V. 15 I. 5 – May 2015

BC Announces $6M in Funding for Technology Skills Development

CIEC Author

Source: BC News Release via Academica

British Columbia announced $6M in funding, to be provided through the BC Innovation Council (BCIC), in support of technology skills development. The BCIC Innovator Skills Initiative and the BC Tech Co-Op Grants Program will provide students with opportunities to enhance their skills and explore new career opportunities at small- and medium-sized technology firms, while connecting employers to a supply of talented workers. BC Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Shirley Bond said, “this new funding will continue to help drive this development by training entrepreneurs today and generating desirable jobs for highly skilled, creative, and educated British Columbians for the future.”

Humber Recognized for International Outreach

Humber Recognized for International Outreach

CIEC Author

Source: Humber College

The CICan Awards of Excellence, which recognize achievement within Canada’s college system, were handed out in a ceremony in Winnipeg this week. Humber College [CIEC Academic Member] was the recipient of a gold award for Internationalization Excellence.

Humber’s gold for Internationalization follows the 2014 launch of the college’s Internationalization Strategy.

“At Humber we are committed to ensuring that our students graduate with the skills needed to be successful as global citizens in an ever increasing interconnected world,” says Diane Simpson, dean of International. “This award recognizes the efforts of the institution to embrace this, and also to ensure that the opportunity is there for all students to engage in international opportunities, whether on campus or abroad.”

27 Canadian Institutions Appear in This Year’s Leiden Ranking

27 Canadian Institutions Appear in This Year’s Leiden Ranking

CIEC Author

Source: CWTS Leiden Ranking 2015 via Academica

The Centre for Science and Technology at Leiden University recently released its annual ranking of universities’ scientific performance. The Leiden Ranking focuses heavily on scientific collaboration and citation impact; this year, it factors in new impact indicators based on counting publications that belong to the top 1% or top 50% of their field. The University of Toronto was the top Canadian school in the size-independent ranking at 86th. UBC was 107th, the University of Victoria 116th, and McGill University 149th. McMaster University [CIEC Academic Member] rounded out the Canadian top five at 165th. 27 Canadian institutions in total appear on the list of 750 institutions, down from 28 last year. MIT placed first overall in the size-independent ranking, followed by Harvard and Stanford.

NAFSA Publishes International Education Professional Competencies

CIEC Author

Source: CBIE News Release via Academica

US-based organization NAFSA: Association of International Educators this week released the International Education Professional Competencies, a list that defines the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of international education professionals. The competencies include skills identified as being fundamental to all international education professionals, regardless of specialization. They are organized into four key practice areas: comprehensive internationalization, education abroad, international enrolment management, and international student and scholar services. The list also includes skills necessary to collaborate across international education domains. The Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE), sister association to NAFSA, welcomed the release, noting that while developed from a US perspective, the competencies are applicable in other contexts.

NB Institutions Join Forces to Promote Province As an International Study Destination

CIEC Author

Source: NBCC News Release via Academica

Educational institutions in New Brunswick are combining forces to help brand the province as an international study destination. They have formed EduNB, a group committed to building partnerships and creating new international opportunities. The group will be led by New Brunswick Community College and supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the NB Department of Post-Secondary Educaton, Training and Labour. EduNB is hosting a familiarization tour to provide its members the opportunity to promote their institution to agents. Stops on the tour will include campuses of Université de Moncton, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, NBCC, Mount Allison University, St Thomas University, the University of New Brunswick, and New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.

Canada and India Partner to Advance International Research Collaborations

CIEC Author

Source: High Commission of Canada

A new Mitacs Globalink Research Award – MHRD initiative will enable Canadian students to undertake research at one of seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) in Gandhinagar, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Mumbai and Roorkee.  Resulting from a partnership between Canada’s Mitacs and India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), this initiative aims to support student mobility and provide an opportunity for Canadian faculty and graduate students to build an international research network. Canadian students were invited to apply until May 13 to compete for funding for research projects in India. Selected students are expected to begin projects as early as July.

RBC President says Canadian Businesses Must Help Expand Co-op Education

CIEC Author

Source: Globe & Mail via Academica

RBC President David McKay has contributed an op-ed to the Globe and Mail highlighting the benefits of co-op education for students and employers. McKay says that co-op education “has become a proven way to prepare students for a world in which change is accelerating and challenges are growing ever more complex.” He says that co-op exposes students to new ideas, experiences, and ways of working, while helping to create a critical bridge between employers and PSE. McKay argues that Canada is falling behind other nations when it comes to blending work and learning. He calls on employers to take the lead in stressing the importance of co-op education and increasing the depth and quality of placements.

Modi’s Visit to Canada Was a Missed Opportunity, Researchers Say

CIEC Author

Source: University World News via Academica

A group of researchers say that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada last month may have been a missed opportunity. The researchers have published an article reflecting on the importance of international higher education as a strategic priority for building the relationship between the two countries. The article notes that in contrast to Modi’s recent trips to France, Germany, and the United States, his visit to Canada did not generate a discussion of international academic relations. Such relations, the authors say, are “crucial.” They note that India is the world’s second-largest “sender country,” and emphasize the importance of the Indian diaspora in Canada. The essay encourages Canada to promote “inter-civilizational dialogue” to help develop stronger ties with India.

Survey Shows Effects of Policy Changes on Demographics of Prospective Immigrants

CIEC Author

Source: Toronto Star via Academica

A new study from World Education Services has revealed some demographic effects of changes to Canada’s immigration policies. The results of a survey completed by approximately 3,200 prospective immigrants show that 95% of respondents were between the ages of 25 and 44, up from 84% before 2013. 59% of respondents said that their highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree, up from 34% in 2012, when Canada introduced the mandatory educational credential assessment process. 42% had a master’s degree, up from 18%, while the number of prospective immigrants with a PhD dropped from 5% in 2012 to 3%. 47% of respondents said they intended to settle in Ontario, 22% said Alberta, 12% said British Columbia, and 4% said Nova Scotia.

NB Pilot Program Aims to Retain International Student Entrepreneurs

CIEC Author

Source: NB News Release via Academica

New Brunswick has launched a three-year pilot project that will help international students hoping to start businesses in the province. Through the initiative, graduates of the University of New Brunswick’s J Herbert Smith Centre for Technology and Entrepreneurship will receive help applying for permanent residency in Canada. Applicants to the program must invest a minimum of $10,000 in a new business, have an active management role in the company, and commit to not selling their business for at least three years after attaining permanent residency status. It is hoped that the project will help NB attract and retain international student entrepreneurs.

India’s Outbound Student Growth Rate Surpasses China’s

CIEC Author

Source: University World News via Academica

A new study from an Indian firm has found that the growth rate of the number of students from India attending university in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand has surpassed that of China. The number of Chinese students attending universities in the five countries grew by 8% between 2013 and 2014, while the number of Indian students grew by over 10%. However, the total number of Chinese students attending school abroad is more than double that of India. The report also notes that Indian students’ interest in Canada has grown, possibly because of negative attitudes toward Australia. Much of the growth in Canada has been driven by community colleges.

BC Provides Funding to Support Students with Disabilities

CIEC Author

Source: BC News Release via Academica

British Columbia will provide $1.2 M in funding to PSE institutions to support training for students with disabilities. The funding will be allocated to 20 institutions to develop training and resources for programs that align with the province’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint. Among the recipients will be [CIEC Academic Members] Langara College, for its Centre for Accessible Post-Secondary Education Resources (CAPER-BC), and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, for the Post-Secondary Communication Access Service (PCAS), which supports students with visual impairment or hearing loss. These facilities support public PSE institutions throughout the province. Additionally, BC will provide $9 M over three years for the Technology@Work program, which provides assistive technologies.

uCanWest Signs on With Global University Systems

CIEC Author

Source: uCanWest via Academica

Vancouver-based private institution University Canada West has joined Global University Systems (GUS), an international network of PSE institutions, affiliates, and partners. The affiliation has been approved by British Columbia’s Ministry of Advanced Education. GUS will assist uCanWest in expanding its course portfolio and developing its academic profile. University President Arthur Coren said, “this is a very positive development for uCanWest and a new chapter in its evolution. We are excited to have joined the GUS group and confident that it will enable the university to achieve its full potential.”

BCIT Granted Exempt Status After Degree Quality Assessment Board Review

CIEC Author

Source: BCIT via Academica

British Columbia’s Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson has approved the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s application for exempt status for new undergraduate programs. The approval follows a thorough review by BC’s Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB). For BCIT [CIEC Member], the approval represents full recognition of the quality of its degree programs, and means there will be a more efficient process for degree approval in the future. BCIT’s Acting VP Academic Bill Dow said, “we will take full advantage of this status and we will ensure that we add programs that will further our students’ knowledge and give them the tools to succeed in their desired careers long after they leave BCIT.”

Victoria Launches Initiative to Recruit International Students

CIEC Author

Source: Times-Colonist via Academica

The Greater Victoria Development Agency (GVDA) has launched a new campaign to help attract international students to Vancouver Island. The initiative, called Education Victoria, has been created in partnership with Camosun College, Royal Roads University, the University of Victoria, and Tourism Victoria. GVDA’s Dallas Gislason said that attracting international students as potential residents will be key in a region that is expecting to face a labour shortage over the next 10 years, and added that international students can provide a significant boost to the economy. Moreover, Gislason said, international students offer “diverse perspectives … which deepen the learning experience for all students.”

CBU Report Calls for Action to Support Immigration

CIEC Author

Source: CBImmigrationPilot.ca via Academica

Cape Breton University has released a new report that addresses issues around immigration to Cape Breton. The report recommends taking action to improve permanent settlement and to enhance community support for immigration. It identifies a need to focus on potential immigrants and international students as potentially key contributors to Cape Breton’s work force, particularly given that many local business are dealing with labour shortages and succession issues. The report recommends that steps be taken to convince Cape Breton communities of the benefits of immigration and to make changes at the federal level to provide more support for settlement in rural Nova Scotia.

International Student Enrolment Grew Faster at ON Colleges Than at Universities in Last Decade

CIEC Author

Source: HEQCO via Academica

Data shared on the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario’s (HEQCO’s) It’s Not Academic blog sheds light on the growth in international enrolment at Ontario’s publicly funded colleges and universities. The data show that in the past decade, the rate of growth in international enrolment at colleges has generally exceeded the rate of growth at universities. The growth in college enrolment spiked in 2010; HEQCO attributes this to the 2009 introduction of the Student Partners Program, which expedites the Canadian study permit process for citizens of India and China.