New job initiative to connect immigrants to professionals
After emigrating from Syria in 2006, Tarek Domat received two master’s degrees from American universities, but like many foreign-born migrants, he’s still underemployed. The Change Agency, a local social enterprise, is trying to fix that.
On Thursday, The Change Agency will launch the Pittsburgh Connector Program through its All for All project, an effort to promote immigrant inclusion, to kick off Immigrant Heritage Month. The Connector Program will bring together foreign-born people who have some professional experience, including immigrants, refugees and international students, to network with professionals in their field.
The program is modeled after the Halifax Connector Program, which began nearly a decade ago in Halifax, Canada, and has been replicated across Canada, in addition to some major cities in the U.S. and abroad.
“For too long, there’s been this feeling that we need to import talent,” said Betty Cruz, director of The Change Agency. “We’ve overlooked that we have talented people with a range of experiences right here.”
Ms. Cruz wants to rectify the gap between employers and foreign-born workers. According to a 2016 study from the Migration
Policy Institute, of the 7.6 million immigrant college graduates in the U.S., 2 million are in low-skilled jobs or are unemployed. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh region may experience a worker shortage for 80,000 jobs by 2025, according to a study by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Ms. Cruz believes unemployed and underemployed foreign-born community members could help fill those positions.
Pittsburgh is a particularly insular market, given lower migration numbers and attrition, Ms. Cruz said. According to the recent Allegheny Conference report, only 3.4 percent of the Pittsburgh population in 2014 was foreign-born, compared with the national average of 13 percent.
“There’s a sentiment in the community that they are not understood, literally,” said Ms. Cruz, referencing the stigmatization of foreign accents. “But they’re also not understood for their credentials.”
Upon coming to America, many immigrants find that their previous education and workforce experience is not recognized here. Although Mr. Domat, 36, of Ross, had a pharmacy degree, he’d have togo through a lengthy process of exams andto become a pharmacist in the U.S.
Instead, he decided to switch career paths. He received his master’s of health management systems from Duquesne University in 2015 and his MBA from the University of Scranton in December, in addition to receiving two fellowships from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. Even with his new degrees, the best job he could find was working as a shift supervisor at a drugstore. When providing feedback, recruiters would either say that he was overqualified or lacked relevant job experience.
“Sometimes, I feel like possibly it’s my name, where I came from, or my accent,” Mr. Domat said. “I’m not sure.”
He said he’s submitted more than 250 applications to local health care providers to no avail.
All of his efforts have resulted in 10 interviews, but no job offers. He’s applied for operations and business analyst positions that could pay between $25 to $30 an hour, but right now, he makes only a few dollars above minimum wage.
“I wonder, ‘Why did I do all this education?’” he said. “If I knew, I would have saved my time and money.” While he’s glad to be employed, he’s frustrated that the best job he could get doesn’t even require a college degree.
But soon, through the Pittsburgh Connector Program, Mr. Domat will be matched with a local professional in his industry, which may set him on the path toward better employment.
The new initiative is not a long-term mentorship program and participation doesn’t promise a job offer, Ms. Cruz said. The program matches foreign-born “connectees,” like Mr. Domat, with local “connectors” for a one-time 30-minute conversation about industry trends and local opportunities. From there, connectors introduce their connectees to three relevant professionals in their field, and their network builds from there.
“This program taps into the hidden job market. Experts say 80 percent of jobs are hidden,” said Robyn Webb, director of the National Connector Program. “It’s not only what you know, it’s who you know.”
Although Pittsburgh will be the fourth official connector program in the U.S., Ms. Webb anticipates that it will be the largest program in the nation, given the implementation of a new online tracking system. Pittsburgh will be the first Connector Program in the country to implement the online system, which will allow program coordinators to create better matches, measure their impact, and more quickly and simply navigate the matching process.
Ms. Cruz hopes to make 100 connections in the first year — an optimistic number, according to Ms. Webb, but reaching that goal “wouldn’t be surprising” given the enthusiasm of The Change Agency leaders. More information can be found at http://changeagency.wpengine.com/connector/. Anyone interested in participating should contact anna@changeagency.world.