In 2007, the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), in partnership with the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC) and with funding provided through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's (HRSDC) Foreign Credential Recognition Program, embarked on a project entitled the Pan-Canadian Quality Standards in International Credential Evaluation. The purpose of the project was to provide for a diagnostic study to investigate the consistency and portability of academic assessments conducted in Canada. To this end, consultations with stakeholders (some of whom are both assessors and end users), quantitative and qualitative surveys, and a series of focus groups with the immigrant clients and end users of academic-credential assessments were performed between November 2007 and May 2008.
Diagnostic research indicated that there was both a need and an opportunity for improved dialogue among academic-credential assessment services and for improved access to these services for immigrant clients. Feedback by the project's working group, as well by other stakeholders consulted in the research phase, suggested that future initiatives aimed at the creation of pan-Canadian standards, greater networking and training opportunities, improved information sharing, and joint research projects can help effect positive change in this area.
Based on these findings, a number of recommendations have been proffered. In April 2010, with new funding provided through HRSDC, CICIC undertook a follow-up phase of this project, with outcomes focusing on these recommendations. The objectives of the follow-up phase are as follows:
- Cross-reference the terminology and definitions used by academic-credential assessment agencies and other organizations that evaluate international credentials.
- Provide networking and workshop opportunities to credential evaluators from across Canada.
- Develop, on a trial basis, a set of “made-in-Canada” reference country profiles for assessors to use when determining the comparability of an internationally obtained academic credential.
- Research the feasibility of developing an on-line program specifically designed for existing credential assessors and for individuals interested in a career in credential evaluation.
- Develop a pan-Canadian Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) to serve as a reference tool for all groups that perform academic-credential assessments in Canada.
- Improve the profile of ACESC and the practice of academic-credential assessment in general.
- Carry out a needs and issues analysis regarding the possible development of a pan-Canadian database, including a credential-verification tool, to facilitate evaluations and better help new immigrants arriving or already in Canada.
Work on the second phase of this project is currently under way, in cooperation with various academic-credential assessment agencies, regulatory bodies, professional associations, and educational institutions. The project is expected to last two years.