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This report summarizes an IRCC-funded Service Delivery Improvement (SDI) project that focused on emerging technologies and helping clients transition to work through Occupation-specific Language Training (OSLT) and Formation linguistique axée sur les professions (FLAP). The report includes details about the activities undertaken by Colleges Ontario and the 12 participating colleges as well as what was learned and how it could be applied to ongoing OSLT/FLAP delivery. It also includes information about the guiding design principles developed during this SDI project – ideas that curriculum developers could consider when developing and planning the delivery of online language courses.

In this 2022 Pre-Arrival Virtual Conference follow-up I wanted to be a bit more practical. Still future focused, but perhaps more narrowly now. The practical future window I’m focused on today is about 2 years. From now until the next national Call for Proposals. Still looking at what our sector can aspire to. But more practical.

When we’re looking at future proofing settlement work, I like to think about it as a bit of an iceberg. There is a great deal below the surface that has to be in place before what we see above the surface is effective. The future of settlement work is about much more than technology but I want to focus this iceberg conversation on technology since that’s what we’re focused on here. 

For a few years now I've been tracking interesting digital programs/projects in the Canadian immigrant and refugee-serving sector. Among those are smartphone apps. A growing number have emerged over the years and I wanted to share them here.

When I started working in the Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector many decades ago, one of the things I was trained on was Paulo Freire's Popular Education approach. Part of my introduction was Educating for a Change. It became our guide for community development. For running workshops within our sector as well as with others. And how we approach our work with Newcomers and the communities we served.

We have an opportunity to rethink how we create events and learning experiences moving forward. Simply jumping back into the way we always did things is not the way to do it.

Since the pandemic started, many organizations have pivoted possibilities and options to create digital specialist roles. These new positions were filled by admin staff or settlement practitioners whose roles changed to incorporate digital support and orientation for both clients and colleagues. Digital Navigators are emerging as an essential role in the Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector and in the future of a hybrid service delivery model.

The Community Knowledge Program began as an initiative to build capacity for research and knowledge mobilization within immigrant and refugee-serving agencies in the GTA, in order to improve settlement services for newcomers to Canada. To this end, Wellesley Institute has conducted a needs assessment to understand current capacity and skills, as well as existing initiatives and any gaps in knowledge, in community-based research and knowledge mobilization in the sector.

This scan provides a snapshot of the use of digital messaging in direct service delivery by Canadian Immigrant and Refugee-serving organizations.