Conestoga College sees increase of international students

Conestoga College saw a record number 2,300 international students enrol in January.

Many, including students from India are making plans to work and stay in Waterloo region permanently.

"Ontario is one of the top provinces where the students are going and Conestoga has seen great increase because we're a polytechnic with a number of programs and great graduate employment rates," Christine Wach, director of international recruitment at the college told CBC's The Morning Edition Monday.

"The whole region has seen growth in general and the college sector."

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Support for students

Conestoga College has seen a significant growth of international students within the past two years.

Barbara Fennessy, vice-president of applied research and international education, also told CBC's The Morning Edition,it's important that there is an "internationalization of the campus" to help international students feel comfortable in their new home.

English as a second language is not the only support that the college offers. Integrating into Canadian culture is another important support system they push for.

"When the students come here, for example, they may have never experienced a winter," Fennessy said.

"Maybe as simple as offering workshops on how to survive a Canadian winter or how to make a snowman and [have] some fun activities."

Benefits to the community

On a campus level, Fennessy said domestic students have an opportunity to interact and work with many other students from around the world.

"They learn from each other, experience different cultures and that's a really an enriched environment for students," she said.

Asfor the community, many students have their eyes set on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs the college offers. An "important way to bring international talent into the country to contribute to the labor market".

However, Fennessy said that it's important to manage growthin order to avoid becoming dependent on the international market.

"One of the things you need to consider when you are looking at international students is that different countries and political environments can change at any time," she said.

"If you are dependent on many students from any one country and a political situation occurs there, that can really impact your ability to bring students in or the ability of those students in the country to get Visas."