Source: Times Higher Education via Academica | February 20, 2014
As part of Canada’s new federal campaign to increase the number of international students to 450,000 by 2022, marketing efforts are directly targeting countries such as Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam, promoting the broad recognition of Canada’s PSE credentials, the comparatively safe, welcoming and multicultural society and the possibility of immigration, along with the relative affordability of tuition. A recent piece in Times Higher Education reports that in many countries, “There is no awareness that Canada has world-class educational establishments,” a problem that the marketing campaign hopes to address. Gail Bowkett, Director of Research and International Relations for the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, notes that “it is very much about building awareness and building your brand and making those mobile students aware of the value proposition.” Another facet of the marketing campaign is to portray Canada’s cold weather as a positive to students from warmer countries that may be turned off by the thought of the snow and ice. “It’s about a whole new experience and opening up new experiences – in a whole new climate.”
TCS Insights: The improved Canadian strategy to increase the size of their international student body has begun to garner attention around the world. By making more people aware of the quality of Canadian educational facilities, the country should be able to establish its reputation in new markets while bringing in young minds from abroad.