Millennials and senior experts might disagree on the value of a university education, suggests a recent article in the Ottawa Citizen. David Cook, a 21 year-old who recently quit a job stocking grocery shelves, told the Citizen that he is skeptical about whether the alleged “one-size-fits-all” model of university education can support students in finding out what they truly want to do with their lives. Yet retired University of Toronto economics professor David Foot argues that the increasing proportion of young people with postsecondary credentials has in fact made a bachelor’s degree “the new high school degree.”
Employers in Ontario might be more willing to hire international students if they are confident about the support governments and universities might offer them, according to a new study by researchers at York University. Titled “International students as ideal immigrants: Ontario employers’ perspective,” the report notes that confusion around immigration and work regulations can be a significant barrier to employers when it comes to hiring international students and graduates. The report also found that while employers had a high level of confidence in international students’ hard skills, they were concerned about a lack of communication skills and extracurricular engagement. The report offers a series of recommendations that governments and institutions might follow to address these concerns and others.
New international student intake growth in Canada is slowing, standing at 4.5% in 2015 – less than half the year-over-year growth rates reported in 2014 and earlier. The figures mean that universities can no longer be complacent when it comes to attracting international students, according to the Illuminate Consulting Group, which compiled the figures.
Mohamed Lachemi is the kind of immigrant Canada wants. “I came to Canada as an international student exactly 30 years ago,” he tells Times Higher Education. “Canada attracted me not just to study but to stay.” He is now the vice-chancellor of industry-focused Ryerson University in downtown Toronto and, in line with federal plans, wants to become “more aggressive” in attracting international students to his institution. Ryerson aims to double its numbers over the next three to five years.
In Canada, official policy, as well as political rhetoric, is… welcoming. In 2014 the country set out plans to attract 450,000 international students by 2022, roughly double the numbers in 2011.
Mount Saint Vincent University has partnered with Venor in an effort to help international student graduates find employers and opportunities to start their careers in Nova Scotia. The partnership marks the latest step in the Nova Scotia Scholars Program, which provides personalized career plans that include career building, networking, work experience, and immigration support for participants. “The Mount is committed to assisting international students who choose to remain in the province,” said Paula Barry Mercer, Associate Vice President of Student Experience at MSVU. “Keeping more graduates in Nova Scotia is an important step in helping to ensure the future prosperity of our province.”
Canada needs to act fast in order to gain the economic benefits associated with international students, writes Kareem El-Assal for University Affairs. Some barriers currently in place in Canada may deter prospective international students and steer them in another country’s direction. Obstacles such as slow student visa processing times, inadequate settlement and integration services, and difficulty attaining permanent residency are among issues potentially hindering Canada’s ability to recruit international talent. While the government has implemented a number of strategies to combat these issues, El-Essal says that further immediate action is required to ensure the successful recruitment and retention of future skilled workers to Canada.
According to Amit Chakma, president of [CIEC Academic Member] Western University and chair of the federal government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, the Canadian government has recently shown positive signs towards international students hoping to study in Canada. By reviewing the steps these students must take to achieve permanent residency, in addition to changes made to citizenship requirements, Canada aims to make it easier for these students to pursue an education and work in the country after graduating.
The changes in the way that young people learn is “forcing the educational system to adapt to the learners, and not vice versa,” writes Sophia Sanchez for Inside Higher Ed. The author argues that such change means that educators need to better understand how members of the Millennial generation differ from those who came before. Among their attributes, reports Sanchez, are shorter attention spans, a preference for collaborative learning, and a drive for instant gratification. To help address these changes, Sanchez recommends that educators establish clear learning outcomes, deliver knowledge in small doses, and use a mix of different teaching methods. A recent survey from the US News & WorldReport’s “Best Countries” platform has also shown that Millennials (aged 18 to 35) from around the globe view Canada as the best country in the world.
As postsecondary institutions become increasingly internationalized, colleges are noticing that their faculty members must also adapt to meet the cultural and pedagogical needs of their new classrooms, writes Karin Fischer for the Chronicle of Higher Education. The article discusses a number of faculty methods for better reaching international students, such as posting lecture slides online, ending lectures early to allow for questions, and providing translations of classroom slides or syllabi. “There are many different ways that students learn, no matter where they are from,” says Association of International Education Administrators Executive Director Darla Deardorff, who adds that “changing our strategies doesn’t mean we are … making our courses any less rigorous.”
While taking a sip of my masala chai with alu paratha, I am staring at these kids throwing colorful powder at each other, laughing and running in every direction. The city is calm, the sun is clear and the air is fresh. So much to see, so much to taste, so much to discover: Welcome to India.
Even after two years, some people still ask with stupefaction, why I left Canada for India to pursue my Master’s Degree and if I did not have universities in my own country. Most of the time I quickly answer that I came to India to specialize in agriculture economics and Indo-Canadian relations but that is just one part of the truth. The other part is that after my undergraduate program, I made the decision of offering myself the greatest gift: I went to study abroad. I chose myself for two years. A gift from yourself to yourself that changes your whole perception of life and its intrinsic value. Studying abroad leaves you by yourself with your knowledge, culture and values in the middle of a whole new world where the culture is different, the religions are different, the language and food habits are different, where everything is to discover. The real challenge is to find the strength to adapt in this new world without losing who you are.
After my studies in International Economics and Development at the University of Ottawa, I wanted to become an economist. Specifically, I wanted to become a development economist. The kind that can bring efficient economic solutions and alternatives based on a deep understanding of the social, cultural and historical background. After my third year of Bachelor’s Degree, I was selected by the Ontario/Maharashtra Goa Student Exchange Program to pursue the Student India Program in Symbiosis International University in Pune, India. I came back to Canada to finish my last year of undergraduate studies and started to prepare my application to conduct a Master’s Degree in India. After my graduation, I received the Commonwealth Scholarship Plan in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Department of Foreign Affairs of Canada, which gave me the opportunity to pursue the Master’s Degree in Economics at Hyderabad Central University in India.
It took me almost a year to plan and prepare what was going to be the biggest trip of my life, with myself as my only travel partner and my humility and curiosity as carrying luggage. To anyone thinking about pursuing a degree or a semester abroad, few steps can guide you:
1)Choose a country, read about its culture, history and social development. See if it peaks your curiosity to the point where you are determined to live and experince it by yourself.
2)Look for the different educational programs that are offered by the host country and if the diploma obtained abroad will be recognized by your home country or own institution. You can discuss with your teachers and determinethe added-value of this diploma to your career. Discuss with your parents and friends about your project, ask their opinion and determine the pros and cons.
3)Look for scholarships offered by the Provincial and Federal governments, such as the Department of Global Affairs Canada, NGOs, organizations for international studies, LOGIQ for students from Quebec, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Canada India Education Council, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Commonwealth Scholarship Plan, Ontario/Maharashtra Goa Student Exchange Program. Also, many Canadian universities are offering scholarships to students willing to complete a semester abroad.
4)Construct a budget of the expected expenditures and fees. Try to determine the total cost of this project, including flight tickets, visa fees, accommodations and living expenditures, fix a budget if you want to travel across the country. By preparing your project in advance, you can find many helpful ideas, you can ask for the flight tickets as birthday or graduation gift from your family and friends, save money from part-time work to achieve this specific goal, work with NGOs and seek out sponsorships. If there is no solution, it is because there was no problem at the beginning.
5)Make an appointment at a travel health clinic. The specialists will give you advice and preventions for the specific country you will travel to, discuss with your doctor about the different options to ensure your security abroad. For example, ask about the prevention of malaria, hepatitis, rabies, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and if you should receive any specific vaccine before leaving.
6)Learn more about the culture, the university where you will study, the basic courtesies of the country, watch documentaries on the social challenges the country is facing, learn more about their history and language. The better your preparation, the easier your adaptation to this new environment will be.
7) Enjoy, learn, share and make a lot of friends.
I hope this article brings to you the fire required to conduct what I believe is the biggest trip of your life. You will face challenges, culture shocks and misunderstandings, but you need to look beyond that. You will discover a new culture, make life-long friends, learn a new language, you will see landscapes that you can normally only see in movies. The memories and friendships created will remain long after the completion of your studies. By the way, the picture was taken in Munnar, Kerala in December 2015. Yes, life as an international student is pretty boring as you can see 😉 Give it a try, you will be surprised!
PEI has announced that it will expand its mentorship program for recent graduates to include applications from international students, giving them better access to the PEI workforce. Skills PEI contributes up to 50% of wage costs for the first year of employment for postsecondary graduates who are enrolled in the mentorship program. “Hopefully they join the companies, help the company grow, and they will stay here on Prince Edward Island,” said Richard Brown, PEI’s Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning, “the company grows, the economy grows, it’s good for Prince Edward Island.”
Over the past twenty years the recruitment of international students has become a key priority for many Canadian PSE institutions. Major schools have produced multi-year plans to help make themselves more international, and these plans often give priority to increasing the proportion of international students studying on their campuses. Major figures in higher ed have also warned that the recruitment of international students and the charging of higher tuition fees to this cohort can result in ethical concerns, and have called for enhanced federal guidelines to govern the enrolment of non-Canadian students in Canadian institutions.
We asked 1,400 StudentVu panelists what they thought about the growing presence of international students on campus, the domestic student-international student relationship, the proportion of international students to domestic students, and other related issues. Our panelists reported that they believed international students had a positive impact on their postsecondary experience; many also expressed support for a school population comprised of 20-40% international students, and voiced concerns about their schools’ treatment of international students.
Ten of India’s states have so far come out in favour of enabling foreign higher education institutions to operate in the country, but any new policy must ensure that foreign providers have something to offer domestic students, they have said.
There is currently no legislative framework in place to allow foreign universities to operate in India. The 2013 Foreign Education Providers Bill has been blocked from passing on several occasions, but last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government intends to let foreign providers operate campuses in the country.
Earlier this year, India’s Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani approved a proposal that will see an initial 10,000 new seats opened for foreign students at the country’s premier engineering institutes. This marks the first time that admission in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has been opened to overseas students.
The proposal is clear that seats for foreign students will not come at the expense of Indian applicants. Rather, the aim is to add thousands of new seats across all IITs and to have overseas students pay a significant differential fee in the range of Rs 400,000-500,000 per year (US$6,000-US$7,500), as opposed to the Rs 90,000 annual tuition (US$1,350) required of Indian students.
For the the full article, please visit ICEF Monitor.
Canada has introduced legislation that is designed to make it easier for international students to gain citizenship after graduating. The legislation will reportedly repeal a number of changes made by the previous Conservative government under Bill C-24 in June 2015. Some of the new legislation’s most significant changes will be in reducing the period of physical residency required to apply for citizenship, allowing students to count time spent studying in Canada toward their residency requirement, and reviewing the Canadian Experience Class program.
This week, Canada unveiled its new EduCanada branding campaign to represent the country’s global education strategy. The brand was first presented at the annual AIEA conference in Montreal, and features a new logo along with the tagline, “A world of possibilities.” The branding will reportedly appear on all printed education materials from the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, as well as all Canadian universities that operate on an international scale. The new brand comes at the same time as Global Affairs Canada has produced a video promoting the country as one of the world’s top study abroad destinations. Increasing the global influence of Canada’s higher education sector was one of the main goals cited in the 2012 Global Affairs of the federal International Education strategy, which sought to double the number of international students in Canada to 450,000 by 2022.
The University of the Fraser Valley has launched what is reportedly India’s first postsecondary Co-Curricular Record program in Chandigarh. This program, previously implemented on the Canadian UFV campus for 9,000 students, offers an authorized record of students’ validated experiences outside the classroom, allowing experiences to be measured against the learning outcomes that the UFV community has outlined as necessary for graduates. “Having our students graduate from UFV with two transcripts, one recognizing their academic achievement and the other recognizing their learning achieved outside of the classroom, will give our graduates an advantage in the employment market and for professional and graduate schools,” said Associate Director, UFV India, Gurneet Singh Anand.
Foreign students could soon be permitted to study at prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, due to a new proposal from the Human Resource Development Ministry that it hopes will attract more international students and raise the country’s standing in global academic league tables.
For the complete article, please visit The PIE News.
The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) has released two new studies examining the international student population in Canada, with a particular focus on Ontario. In the report titled “International Students in Ontario’s Postsecondary Education System, 2000-2012,” researchers from Wilfrid Laurier University found that the average international student in Canada is male and attends college in the GTA. While the total number of international students in the country has grown, the number attending college has risen more quickly. In “The Global Competition for International Students as Future Immigrants,” researchers from York University and the University of Guelph explored ways to improve the experience for international students. They found that many ON universities have programs that target first-year students but lack supports for upper-year students. They also documented a need to “enhance interactions between international and domestic students.”
It is time for everyone to stop asking “when am I going to use this?” when thinking about the things one learns in a postsecondary classroom, writes a Chronicle of Higher Education contributor. She goes on to argue that the biggest problem with this question is that it makes usefulness the measure of all value. To this extent, she adds, “our obsession with utility — and our childish demands for it to reveal itself immediately lest we ‘waste’ a precious second of our time that could be better spent watching Netflix — reveals our ugliest selves.” The majority of the time, students ask this question when material bores them, not when they are genuinely wondering about what skills they may or may not need in the future. The solution, the author concludes, is to learn to be okay with not knowing how the things we learn today might benefit us tomorrow.
[CIEC Academic Member] Fleming College has been approved as a Registered Education Provider (REP) by the world’s largest project management member association, the Project Management Institute (PMI).
The designation ensures that Fleming has met PMI’s rigorous quality criteria for course content, instructor qualification, and instructional design. REPs are organizations that have been approved by PMI to help project managers achieve and maintain the Project Management Professional (PMP) ® , Program Management Professional (PgMP)® and other PMI professional credentials. The college now joins more than 1,500 REPs in more than 80 countries.
“This brings us closer to our goal of having Fleming College’s School of Business become the Project Management hub for Eastern Ontario,” said Raymond Yip Choy, Coordinator of Fleming’s Project Management program.
“We have worked to create strong links with PMI. The program has high student and employer satisfaction rates as well as newly-established community links through the completion of successful applied projects and internships. We look forward to further enhancing the reputation of this program and expanding our opportunities to provide certification in this growing career field.”
In addition to the designation, Fleming hosts the PMI Group Examination three times a year. This provides an opportunity for students and industry members to write the professional certifications at the college.
The Project Management program is a post-graduate certificate program offered at the Sutherland Campus. Through classroom sessions and applied project experience, students learn and practice how to initiate, execute and close projects incorporating scheduling tools, budgeting principles, human resource management, risk management and quality management. Communication and leadership skills are also developed and honed throughout the program. For more information on the program, visit: flemingcollege.ca/programs/project-management.
About Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Institute is the world’s leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession. Founded in 1969, PMI delivers value for more than 2.9 million professionals working in nearly every country in the world through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research. PMI advances careers, improves organizational success and further matures the profession of project management through its globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools academic research, publications, professional development courses, and networking opportunities. As part of the PMI family, Human Systems International (HSI) provides organizational assessment and benchmarking services to leading businesses and government, while ProjectManagement.com and ProjectsAtWork.com create online global communities that deliver more resources, better tools, larger networks and broader perspectives. Visit us at www.PMI.org, www.facebook.com/PMInstitute and on Twitter @PMInstitute.
About Fleming College Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Science, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has 5,900 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and more than 68,000 alumni.
Writing in University Affairs, Concordia University student Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc recounts how his return to Montreal after two semesters abroad was “as much of an experience and adaptation as going abroad.” Reverse culture shock is a common, but unexpected and under-discussed sensation of “re-culturing” one’s self to a place, according to Concordia Psychology Lecturer Dorothea Bye. She believes that exchange students need to “talk to people who have gone through the same things as they did,” and Concordia International is considering offering resources specifically to returning exchange students. Concordia sends between 350 and 400 students on international exchange every year.
A recent poll has revealed the differences between parents and students in their perception of why students attend PSE. Students were significantly more likely than their parents to report that one of their motivations in attending PSE was to satisfy their parents. In terms of career, parents were more likely than students to believe that finding a meaningful and fulfilling job would make their children happy. While attending PSE “to maximize the chances of having a career that [they] will be happy with” was the most influential factor for both groups, parents were significantly more likely to cite this reason than students.
Following on the success of the inaugural Edu-Canada Canadian MBA Showcase Tour in September 2014, the High Commission of Canada in India is pleased to announce the 2015 Edu-Canada Canadian MBA Showcase Tour. Once again co-organized with the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber (ICBC), this second iteration will visit Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Canadian universities offering MBA programs to international students will be highlighting their course offerings, scholarships, student experience, accessibility, affordability, and career paths in an all-Canada context.
With a topic inspired by almost 10 years spent working within the Indian community in Australia and living in India, Nonie Tuxen’s thesis explores the growth of the ‘new’ Indian middle class and their desire for overseas education.
On her choice of topic, she says: “During my undergraduate, I worked part-time in an Indian restaurant and got a first-hand experience of Indian students’ dreams and aspirations to study overseas. Also, my parents had come to India for their honeymoon so I was quite interested about the country. I visited India many times over the years and witnessed the change in the country’s upwardly mobile middle class and their fascination for overseas education.”
Tuxen says that countries should understand the value of studying abroad for international students and allow work rights for at least two to three years. “My research indicates that gaining professional exposure in an international setting is a key factor in determining what and where young Indians choose to study.”
Sheridan College has launched an app designed to offer comprehensive assistance to international students applying to and enrolling in its programs. The initial version of the app—launched in May 2015—provides those who downloaded it with help uploading study permits, airport arrival assistance, a registration checklist, and a space to store emergency contact information. It also offers guidance with day-to-day activities like grocery shopping, banking, telecom troubleshooting, and finding places of worship. The app is available in a variety of languages and has been downloaded over 1,100 times to date.
India’s Telangana state government has approved the first round of scholarships funding 258 low-income students to study abroad at postgraduate level, it has announced.
Earlier this year the Minorities Welfare Department for the southern Indian state announced that it was allocating INR25 crore (US$3.8m) to the new Chief Minister’s Overseas Study Scheme.
It will enable 500 students from low-income families to study abroad each year, with a third of the available places earmarked for women.
In order to apply, students must be no older than 35 and they or their guardians must have a total annual income of no more than Rs. 2 lakhs (US$3,000).
Nearly 750 international university students have come to the Greater Toronto Area to partner with Canadian professors to produce cutting-edge research. The students have come as part of Mitacs’s Globalink program, which pays the participating students a set wage to visit Canada for a 12-week summer research period. Over three years, Canada has provided $20 M to attract these students to Canada. The research being undertaken this year includes the creation of robots that can land on asteroids, new marketing channels directed toward Baby Boomers, and solar-powered charging stations for electric cars. Visiting students have come primarily from India, China, Brazil, France, Mexico, and Australia.
Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Canada has the potential to offer a world-class education at a fraction of the price one might find in the US, UK, or Australia, says US News and World Report. According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), 336,400 international students came to study in Canada in 2014 compared to 184,150 in 2008. US News and World Report adds that students planning to study outside the US should give strong consideration to Canada because of its affordable tuition rates and high-quality universities, quoting one student who celebrated receiving her Canadian education “without having to sell [her] kidneys to pay the tuition.”
Having a large cohort of foreign students does not make a university successfully “international,” says a recent report from the University of Warwick. The report critiques current UK internationalization rankings for placing too much emphasis on the quantity of international students at an institution and not giving enough weight to how effectively universities socially integrate these students with their domestic peers. The study found that general student satisfaction rates for both domestic and international students dropped as the proportion of international students on campuses rose. According to the authors, this effect is likely the result of too much institutional emphasis on the quantitative “structural” aspects of internationalization and not enough emphasis on the “social” aspects.
Canada will have to closely monitor the performance of its shifting policies toward education- and business-based immigration if it wishes to preserve its fundamental diversity, writes Jennifer Nees, a Toronto-based business immigration lawyer. While the Pan Am Games have given Canadians recent cause to celebrate their country’s diversity, Nees adds that “the last seven months have shown a different story in terms of our current immigration policy.” While earlier systems might have offered a clearer path for foreign students to obtain work permits and begin new careers in Canada, Nees adds that “now, however, these students are getting lost in a maze of complex new systems with operating glitches and inconsistent processing.”
More than 50 Niagara College students have sought legal representation after they were denied Canadian work permits, allegedly because they took online courses as part of their program. Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer representing the students, says 30 of his clients have already received rejections on their work permit applications since graduating. While international students have received work permits in the past after completing Niagara’s programs, this year they say they are being refused because Citizenship and Immigration Canada considers online courses to be “distance learning.”
Three University of Windsor researchers, with funding from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), have completed a survey finding that Ontario colleges need to improve their methods for recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented groups. The final report, titled The Recruitment of Underrepresented Groups at Ontario Colleges: A Survey of Current Practices, recommends that colleges address this need by implementing a collaborative provincial model, improving tracking systems, developing universal definitions, and expanding successful programs.
The Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) has released the results of its 2015 Survey of Graduating Students. The survey is based on results from over 18,000 graduates from 36 universities. Overall, the majority of students (59%) said that their experience “met their expectations,” with a further 23% saying it “exceeded their expectations”; just 18% said that their university experience “fell short” of their expectations. Almost nine in ten students were satisfied with their decision to attend university, and 88% of students would recommend their university to others. In terms of life-skills development, universities contributed most to the ability to interact with people from backgrounds different than their own (64%).
A new study by the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration (SVR) maps supports for the study-to-work transition for international students at 238 PSE institutions in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The report indicates that large businesses are actively involved in hiring international students at 40% of Canadian institutions, and that small businesses are better represented among active recruiters on Canadian campuses than in the other countries. However, international students still often encounter a “patchwork” of resources, and more coordination is necessary. The study further recommends more information sharing, the development of shared goals, and greater involvement from municipalities.
One-fifth of Canadian and US colleges and universities never respond to admissions inquiries from students from other countries; moreover, among those that do reply to international students, four-fifths never follow up after first contact. The figures come from a “mystery shopper”-style research project from the British Council that examined how 974 institutions around the world helped international students find the information they need about where to study. Researchers evaluated more than 40 different data points including “findability,” quality of information, and usability. Information regarding program duration, start dates, and accreditation were reportedly the most difficult to find; in addition, one-third of institutional websites examined did not pass the Google Mobile-Friendly test.
According to Janine Knight-Grofe from the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), 56% of international students in Canada said they have no Canadian friends. “We are missing out on one of the strategic advantages of international education, one that we as international educators frequently tout,” Knight-Grofe said at last week’s annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. One-third of international students said they found it difficult to meet Canadian students and half experienced challenges meeting Canadians off campus. The issue is particularly acute for students from the Middle East and North Africa: only 28% of these students had any Canadian friends.
According to a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) report obtained by the Globe and Mail, insufficient resources and lack of coordination have contributed to a 30% increase in processing times for study permits and a doubling of the processing time for temporary resident visas. While the federal government has pledged to double the number of international students by 2022, it has not provided sufficient resources to do so, according to [CIEC Academic Member] Western University President Amit Chakma. Universities Canada President Paul Davidson said, “the question of visa processing times is a critical one in terms of attracting top students. If our competitors are able to turn around visas faster, all the marketing efforts, all the recruitment efforts, all the offers of scholarships fail.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
In an op-ed for the Montreal Gazette, Vanier College professor Mark Cohen argues that Elections Canada should allow students to cast their ballots from campus. He points to an Elections Canada survey in which most students cited “access barriers” as their main reason for not voting, and says that Quebec’s Bill 13—which allows students to vote on-campus for a candidate in their home riding, even if their school is outside of that riding—provides a possible model. Cohen says that a similar move on the federal level would demonstrate to students that they have an important role to play in the electoral system and that their input is valued.
Morneau Shepell, a Canadian provider of employee and family assistance programs, has partnered with international insurance provider Guard.me to create the International Student Support Program (ISSP). Through the program, international students will have 24/7 access to confidential, culturally relevant counselling services to help them cope with feelings of loneliness, stress, and anxiety. The program, available in more than 200 languages, is meant to complement and enhance existing community services and educational resources in order to help prevent and resolve mental health issues. It will be free for students attending institutions that register for the program.
According to a recent KPMG survey of over 300 business students from 27 different countries, students today enter the workforce with an increasingly “global mindset.” 89% of students said that they were prepared to relocate regularly for the right job, and 78% expected to work in 3 to 4 different countries during their careers. Still, concern remains about global instability. 46% of students said that they believe economic instability will make it harder to find a job, and 60% said that they were worried about another financial crisis. “This generation understands that the global economic outlook remains challenging,” said Rachel Campbell, Global Head of People for KPMG, “and is looking globally for the right career opportunities to match their ambition and abilities.”
India has committed close to $2M to fund scholarships for students who want to study science and engineering at UBC. The program was developed with India’s Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and will provide $96,000 each to 20 PhD students from India to cover their living expenses while at UBC. The agreement, reportedly the first of its kind to be signed between SERB and a Canadian university, was conceived of by UBC President Arvind Gupta during a recent trade mission to India. “This scholarship will bring some of India’s bright, young talent to UBC,” said Gupta. “I hope this is the first of many collaborations with the Science and Engineering Research Board to create new opportunities for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and young scholars in both of our countries.” The program will run from 2016–17 to 2020–21.
Georgian College and Centennial College are offering assistance to students affected by the closure of Everest College. Staff in the Office of the Registrar at Georgian are offering learning assessments as well as insight into what courses Everest students would need to take to obtain a certificate or diploma from Georgian. Georgian offers a number of programs that overlap with those provided by Everest, including health, business, and human services. “At Georgian College, we feel for Everest students who suddenly find themselves in such a stressful position… We will do our best to work with each of them to determine if there is a Georgian program that fits their needs, and to let them know exactly where they stand in terms of academic learning that they may transfer to Georgian,’ said Cindy Mutchler, Associate Registrar, Admissions. Centennial has also invited affected students to contact the institution to discuss possible pathways into its own programs.
The Financial Post has crunched the numbers to determine whether students would earn more by paying tuition for 4 years or by investing the same amount of money in a retirement fund. The study assumes that the average cost of a degree is $68,933; assuming a 5% return annually over 45 years, that amount would be worth $619,364 as an investment, and would offer students the chance to put in 4 years more time in the labour force. Based on an average income of $30,817 for a high school graduate, the hypothetical individual could, were they able to bank 100% of their after-tax earnings, make another $800,000 by investing their money at a 5% return, for a total of $1.4 M in 45 years’ time. That’s the same amount that the Council of Ontario Universities suggests a university graduate will make in excess of an individual with a high school diploma. However, this figure does not take into account increases in earnings due to inflation, which could lead to the university graduate earning an excess of closer to $2.1 M; wisely invested, that could make the value of a degree as much as $3.8 M greater than that of a high school diploma. A university graduate, the article says, is “more likely to be more financially independent during their working and retirement years,” and would have more options available to them.
Everest College filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, one day after Ontario shut down its 14 campuses in the province. Provincial Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Reza Moridi said, “since the suspension occurred, the superintendent [of private career colleges] has been working diligently to put training completion plans into place for students. While this is still a challenging situation for students, Everest’s bankruptcy does not change these ongoing efforts.” Moridi also emphasized that the bankruptcy should not affect the province’s ability to administer the Training Completion Assurance Fund set aside for Everest’s former students.
Citing financial concerns, Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities has suspended the operations of Everest College, a private career college with 14 locations in the province. Approximately 2,400 students and 450 staff have been affected by the move. Everest College is owned by the US-based Corinthian Colleges, which has been under investigation by the US government. The province said that it has allocated $3 M for students who wish to apply for refunds; students may also be eligible to transfer their tuition to comparable programs. “Our first concern is for the students and faculty affected by the suspension of all Everest College campus activities,” said Minister Reza Moridi. Corinthian spokesperson Joe Hixson said that Ontario’s action took the company by surprise. “We were informed this morning, just like the students were,” he said. “We’ve been working with the ministry for the past few months to try to find a path forward, so this came, in our mind, out of nowhere.” In a statement, Career Colleges Ontario (CCO) said that “this cessation is an adverse result of the US parent company… terminating its operations in the United States last year… CCO is diligently working alongside the MTCU to transfer existing Everest College students to alternative career colleges, while ensuring that all current students are properly accommodated.”
1) 
I hope this article brings to you the fire required to conduct what I believe is the biggest trip of your life. You will face challenges, culture shocks and misunderstandings, but you need to look beyond that. You will discover a new culture, make life-long friends, learn a new language, you will see landscapes that you can normally only see in movies. The memories and friendships created will remain long after the completion of your studies. By the way, the picture was taken in Munnar, Kerala in December 2015. Yes, life as an international student is pretty boring as you can see 😉 Give it a try, you will be surprised!