Impact Stories

Helping internationally educated professionals take the first step

“Usually, you have HR managers looking at resumes, and they don’t have a lot of time for each one, and they’re looking for specific things that international candidates’ resumes may not have — even if they’re completely qualified,” Nate Stepner explains. “What I bring as a BioReady reviewer is the time and the knowledge to really dig into a candidate’s resume and background and draw the connections between their international experience and the requirements to work in the bio-economy in Canada.”

Making farming more sustainable with international experience

Fast Genetics is a Canadian company helping pig farmers maintain control costs and improve sustainability. When the firm lost a key team member, it needed to find a replacement who could get up to speed quickly with minimal training. BioTalent Canada’s BioSkills Recognition and BioReady Paid Internship programs were a powerful draw for Fast Genetics. The funding support made it possible to bring on a paid intern even with a tight budget.

Getting a foot in the door

Despite her highly valuable qualifications as a molecular biologist and more than a decade of experience as a researcher in infectious diseases, Rasvinder Kaur knew she might face challenges in finding a good job in her field in a foreign country. Undaunted, Kaur did some Internet research and found BioTalent Canada’s BioSkills Recognition Program. With the BioReady status and the support of an immigrant-serving agency to help her make contacts, Kaur was able to secure a paid internship with iProgen Biotech Inc.

A little preparation goes a long way

Abhishek Udawat is not inclined to wait around for opportunities to find him. With his BioReady recognition prominently displayed on his resume and online job profile, he quickly secured a job with food bioculture company Noblegen — thanks in part to the funding of the BioReady Paid Internship Program.

Giving visibility to high-value talent

Instead of focusing on what immigrants need to do to fit into the Canadian labour force, Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia (IEC-BC) works with employers to help them understand the value of including newcomers in their organizations and make the changes required to facilitate their integration.

Bridging science and business to bring new treatments to market

“If Mirexus hadn’t had access to this program, they wouldn’t have been able to hire me in the first place, BioTalent Canada has helped make my career possible.” - Ricky Ghoshal, Director of Strategic Development at Mirexus

Preserving one of the world’s most valuable resources

“It’s an excellent program for helping biotech companies grow in Canada, Science Horizons allowed us to hire good people faster and increase our ability to compete in this global industry, which helps advance Canada as a world leader in biotechnology.” - Joshua Zoshi

Protecting Lake Winnipeg, one sample at a time

“I’m really thankful for the Career Focus Green Jobs program, it made it easier for a small organization to risk hiring a new grad with limited experience. And now in my capacity as Program Manager, I might apply to the program myself to bring another new grad into our team one day.” - Chelsea Lobson

Turning biomass into plastic with Canadian expertise

“The people we were able to hire through this program surpassed our expectations, without them, I really don’t know if we would have gotten the plant open on time.” - Amanda Medina

Early-career “green” professional propels organization forward

“It has been an exceptional experience. We are extremely happy with the program and the staff at BioTalent Canada gave us great guidance,” Ms. Kalanda said. “We know our clients are going to get a lot of value out of working with BioTalent Canada as well.”