TD Bank Financial Group has partnered with the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University in Toronto to develop a program aimed at helping internationally trained professionals function and excel in Canada’s financial sector.

For the bank, this is an opportunity for “partnering for an alternative talent source” as hiring talent in the quantitative fields becomes increasingly competitive, says Mary O’Hara, TD’s senior vice president of organizational development.

In sessions being held in September and October, the internationally trained professionals can participate in a day of office place situations commonplace in Canada’s banking and financial services sectors. Actors and Chang School staff stage the simulations and assess the participants’ conduct.

Situations escalate in complexity, from interpreting and communicating the contents of a document first thing in the morning, to participating in a staff meeting and team exercises at the end of the day.

TD, along with other industry players, including BMO Financial Group and Manulife Financial Corp. , provided the Chang School with access to its workforce (specifically, its internationally trained staff and supervisors). TD donated between 20 and 30 person days to the development of the curriculum. TD also helped develop the situations and scenarios for the workshops, assuring industry relevance.

According to Phil Schalm, the program director for the Gateway for International Professionals at the Chang School, internationally trained people are best served by addressing “culturally based differences in soft skills.”

Although there are international standards of professional education for accountants, financial planners and financial analysts, the soft skills — specifically, interpersonal skills, team skills, analytical skills, as well as reporting and communication skills — are not standard across cultures.

After the simulations, the participants complete a written self-assessment, which the school then uses to evaluate the individuals’ communications skills. Then, the school’s observers compare notes on the individuals’ conduct in each situation. A few days later, the participants receive a profile of their soft skills.

The school can also recommend an array of educational modules to improve these skills, depending on the individual’s goals. IE