Canadian Dreams Take Flight
It takes more than dreaming to build a future in a new country. Daniel Momodu knows this first hand. He understood that careful planning, hard work and strategic preparation were important building blocks for his dreams of a life and career in Canada.
Before Daniel set out to pursue his Canadian dreams, he worked in both the aviation and energy sectors back in Nigeria. He set his sights on a new profession, planning to pivot into the tech world and transfer his skills and knowledge to a new industry.
In his planning for his arrival in Canada, Daniel was keen to advance his job search and communications skills so that he could be as prepared as possible for the Canadian workplace.
In 2018, he registered in pre-arrival courses with SOPA Ontario, focusing on two specific courses, “Job Search Strategies” and “Soft Skills: Professional Communication.” These learnings would serve Daniel well and help position him for success when he arrived in Toronto a year later.
Daniel credits his progress to a positive attitude, hard word and the support of the SOPA program in his journey. “I’m grateful to SOPA for putting us through the pre-arrival settlement process.”
“The skills learned through SOPA allowed him to find his desired Canadian job in August 2020,” reported SOPA Ontario Job Search Strategies course facilitator Elmira Alim. “After looking for employment for several months, Daniel got an exciting position as a Supply Chain Analyst with Freedom Mobile.”
Daniel is one of many newcomers who had a vision, made a plan and then put in considerable effort to make his next chapter an exciting one. Indeed, his dreams appear to have taken flight!
At SOPA, we are here to help immigrants arrive prepared with free, personalized pre-arrival services, while also connecting them to helpful post-arrival services once landed.
Do you have a SOPA success story to share? Your experiences can help others who are following in your footsteps as you take the road to resettlement in Canada. If you are a current or past SOPA client and wish to share your story or offer some tips you discovered that will help others, contact us: info@arriveprepared.ca.
Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) is an Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) funded program that delivers free pre-arrival services for job readiness, success and retention. Explore the free, pre-arrival resources, services and courses we offer at ArrivePrepared.ca.
Written by Jennifer Barnable:
At SOPA, Jennifer is an Employment Resources Coordinator who helps provide pre-arrival support for youth and adults planning for their next chapter in Canada. With nearly 20 years of experience as a public relations communicator and project manager, her work has taken her across government, industry, academia and NGOs. Jennifer takes particular interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as culture, education and community building. She has been involved with supporting newcomers to Atlantic Canada for over 20 years through various organizations’ outreach and mentorship programs. Jennifer currently develops and facilitates two SOPA courses: “Ready to Work” and “Passport to Success.”
