Yes, We Need International Students, But We Have to Find Ways to Keep Them Here
Liberally applying Bryan Adams’ lyrics inappropriately, I have been writing about the importance of international students ’til my fingers bled. I was glad to hear the feds are now taking this seriously in Atlantic Canada.
There is so much to like about this as a population growth tool: 1) they get Canadian education (overcoming a barrier); 2) they learn better English and/or French (overcoming a barrier); 3) they ‘test drive’ the community (overcoming a barrier); and 4) they get a look at our lovely winters (overcoming a barrier).
RELATED: Atlantic Provinces Roll Out International Student Retention Program
But it is important to remember that most new jobs still do not require a university degree – upwards of 70 per cent depending on the timeframe and source. Take a look at the following table for Moncton. Other than the professional and management positions the other occupational groups do not require university (for the most part).
I love bringing kids here to study university but I really love bringing kids here to study at college for a year or two with a direct path into the industries that need workers.
For the international students studying at university we need to think about more creative ways to tie them into the labour market – self-employment support, experiential learning, remote work (I know several international students that graduated and are now working from home for national firms).
David Campbell writes a blog about economic development in Atlantic Canada called It’s The Economy, Stupid. This post was republished with permission. Campbell also operates Jupia Consultants, a consulting company that conducts demographic and economic analysis.
Huddle publishes commentaries from groups and individuals on important business issues facing the Maritimes. These commentaries do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Huddle.