About IEC-BC

Immigrant Employment Councils (IECs) are forming in cities across Canada and bringing together local stakeholders to address the many challenges of integrating skilled immigrants into the labour market. IECs connect skilled immigrants to local employers with the support of other community, educational and government organizations. IECs complement rather than compete with these existing immigrant programs and services. For a list of IECs across Canada, please visit: http://alliescanada.ca/find-your-iec/

IEC-BC is overseen by Vancouver Foundation, Canada's largest community foundation, with financial support from the Province of British Columbia and Vancouver Foundation.

IEC-BC is led by a Board of Directors comprised of key community leaders including employers, representatives of business associations, government, education, labour and community organizations. Four action-oriented working groups consisting of Board members and Leadership Council members are committed to finding solutions to the barriers immigrants face when entering the labour market.

IEC-BC’s website, Tapintotalent.ca, is a one-stop-shop for employers with a wealth of labour-market resources, tips on attracting, hiring and retaining skilled immigrants, and a job-matching service called TalentMatch BC.

Its easy-to-use, quality assured Mentoring Program provides employers with a host of learning and professional-development opportunities for staff. 

Services are free and IEC-BC assumes overall co-ordination making program participation easy.

In today’s highly competitive business climate, tapping into the right talent to gain a competitive advantage is essential. Employers want the best workforce possible, and with the prominence of British Columbia’s cultural diversity, this means having employees who mirror their changing client and stakeholder base.

The Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) emerged from the October 2008 Metro Vancouver Leaders Summit on Immigrant Employment. The Summit attendees identified many priorities for IEC-BC, with a focus on developing tools, resources and information to assist employers attract, hire and retain immigrants.

The Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) works to build awareness about the strategic benefits of integrating immigrants into BC’s labour market, and develops effective solutions to connect businesses with this unique talent pool to improve their bottom line, build local communities and grow the Province’s economy.