How a Canadian newcomer is expanding her skills beyond engineering

Jonelle Licayan knows a lot about solar power and hydrogen energy. But when the highly trained engineer and clean-energy expert arrived in Canada two years ago, what she didn’t know much about was doing business in Canada. Jonelle is now getting up to speed, thanks to SFU’s part-time Business Management Certificate program.

Before she moved from the Philippines to Vancouver in 2022, Jonelle says she’d heard “horror stories” about well-educated immigrants unable to find suitable work in their new country. “I was prepared to start from scratch, build my network, try to understand Canada more before I began working,” she recalls.

But with her degrees in chemical and energy engineering, plus her international experience in clean energy, Jonelle was hired almost immediately by Vancouver-based clean energy and technology company HTEC. She now serves as a market development manager for the growing company, which focuses on low-carbon hydrogen energy solutions for the transportation sector.

Despite landing work in her field so quickly, Jonelle says she’s keen to keep growing in her career. “My goal is to have a holistic skillset,” she explains. “My background is in engineering, so I’m equipped with technical expertise, but I am also looking to improve my business management skills.”

While Jonelle considered pursuing a full MBA, she was unsure about the heavy time commitment needed. Instead, she chose the Business Management program because she could complete it part-time within a year by taking short-term courses online.

As a B.C. resident, Jonelle also qualified for the StrongerBC future skills grant available at the time, and it covered most of her tuition. “As a newcomer, my finances are more focused on getting myself settled here,” she says. “The grant certainly helped reduce that financial barrier.”

Through the program, Jonelle is now exploring the ins and outs of local business practices: “I have experience in the Philippines, but different countries have unique business environments, regulations, cultural norms. This program is giving me a head start on understanding business culture in Canada.”

Because the program includes elective courses that allow students to tailor their learning to their interests, Jonelle says she was able to choose what best suited her goals. But that doesn’t mean it’s all been a breeze.

“The accounting course was challenging!” she laughs. “I don’t have a lot of accounting experience, so it was really new for me, and I had to exert more effort in that class. But it was very helpful because I’m doing a lot of finance work in the office now, and it helped me better understand accounting terms.”

Jonelle says the course on business strategy was similarly useful, as it gave her a broader perspective on her organization’s work. She also appreciated the course on business administration, which covers how to set up your own business. One day, she adds, she hopes to launch her own small business, although she’s not yet sure what shape that will take.

For now, Jonelle remains focused on earning her SFU certificate—and ensuring she’ll continue to thrive in her newly adopted country, no matter where her growing skillset takes her next.

By Kim Mah