丁香园AV

Jonelle Licayan knows a lot about solar power and hydrogen energy. But when the highly trained engineer and clean-energy expert arrived in Canada two years ago, what she didn鈥檛 know much about was doing business in Canada. Jonelle is now getting up to speed, thanks to 丁香园AV鈥檚 part-time Business Management Certificate program.

Before she moved from the Philippines to Vancouver in 2022, Jonelle says she鈥檇 heard 鈥渉orror stories鈥� about well-educated immigrants unable to find suitable work in their new country. 鈥淚 was prepared to start from scratch, build my network, try to understand Canada more before I began working,鈥� she recalls.

But with her degrees in chemical and energy engineering, plus her international experience in clean energy, Jonelle was hired almost immediately by Vancouver-based clean energy and technology company HTEC. She now serves as a market development manager for the growing company, which focuses on low-carbon hydrogen energy solutions for the transportation sector.

Despite landing work in her field so quickly, Jonelle says she鈥檚 keen to keep growing in her career. 鈥淢y goal is to have a holistic skillset,鈥� she explains. 鈥淢y background is in engineering, so I鈥檓 equipped with technical expertise, but I am also looking to improve my business management skills.鈥�

While Jonelle considered pursuing a full MBA, she was unsure about the heavy time commitment needed. Instead, she chose the Business Management program because she could complete it part-time within a year by taking short-term courses online.

As a B.C. resident, Jonelle also qualified for the StrongerBC future skills grant available at the time, and it covered most of her tuition. 鈥淎s a newcomer, my finances are more focused on getting myself settled here,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he grant certainly helped reduce that financial barrier.鈥�

Through the program, Jonelle is now exploring the ins and outs of local business practices: 鈥淚 have experience in the Philippines, but different countries have unique business environments, regulations, cultural norms. This program is giving me a head start on understanding business culture in Canada.鈥�

Because the program includes elective courses that allow students to tailor their learning to their interests, Jonelle says she was able to choose what best suited her goals. But that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 all been a breeze.

鈥淭he accounting course was challenging!鈥� she laughs. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a lot of accounting experience, so it was really new for me, and I had to exert more effort in that class. But it was very helpful because I鈥檓 doing a lot of finance work in the office now, and it helped me better understand accounting terms.鈥�

Jonelle says the course on business strategy was similarly useful, as it gave her a broader perspective on her organization鈥檚 work. She also appreciated the course on business administration, which covers how to set up your own business. One day, she adds, she hopes to launch her own small business, although she鈥檚 not yet sure what shape that will take.

For now, Jonelle remains focused on earning her 丁香园AV certificate鈥攁nd ensuring she鈥檒l continue to thrive in her newly adopted country, no matter where her growing skillset takes her next.

By Kim Mah