot of promise at the New Brunswick job fair. "It's a little better out west, but it still sounds like there's a lot of supply and not a whole lot of demand," she said.

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Connections play a role in sustaining communities, and the stronger the connections, the more an opportunity exists for communities to build their social and economic system. Research suggests that there is a potential for Corner Brook businesses to become more innovative and to use technology to improve business processes and to expand business operations. A series of workshops at Grenfell Campus and College of the North Atlantic (CNA) are being offered to help implement a system to better identify and utilize networks. The first workshop, Introduction to Social Network Analysis, is scheduled to take place Monday, Feb. 6, from 1-5 p.m. in the lecture theatre, College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook.

This session will provide a general overview for those curious about mapping and strengthening local networks. The workshop will cover social network analysis theory, methods and applications and demonstrate network mapping and simple analysis. A discussion of the background and technique of social network analysis through practical hands-on activities, and ideas for weaving and strengthening new and existing networks will also take place. Participants are asked to bring a java-enabled laptop to this session. Attendance at the CNA workshop will provide context for those participating in the second workshop: Technical Introduction to Social Network based on UCINET social network analysis software. This workshop will be more technical and will provide a practical application for the knowledge. Workshop objectives include an in-depth discussion of many aspects, functions and applications of social media analysis. This workshop will take place at Grenfell Campus, room FC2001, Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Participants must bring their own laptop and download a free version of UCINET Social Network Analysis software prior to attendance.

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Officials say when the aquaculture industry holds its annual conference and trade show in Gander this month, there will be lots to celebrate. The value of the aquaculture industry in this province is around the $170-million mark for salmon, trout and blue mussels. The industry provides about 700 direct jobs, especially in the Coast of Bays region on the south coast. Executive Director, Miranda Pryor, says in addition to the permanent employment, there are a high number of spin-off jobs as well. Pryor admits there are challenges facing the industry but the opportunities for growth are tremendous. The Association will hold its 19th annual conference and trade show at the Albatross Hotel in Gander February 14th to 16th.

However, the consensus remains that drastic and tragic measures must be taken to ensure the long-time viability of the pulp and paper industry in this area. "I was disappointed to hear of any jobs lost at mill," Corner Brook Mayor Neville Greeley said Wednesday evening. "But, understanding the industry they are in, and the competitiveness of it, and the state it is in on the world markets, it is not surprising." The mayor said the city has received positive indicators from Kruger pertaining to the mill's future. "Their intentions are to keep the Corner Brook mill operating," he said. "They see it as a mill that can be sustainable, however not under the current circumstances. We very much want the mill open and operating in the city, and being a good corporate citizen." Greeley said job loss is always difficult to deal with, but skilled tradespeople and good paying jobs are particularly troublesome. He hopes not to lose these residents, and their families, from the area.

Looking for some kind of silver lining, he hopes the replacement of these positions with contractors will lead to increased opportunities for private enterprise, which could then lead to further employment opportunities for some displaced mill workers. Meanwhile, Keith Goulding, president of the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade, said the loss of so many high-paying jobs creates a trickle-down effect on the business community. "Forty-three families are being negatively impacted by this news today," he said. "Forty-three high-paying salaries are coming out of the local economy. Initially, you will see a negative impact. "The economy, these families, and Corner Brook as a whole, will rebound from that. These guys are skilled people, so hopefully they will get opportunities with some of the new mega-projects they are talking about in the province." He also hopes the recent layoffs create a more sustainable environment for the mill, ensuring its future in this area.