The OCECCA Project was administered by the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences and supported financially by Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and the Government of Canada.

As a sponsor for the OCECCA Project, the Michener Institute contributed its extensive experience in bridge training program development and occupation-specific language assessments for IEHPs. The Michener Institute’s tradition of inter-professional, patient-centred, simulation-enhanced programming was a complementary fit with the fundamental values of the OCECCA Project.

Additionally, the OCECCA Project leveraged the expertise and experience of a variety of stakeholders – internationally educated health professionals, language-assessment professionals, regulatory bodies, professional associations, employers, and government – as well as specialists in the field to create an executable business plan for the proposed centre. Our advisory committee consisted of representatives from the stakeholder groups listed above, which offered the project early input from sector insiders from the very beginning.

The project team comprised specialists in language assessment, occupation-specific training and assessment, and business development. The partnership between these various perspectives provided a rich, multidimensional view of the issues faced by IEHPs, and helped to develop a proposed solution that accounted for current socio-political and economic realities.