People use the word upgrading when talking about getting a higher level of education, or improving their skills and knowledge in a certain field. For example, finishing grade 12 or its equivalent, or upgrading your computer skills by taking a course.

It is also very common to hear newcomers, or immigrants, talk about upgrading. That one is a bit more complicated, and maybe not quite fair. Many people were experts in their field in their home countries – some had finished university, some were doctors, engineers, lawyers – so it’s not really their skills or knowledge that need “upgrading” – it’s that employers in Canada want “Canadian experience”. Newcomers often just need to get schools and workplaces in Canada to RECOGNIZE what they have already done, but because this is so hard to do, they find themselves back in school, “upgrading” their education.

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