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Community colleges are often overlooked by international students wanting to study in Canada, and, according to education consultants, one of the reasons for this is ignorance as to what they can offer. 'Many [of my clients] are not familiar with the concept of community colleges,' says Mary McKay Vilén, from Canada Live in Switzerland. 'More input is required from the agent to present colleges and to explain the system.'
Samuel Lam, at HKIEC in Hong Kong, agrees. 'I believe parents and students here are still quite uninformed of the idea of a community college: the subjects offered; the facilities and services [available]; the transferability to a four-year university; the accreditation, etc,' he asserts.
Community colleges in Canada - which include institutes of technology and university colleges - differ from universities in that, historically, they only offered students diploma and certificate courses and not full degree programmes. However, many now offer full degree programmes and also university transfer programmes, as well as a wide range of vocational, English as a second language (ESL) and industry-based courses.
For many colleges, ESL and academic preparation students are the main target of their international marketing efforts. Ian McNeil, at Langara College in Vancouver, BC, says they target international students both in their home countries and whilst already studying in Vancouver. 'Many students come to Vancouver for short-term ESL programmes and then discover what the public sector has to offer on a more long-term basis, both for ESL, university transfer and career programmes,' he says. The college has also just started to offer short-term ESL courses on a year-round basis, in an attempt to attract more international students.
One of the main attractions for international students is the wide range of university transfer and academic preparation programmes, which can help students progress to higher education courses, even if their English is not initially up to the required level. At Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, AB, international students can take a University Studies International programme which combines language tuition with academic work that counts towards their final academic qualification. 'We have the highest university transfer rate in Alberta,' notes William Mucklow at the college.
Other popular courses include information technology, and computing and business studies programmes, which reflect the interests of the principal student markets for these colleges. 'China and India are our main markets,' says Ibrahim Alladin at Cambrian College in Sudbury, ON, which has a campus in Mumbai, India. Mary Ann Tierney, from the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, BC, adds that they will be targeting Japan, Korea, India and Europe in the future, due to the college's 'excellent university transfer programme and many IT programmes that are in demand in [these] countries'.
Another big draw for international students is the colleges' 'relative affordability with regard to tuition costs', according to Lam. Tuition fees vary widely from province to province but community colleges can be substantially cheaper than universities, which, when combined with the smaller class sizes at community colleges, can make a big difference in terms of value for money.
Lam also points out that a smaller campus can significantly 'help reduce the feeling of alienation or loss of orientation usually [experienced] in the first few months of adaptation to college life'.
Consultant partners
While still not very well known in some student markets, many community colleges in Canada work hard at marketing their courses overseas and in many cases are keen to work with consultants. 'Overseas agents are an extremely important part of our overseas promotion,' says Gordon McNeil, from Langara College in Vancouver, BC.
Samuel Lam, from HKIEC in Hong Kong, also points out some of the advantages for consultants of working with community colleges. '[They] are more efficient in their admissions procedures,' he says. 'Some colleges start in late September and very late application is allowed. The processing time is also efficient and in some cases the result can be confirmed within one or two weeks of application.'
Mary McKay Vilén, from Canada Live in Switzerland, is enthusiastic about her business dealings with community colleges, although she does point out that the commission offered is low. 'We have an excellent relationship with a couple of community colleges that have been flexible, easy to work with and have taken good care of our clients.'
However, Lam adds that more could be done to promote community colleges efficiently overseas. 'The colleges could come together to work with local agents so that resources can be economised and fully utilised,' he says.
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