Calgary, 18 February 2023 - On 16 February 2023, Consul General Zaldy Patron visited Calgary’s Bow Valley College (BVC) upon the invitation of its President and CEO Dr. Mischeck Mwaba.

Consul General Patron and the officials of BVC discussed potential cooperation between BVC and the nursing universities and colleges in the Philippines.

Under the recently announced bursary program of the Alberta Government, BVC will receive funding from the provincial government to create 120 new seats for its licensed practical nurse (LPN) bridging program. This will provide more opportunities for the Filipino international educated nurses (IEN) in Alberta to enrol in the program.

The Filipino IEN in Alberta can get as much as $30,000.00 in financial grant from the Alberta Government to pay for the assessment and testing fees required in the accreditation of their nursing credentials, and the tuition for the bridging program they need to complete before they can practice as registered nurses (RN) or LPN in the province.

Aside from BVC, NorQuest College in Edmonton offers the LPN bridging program. On the other hand, Mount Royal University in Calgary offers the RN bridging program.

Since January 2021, the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary has been working with the Alberta Government and Saskatchewan Government to advocate and lobby for the extension of financial incentives for the Filipino IEN in the two provinces.

The Philippines-Alberta MOU on the Recruitment of Filipino Nurses, signed on 6 October 2022, has a specific provision for the extension of financial incentives for the Filipino IEN.

The PCG, in partnership with the Department of Migrant Workers and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Vancouver, successfully negotiated the MOU with the Alberta Government. END