Nova Scotia Announces Funding for Aboriginal, International Student Programs; Innovation Projects

Source: NS News Release via Academica | May 9, 2014

Nova Scotia has announced $5 million in funding for 9 new projects at its universities. This round of Excellence and Innovation Fund-supported projects focuses on reaching international and aboriginal students, simplifying application procedures, and promoting innovation in the province. Cape Breton University will work with Unama’ki College to improve educational accessibility for aboriginal learners, while CBU, Saint Mary’s University, and Acadia University will study ways to offer local academic programs in Zhuhai, China. At the University of King’s College, the funding will support a pilot project to recruit and retain students from the United States; Mount Saint Vincent University, meanwhile, will devote money to enhancing its International Education Centre. The funding will also support 4 “sandbox” projects that will offer spaces for students and industry to develop ideas that have the potential to grow into business opportunities.

TCS Insights: The province of Nova Scotia continues to welcome international students by allocating more funding for projects, programs and new student centres. Such commitment will help maintain the level of enrolment of foreign students in the Maritime region of Canada.

Universities Must Play A Role In Attracting & Keeping Talent In Atlantic Canada

Source: Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission via Academica | April 21, 2014

The Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) is urging its members to team with governments and the private sector to take action attracting and retaining international and out-of-province students. The organization issued the call in response to new reports from the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) and the Nova Scotia Commission on Building Our New Economy. The former report shows that the number of international and out-of-province students in Atlantic Canada is growing rapidly, while the latter argues that building a better economy is required to maintain this talent. The AAU says that universities can help by providing a highly trained talent pool for businesses in the Atlantic provinces. However, moving forward will require strong partnerships between universities, governments, and the private sector. The AAU cites the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) immigration program as one opportunity for further collaboration.

TCS Insights: Atlantic Canadian provinces are looking to increase the number of out-of-province students who stay in the region after they complete their studies. In order to do this, universities and both the public and private sectors will do more in the future to prepare students for careers in the Maritimes.

Maritime Enrolment Held Steady By Out-of-Region, International Students

Source: MPHEC News Release | February 25, 2014

A report released this week by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) reveals that 70,433 students were enrolled in Maritime universities in 2012-13. While the overall number of students remains steady compared to the year before, the last 10 years have seen the number of Maritimers enrolled decrease by 12%. Over the same time period, the number of Canadians from outside the Maritimes enrolled has increased by 28%, and the number of international students has doubled, shows the report. In PEI, the number of undergraduate students enrolled has increased by 20% over 10 years, but fell by 2.5% over the past year. Meanwhile, in Nova Scotia the number of undergraduate students increased by 4% over 10 years, and 1% over one year; in New Brunswick, the number of undergraduate students decreased by 12% over 10 years, and 1% over one year.

TCS Insights: The amount of international students choosing to study in the Maritimes is on the rise. Specifically, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have witnessed overall enrolment numbers rise over the last decade while New Brunswick has made improvements when compared to years prior.