A new immigration program put in place by the Saskatchewan government aims to help tech companies recruit workers from abroad.
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Regina-based tech company Precision AI is growing rapidly and a new immigration program put in place by the Saskatchewan government aims to help them fill those job spots.
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On Monday, the government announced its new Tech Talent Pathway under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). The program’s purpose is to expedite the permanent immigration of tech workers in Saskatchewan, but also those who have been recruited outside Saskatchewan.
Precision AI works on creating autonomous drones that spray pesticides and herbicides on crops with far more efficiency than regular sprayers. Naomi Borger, head of people and culture with the firm, said that when she started with the company in August of 2020, it had eight full-time employees and five to 10 contractors. It now has 33 employees and 10-15 contractors.
There’s no shortage of fresh grads to hire in Saskatchewan, but there is a shortage of experienced workers. Borger said Precision AI is pushing boundaries by combining drones, automation and artificial intelligence, requiring them to have to look outside Canada. She believes the government’s new program will be an asset.
“For us specifically, it’s fantastic,” said Borger.
“We’re growing so rapidly right now, and often we have been hiring outside of Saskatchewan just because the pool of talent isn’t as large here,” said Borger.
The idea for the program was born out of a stakeholder meeting between the board of SaskTech and Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison just over a year ago. One of the topics discussed was the need for a better immigration stream for the tech industry.
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Aaron Genest, president of SaskTech, said the program will give Saskatchewan companies a competitive advantage in the race to attract employees with the skills companies need. Genest said there’s a shortage of workers not just in Saskatchewan, but across the globe.
“Canada competes very effectively against many countries in the world. But Saskatchewan is in a big fight for labour within Canada, but also competing with the United States and Europe,” said Genest.
Genest said some prime candidates can be found in include India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, China, Iran and Egypt. He said Ukraine is also worth looking at for candidates, as the country has a strong tech industry.
Genest said the new program will be helpful because the biggest challenge with the federal immigration system is that it is significantly backlogged.
Some of the requirements for applicants include at least one year of work experience in the tech sector, post-secondary education and a minimum official language level of Canadian Language Benchmark of level 5 if they are not working in Saskatchewan when they apply.
“As Saskatchewan emerges from the impacts of the global pandemic, our technology sector will be an important driver of economic growth,” Harrison said in a press release.
“The new Tech Talent Pathway provides our Saskatchewan employers with a dedicated stream for the attraction of highly skilled talent into our thriving technology sector.”
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Genest said attracting workers to Saskatchewan is just one part of the battle. The rest is keeping them here.
“Every immigrant we’re bringing is a significant investment of government and industry time and money, and if we can bring them into the country only to work here for a year or two, it’s our loss. We need to keep them here to stay and to grow up with the province,” said Genest.
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New immigration program will fast-track process for tech workers coming to Sask. - Regina Leader Post
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