An Interview with Nasser
When war forced civil engineer Nasser Alali to leave his home and business in Syria, he and his family came to this country looking for a fresh start. The Algonquin Experienced Worker Centre helped him access English language training so he could earn new credentials in Canada.
What was it like coming to Canada from Syria?
When the civil war started, I had to take my family and leave everything. It was very difficult. I had worked as an independent civil engineer in Damascus for eight years. When I arrived in Canada, I found a job at a gas station until it closed. But my English wasn’t very strong, and I had trouble finding anything else.
How did you end up working with the Experienced Worker Centre?
After I lost my job, I went to Employment Ontario. They told me about the financial support available through the Second Career program, which sounded very interesting. They also said I would need to improve my English before taking any classes, so they referred me to Algonquin. That’s where I met Ian Paul, one of the Centre’s Intake and Referral Consultants. He played a very important role in my academic journey — even helping me get additional funding for language training at Algonquin’s Language Institute to prepare me for my post-secondary program.
What kind of support did you get from the Centre?
Ian helped me with paperwork, phone calls and other tasks when I was applying for Second Career funding. He asked lots of questions about my background and guided me toward the Construction Engineering program at Algonquin. And he helped me get into the English courses I needed to meet the requirements to apply to my program.
What are your plans for the future?
I’ll be graduating soon with a Construction Engineer Technician diploma. With my previous experience as a civil engineer, I hope to find something in a related field. I know that, being in a new country, I can’t expect to work right away as an engineer, but I believe I have a lot to offer. I look forward to an opportunity to prove that.
What was the most valuable part of working with the Centre?
The work they did with me to bridge the language barrier and get me access to language training was critical. Without that support, I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have. I want to thank everyone I’ve encountered through the Experienced Worker Centre for being so supportive and taking care of people as well as they do.