CANADA: Guadalcanal Province is expected to witness an increase in the number of workers it will be sending to Canada this year as part of its International Human Resources and Foreign Worker partnership with CITREC Canada.
Whilst greeting two more Guadalcanal-CITREC graduates at Canada’s Vancouver International airport on Sunday, CITREC Canada Chairman Mr. Ashwant Dwivedi welcomed Howel Dili and Mark Raukesa asking both to join the “Hardworking workforce of Guadalcanal workers in Canada” and remain faithfully committed to their employer.
“As Canadian employers open opportunities for the people of Guadalcanal based on merit education and training you have obtained as CITREC graduates in partnership with province of Guadalcanal, I must remind you that you are the chosen ones to represent Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands. I expect that you will do your best,” Chairman Dwivedi said.
Guadalcanal Premier Anthony Veke said, that the Province of Guadalcanal remain ready to send more workers to Canada as demand increases.
“This is the best opportunity we are able to provide to our youths of Guadalcanal. As demand for workers increases in Canada, we will continue to send our people for employment opportunity,” Premier Veke said.
Premier Veke said that both Dili and Raukesa are the face of Guadalcanal in Canada and he expects them to perform to the best of their abilities.
Mr. Dwivedi also told Dili and Raukesa that both himself and Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Canada Robert Sisilo have visited the farm early this week that will be employing them and they have been told that should your performance meet their expectation more Guadalcanal workers will be joining their farm.
“You are equipped with Canadian standard education and training. You have received support of Guadalcanal Province and here you are today being offered a job just a few months after being a graduate of the program. You must perform,” Chairman Dwivedi asked of the two new workers.
In response Dili said that he is very encouraged with words from the Chairman and that he looks forward to his work.
“Chairman let me assure you both myself and Raukesa will do our best. We are very committed to this program. This is the reason we are here today. We want to earn and be able to support our family back home in Guadalcanal. We remember what Premier Veke told us when handing over the travel documents. We will keep our promise to the people and province of Guadalcanal,” Dili said.
Mr. Dwivedi also informed the workers that they must send as much money as possible back home to the Solomon Islands.
“You can be one of the contributors that can strengthen the economy of Solomon Islands with the money you will send. These hard earned cents and dollars that you will send to your family in Solomon Islands will help contribute to our national economy.
“Remember you have a duty as citizen of Solomon Islands and that is to help Solomon Islands economy grow. Every penny you will send back home will count. So don’t be shy in sending your dollar and cents back to help propel the Solomon Islands economy. Least should you forget Solomon Islands,” Mr. Dwivedi urged.
Mr. Dwivedi said that demand for workers from Guadalcanal from Canadian employers is seeing an increase and based on immigration files under process for many candidates from GP-CITREC program and that those days are not far away when every flight departing Solomon Islands will carry a GP-CITREC worker bound for Canada.
“This would be a dream come true and we have already started to experience this trend. Previously we were sending workers quarterly. Then every month and now we have have workers either arriving or having their files receiving approval from Canadian authorities on a weekly basis,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
“This provides an absolute testament of quality of people Guadalcanal is able to send to Canada to meet employer demand as part of its partnership with CITREC. This also reflects strongly on Guadalcanal Provinces mandate to work closely with CITREC and further strengthen its human resources commitment.
“I can only see Guadalcanal worker numbers increasing in Canada in the coming months and years.There is nothing better than seeing our youths being able to find employment,” Chairman Dwivedi stated.
Mr. Dwivedi said that food processing sector is also becoming an industry that it is currently seeking its inclusion into labour mobility program with Guadalcanal and CITREC.
“We started this partnership 5 years ago with tourism and hospitality sector which today is mostly providing our GP-CITREC graduates with an opportunity under permanent residence sector. Then late last year we were asked by Canada’s agriculture and dairy sector to help them with labour shortage they are facing.
“We did a pilot project and today we can count on the success of the pilot project. Now Canada’s Food processing sector is seeking interest to hiring GP-CITREC graduates. This is an area I will be speaking with the Guadalcanal Provincial Government and its education authority when I arrive in Solomon Islands next week,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
Mr Dwivedi said that under a total of 5 employers file that consist of 23 CITREC-GP graduates are presently under process with Canadian authorities.
He said that on a separate file eight (8) permanent residence applications that include family members are also under process by Canadian authorities.
“We are still in the month of May and the number of workers arriving into Canada is just looking great. The demand for number of Guadalcanal-CITREC workers expected to arrive in Canada this year is significantly rising. This is great opportunity for our people of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
Mr. Dwivedi said that apart from the 23 workers and 8 Permanent Residence applications under process 9 more dependants of principal applicants and their family members are expected to arrive in Canada before the end of the year under Canada’s family re-unification process.
“We have started to create a Solomon Islands community in Canada. And I promise that the numbers would only get better,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
CITREC recently also announced that Solomon Islands nationals traveling to Canada as part of the Foreign worker program or migrating under Permanent Residence nomination program from Guadalcanal Province, will be benefiting from a new partnership arrangement with Air Canada for their travel into Canada.
This partnership benefit will also be extended to any Solomon Islands province that is joining the education and training program offered by Canadian International Training & Education [CITREC].
The proposed route will be from Brisbane, Australia into Vancouver, Canada.
The arrangement becomes effective immediately and offers convenient travel for Solomon Islands nationals.
In another achievement for the GP-CITREC partnership two weeks ago Canada had welcomed the first ever two families from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands as part of Canada Immigration’s re-unification process under permanent residence class.
The youngest new addition to Canadian family from Solomon Islands would be fourteen-month-old Miyier Volly who touched down at Canada’s Vancouver International Airport where Miyier was greeted by CITREC Chairman Mr. Ashwant Dwivedi and Immigration officials.
Miyier was accompanied by his mother Leonita Henry both will be joining their father/ husband Careka Volly who is employed in Canada as a Restaurant Supervisor.
Careka Volly was accepted into Canada last year under Permanent Resident Nomination Program which qualifies all his family members and dependant children to be included as part of the permanent residence process.
“Family Re-unification is Canada’s strength. Each year we welcome people from every corner of world and create a wonderful diversified country that we call Canada. Today I am so pleased to welcome Miyier and Leonita into Canada. Welcome to Canada,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
“Canadians are always eager to welcome immigrants with open arms and hearts. This is what we as Canadians are known for and we continue to uphold and celebrate inclusion of people from around the globe into our communities.
“We are a great nation that is built by people from around the world. Each year we welcome thousands of new immigrants who come to Canada with one dream and that is to call Canada their new home. You become latest addition to that family,” Mr Dwivedi said.
Chairman Dwivedi also welcomed Sylvester Apato, husband of Grace Delight into Canada.
“Let me also acknowledge that we at CITREC are empowering the people of Guadalcanal. As a result, GP-CITREC graduates are providing their expertise to Canadian businesses helping propel our economy. We have time and time again proven that our GP-CITREC graduates have the proven ability to be employed in any sector, be employed as supervisors, cooks, agriculture management workers, food production workers.
“I am very proud that the people of Guadalcanal have the proven ability to be given any task with necessary qualification and training and today they are putting their skills to work in Canada. This is indeed a very proud moment for people of Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
