Testimonials

At the time that we are faced with a global public health pandemic that needs higher degree of awareness, speed and diversity of solutions from professionals of all backgrounds; having an internationally trained and experienced Pharmacist work in an unskilled job will have a negative impact on Canada’s strength for developing an appropriate response to the health pandemic.

A.P. was encouraged by this community to pursue a Pharmacy Technician Diploma, only to realize that it is a lengthy path to get him an entry level job after his successful completion of the program. So, he decided to go directly for Pharmacist Licensing process by clearing PEBC qualifying exams thorough an online Pharmacy Exams Preparation Reference program. He required financing to pay for the program and study materials. He reached out to our experienced and resourceful Information and Financial Counsellor, Claudia Valenzuela, for career counselling and eventually was able to secure a loan through our microlending program to pay for these courses.

Despite searching and applying for various positions related to video production, he was not successful in launching his career in Canada mainly because of lack of Canadian education and work experience. In order to sustain the family, he had to take on survival jobs and work as a Sales Clerk or Store Stockist with minimum wage. He continued to apply for positions at online Employment websites such as Saskjobs and Ineed.com hoping to get employment in an area that he had training and experience in from back home.

He came across a social media ad that introduced Career Loans program, he did respond to the ad. The same day he was contacted by Venus Shafiei, the Career Counsellor at Career Loans program. She was very encouraging and resourceful, shared all the detailed information about how the program works in a virtual session, and got him started on preparing the documents for the loan application. She was working closely with him to prepare a strong application, and following up with him until the end of the process that the loan was approved by the bank.

The approval of this loan is very beneficial for him, since he was able to enroll and pay for an online diploma program offered by Toronto Film School in Video Production that will allow him to compete with others in the labour market to land a job as a Video Journalist/ Production Specialist. He is a few steps closer to achieving his career goals in Canada with the support of of Career Loans program.

Throughout the process he felt supported by the Information and Career Counsellor, her advice was very informative and her facilitation of the process was smooth.

She arrived alone as an international student to attend the 4-year; Master of Science program, minor in Geology at the University of Saskatchewan. While living in Canada, she shared that her only means of income was working several survival jobs at any given time while studying full time. After graduating in 2020, M.Z. shared barriers she faced in obtaining her ideal job as a Geoscientist-in-training. These were; 1. the lack of Canadian experience in her career or being a Canadian citizen, 2. no means of networking or connections within the different companies in the industry and of course, 3. The COVID-19 crisis – limited to no access to connect.

Subsequently, even with these barriers, and working over 40 hours per week as a Banquet Server, M.Z. continues searching for the ideal job that she was trained to do here in Canada.
She connected with Career Loans at the beginning of March 2021. In her one-on-one Career Counselling session, she stated; “I found real motivation, you were the kick I needed in the perfect moment. - you help me to understand that I have worked hard to get my degrees and that I deserve a good job, a job that fits what I want.”

On March 25th, M.Z. was invited for an interview with a mineral exploration company called Transition Metals Corp. A company based in Sudbury, Ontario. The career counsellor was able to coach and guide her through the interview process. On April 8th, 2021, M.Z. shared that she was offered the position of Field Geologist. She is confirmed to start employment on May 10th,2021. Congratulation M.Z.!

She understood that the process of becoming a licensed physician in Canada is very time-consuming and expensive, she needed to sustain herself while saving to pay for the qualifying exams. She decided to take an entry-level job as a Physician Assistant in order to save money to pay for the exams and have some hands-on experience in how the medical system in Canada works.

With the global health pandemic unfolding, she lost her job due to Covid-19 risks in the medical office, and things did not go according to her initial plans. She was referred to the Career Loans program by her community. Through the guidance and ongoing support of Career loans’ Information and Financial Counsellor, Venus Shafiei, she was able to map her career and apply for funding assistance to pay for a certification program that will bring her closer to her goal of eventually becoming a licensed Dermatologist in Canada.

I arrived Canada late March 2021 and began job hunting in April, 2021. It was a period of writing resumes and cover letters endlessly without any meaningful feedback. I was becoming discouraged and frustrated until Cheryl Murray from Career Loans reached out to me in May 2021. Firstly, she encouraged me and equipped me with very useful tips for job search.

She enlightened me on recruiting companies and reliable websites to find genuine vacancies. One thing that stuck with me was when she advised that I shouldn’t limit myself just because I was new in Canada. She encouraged me to apply to NGOS and government agencies. Thankfully I applied and got a job with the Canada Revenue Agency this July. I’m so grateful to career loans for this initiative and to Cheryl for being so genuinely interested in my success.