Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

• Overview

 

 

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) at CMEC disseminates information and acts as a national clearinghouse and referral service to support the recognition and portability of Canadian and international academic and occupational qualifications.

CICIC was established in 1990 to fulfill Canada’s obligations under the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region. The UNESCO recognition conventions promote international mobility by advocating wider recognition of higher education and professional qualifications.

As Canada's National Information Centre under UNESCO conventions to facilitate the mobility of talent, CICIC:

• provides information and referral services to individuals and organizations on the recognition of academic and occupational credentials for working and studying in Canada and abroad;
• provides information on Canada's education systems and quality assurance to assist in the recognition of Canadian qualifications, in collaboration with provincial and territorial ministries of education;
• develops standards, training, tools, and resources to support the community of academic credential assessors to improve consistency of and capacity for academic credential assessment in Canada;
• manages initiatives focusing on academic credential assessment and the teaching profession. 

The CICIC Web site provides a wealth of information and resources, including:

• the Directory of Educational Institutions in Canada, which provides detailed information about all educational institutions that are recognized, authorized, registered, or licensed by the competent authorities in Canada (at the elementary and secondary level, information is provided on school boards or their equivalents, as well as independent or private schools);
• the Directory of Occupational Profiles, which provides detailed information on the credential assessment process for over 500 occupations in Canada;
• the Connect the Dots web tool, which allows visitors to find information relevant to their specific situation by answering a few questions;
• information on studying and working in Canada or abroad, and on obtaining an academic credential assessment in Canada.