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According to Wunmi Adekanmbi, who immigrated to Canada from Nigeria in 2011, current immigration policies favour people with backgrounds in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). When Adekanmbi learned about Alberta’s economic diversification strategy — an attempt to move the province from oil and gas dependency — while working for an oil and gas company herself, she started looking for opportunities in the technology sector, where she learned that attracting more talent was a big topic of conversation.
So, in 2019, Adekanmbi founded Immigrant Techies Alberta, a registered non-profit, membership-based organization that provides networking, mentorship, programs and events for immigrants who are looking to transition their careers to tech.
“On one hand, I saw there was a need to open up the tech space so that immigrants can claim that space,” says Adekanmbi. “On the other hand, our economy actually needs that immigrant talent pool to push forward.”
Since then, Immigrant Techies has hosted more than 100 virtual and in-person events and has supported more than 500 immigrant professionals through their programs. Jobseekers include people who already have tech backgrounds from their home countries, like software developers, or people from fields like banking and academia.
Last year, Immigrant Techies announced a partnership with RBC Calgary Innovation Lab to create technology roles in high-demand areas including artificial intelligence, data engineering and machine learning by integrating employer input in tech training and reskilling programs. While the official mentorship program will begin in 2025, Immigrant Techies hosted a pilot speed mentorship event with RBC senior technical staff in December 2024 from six departments: software development, cybersecurity, UI/UX design and frontend development, Salesforce, quality engineering, data science and data engineering.
“We need active participation with industry to make training programs successful,” says Adekanmbi. “It cannot be an afterthought.”