If you haven’t already taken advantage of either the SWAP or BUNAC programs, you may be missing out on a number of young people who are ready and willing to work in your tourism business or operation.
SWAP and BUNAC are both popular working-abroad programs that enable employers to connect with young foreigners who want to work in Canada. With Working Holiday Visas already in hand, these young people are ready to go.
Working Holiday Visas enable those to travel to Canada and work at the same time.
Every year, people from countries such as Austria, Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom work in Canada on this type of visa. In fact, certain BC destinations (such as Whistler) have had great success with this program.
SWAP – which stands for Student Work Abroad Programs – offers 13 exciting destinations around the world for those between 18 and 30 years old, with only a handful of countries requiring student status. For a fee, SWAP completes all the paper work, obtains a Working Holiday Visa for travellers and offers support services once they arrive at their destination.
And as the UK’s largest and oldest working holiday organization (it has been operating since 1962), BUNAC stands for British University North American Club. BUNAC works with approximately 30 countries, including Canada, by offering a range of working holidays for young people from Britain – students and non-students.
Of course, there are a number of other programs that enable employers to tap into foreign workers – such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
However, SWAP and BUNAC are unique because they cater to a market of young people who already have a Working Holiday Visa. For employers, this program is the easiest and quickest way to hire international workers as they are ready to work when arriving in BC. And there isn’t any paperwork for employers to fill out.
SWAP and BUNAC act as an access point allowing you to connect with these young foreigners who are interested in working in Canada.
BC employers can post their job openings on both the SWAP and BUNAC websites – free of charge – and participants preparing to move to Canada will respond directly to employers.
To tap into this opportunity, employers simply email their job postings to Vancouver@swap.ca or canada@bunac.org.uk.
As SWAP is part of the Travel CUTS family, employers can also visit any Travel CUTS office to get the best possible support and information on the SWAP program. Travel CUTS has locations across Canada. Visit www.swap.ca for more information.
Employers can also tap into a similar international labour pool by becoming involved in go2’s new Work Live Play BC page on Facebook. Simply post job openings on go2’s Job Board (which will be also advertised on Work Live Play BC); promote your organization by posting photos and videos capturing the essence of your workplace culture; and participate in discussions with international job seekers.
