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Canada in a spin
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The Canadian language teaching market is still reeling from the effects of swine flu and the global recession although the high school sector has emerged largely unscathed. Meanwhile, providers are looking to market a diverse product range that includes work experience. Nicola Hancox reports.
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According to Kim Hoffart, Director of International Student Programmes at Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools in Saskatoon, SK (and previous LTM Star High School award winner), the school experienced record enrolments over the last 12 months and he attributes this good fortune to the schools’ reputation, location and competitive cost of tuition.
It seems that the high school sector has weathered the storm in terms of international numbers. Blair McDonald from Braemar College, a private secondary school in Toronto, observes that their main programmes (high school and summer camp) have both performed well. “Our enrolment for summer camp 2009 is up 20 per cent despite the financial meltdown,” he says. Growing agent relationships and a well-marketed ad campaign were behind the increase, he suggests. “Most agents have no idea of Toronto’s geography so spelling it out and trumpeting it in our PowerPoint presentations, etc was definitely a deft marketing move.”
However, many language schools fared a little less favourably over the last year. “Numbers were slightly down overall,” says Linda Chung from International Language Schools of Canada (ILSC) in Vancouver, BC. But she notes that diverse programming is helping to turn heads. “We are strong with our internship offerings along with our other diverse courses such as our Teaching Young Learners programme, language production focused certificate programmes and our College/University Preparation (CUP) course,” she adds.
Meanwhile, Mike Henniger from King George International College said student numbers hit the buffers at the start of the year. “Student numbers were showing an increase over the previous year until the month of January, since when there has been a steady decline,” he says, citing the recession as the main culprit. However, he foresees a strong recovery in 2010. “The signs are already there with increased registrations over the last month from all countries. Increased interest in study and work programmes will help counterbalance the effect of the recession,” he observes.
It’s not all downward trends, however, and some of the providers canvassed for this article show evidence of bucking the trend – albeit moderately. Both Language Studies International (LSI) in Toronto, ON, and the Canadian as a Second Language Institute (CSLI) in Vancouver, BC, reported a small increase in student enrolments. “France, Brazil, and the Middle East each increased from previous years but Mexico and Germany dipped slightly,” says Jeff Nordin at CSLI.
Elsewhere, Global Village – which has four campuses in Canada – and East Coast School of Languages (ECSL) in Halifax, NS, both noted that business had remained on a par with last year. Sheila Nunn, Director of Marketing and Business Development at ECSL, comments, “We have developed more targeted marketing that has focused on maintaining our student levels, rather than mass marketing to new students.” She adds, “We have met and recruited some great agents in Brazil and have started to attract students from there.”
Meanwhile, the Canadian ELT industry is calling for greater clarification where visa issuance is concerned. “There are some visa offices in crucial markets that make it very difficult for legitimate students to obtain a visa,” states Robin Adams from Global Village. “This undermines agents’ confidence in the Canadian market and poses a massive threat to this destination. We can only hope that greater transparency will be adopted by these offices so that agents receive clear guidelines for how best to submit documentation required for obtaining visas to Canada.”
Regina Popmarkova, Marketing Manager from Archer Education in Toronto, ON, agrees. “[A] negative development for the industry in Canada is the lack of action on our government’s part to improve and streamline the visa approval process for students wanting to come to Canada,” she warns.
A lack of cohesive support
Many private providers still feel somewhat unsupported by the Canadian government. The launch of the “Imagine” marketing campaign late last year – an education brand designed to promote Canada as a competitive study destination – did little to appease the situation, particularly as private providers are unable to individually access this brand (see LTM, April 2009, page 6).
“The jury is still out regarding what effect – if any – it may have,” muses Blair McDonald from Braemar College in Toronto, ON. “If history is a guide, it will be unfunded the moment it betrays a spark of promise.”
Meanwhile, privately-funded national organisation the CEC Network also folded earlier this year (see page 6). Languages Canada is now the only national voice for the sector and continues to advocate for all.
However, regional governments appear to be providing support. Kim Hoffart at Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools in Saskatoon, SK, observes that the provincial government is putting its weight behind international education. In October the ministry announced changes to the student category of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Programme. Graduates of Canadian post-secondary schools can now apply for Permanent Resident status after six months of local work experience.
Meanwhile, Sheila Nunn at East Coast School of Languages in Halifax, NS, notes that EduNova is revving up. “The [decision] of all EduNova members to travel as a group on recruiting missions has had a huge effect on the language travel market [here],” she says.
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Contact any advertiser in the this issue now
The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
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