Thank you for asking me this question. I am very anxious to answer it. We are indeed looking for ways to assist such people and assess their skills. I did not have the opportunity to talk to you about this, but it is an issue which was referred to in our written brief.
Over the next three weeks, I will be travelling throughout the country speaking to skilled immigrants who have doctorates and other such qualifications, in order to determine what obstacles prevent them from being part of the biotechnology labour market.
I am also going to speak to employers and ask them the same questions. Often times, employers are afraid immigrants do not have the right skills for their company. These are very small-scale companies which do not even have enough money in the bank to pay out a year's wages. These companies do not usually want to risk employing people who do not match the right skill set.
I am not talking about large pharmaceutical companies, I am talking about small companies which make up 75% of our sector. When looking for solutions such as one-year internships, which will give these immigrants experience and reassure employers that there is no risk involved at all. This would also give immigrants an opportunity to determine whether they like that particular industry.
So we are indeed looking for ways to go about this. We will try meeting with as many people as possible.