THE Canadian province of Saskatchewan is negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of the Philippines on the recruitment of Filipino health-care professionals, the Embassy of Canada in Manila said..

The MOU will focus on ethical recruitment and transparency in labour force development.

Provincial government officials are set to visit the Philippines later this year to lead a health-care recruitment mission and promote available work opportunities. This will include a recruitment and/or hiring event for prospective candidates and a welcome event for candidates with offers of employment or approved immigration applications.

An information campaign targeted at internationally trained health-care professionals, including from the Philippines, is planned for the last quarter of the year to promote career opportunities, as well as incentive, retention and financial support programs.

The Embassy said Saskatchewan looks forward to welcoming hundreds of health-care workers from the Philippines over the next two years as part of its plan to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more health-care workers to strengthen its provincial health-care system.

“We want to spread the word to health-care workers in the Philippines that our province is a place of great opportunity,” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Health Paul Merriman said.

He said “We offer many full time jobs and support for internationally trained health-care professionals in several occupations including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Continuing Care Assistants and Medical Laboratory Assistants. We would love to welcome into our friendly Saskatchewan communities health-care workers from the Philippines who are interested in coming to work and live here along with their families.”

Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to pilot an accelerated training and assessment pathway for eligible nursing recruits from the Philippines. Participants will remain in the Philippines to fulfill the online components of this intensive educational program and final clinical and practicum components are completed in Saskatchewan.

Successful applicants who commit to a return for service agreement will have costs covered for; language and education assessments, bridging/training, fees related to professional exams and registration, other costs incurred while training such as travel for clinical placement. In addition, costs for international recruits include transportation, accommodation and other settlement related costs (i.e. immigration fees).

Details on health-care opportunities and how to access them are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/HHR.

Saskatchewan has a large Filipino community of about 33,000 and Tagalog is the number one foreign language spoken in the province. There are several community supports in place to help with settlement. In addition, spouses will receive assistance in securing employment in Saskatchewan within other industries such as trades, construction and food services.

“Our province has had much success in welcoming Filipino nurses and other health-care workers into our workforce and our communities,” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Everett Hindley said. “We wish to invite the Filipino people to consider building a thriving career here in Saskatchewan, where you can enjoy a great quality of life, raise a family and be part of a strong and supportive community.”

Known as the “Land of Living Skies”, the province of Saskatchewan is located in the heart of Western Canada. It is home to more than 1.19 million people of many faiths, backgrounds and beliefs, and is the traditional territory of First Nations and Métis people. Saskatchewan covers 651,900 square kms; one-half of the province is covered by forest, one-third is farmland and one-eighth is freshwater. The landscape is diverse and so are the people and the many opportunities the province has to offer.