By Joanne Foxton, International Co-op Consultant

It’s no news to anyone – Georgian College is growing and expanding in every way shape and form.  But who are the students who are becoming the face of Georgian College?

The “typical” student is no longer the 18-year-old student who just graduated high school around the corner in Barrie’s north end.

Georgian College’s student population is constantly changing; not only are there more and more mature students and students with disabilities, Georgian is also becoming the multicultural centre of Simcoe County.

Georgian College is home to 473 international students in post-secondary programs.

That’s in addition to the international students already studying in our ESL (English as a Second Language) programs. An international student is someone who chooses to attend Georgian College in Canada from across the globe.  International students attend Georgian on a study permit.

Georgian College recruits students from all over the world.

Currently there are  297 students from India, 70 from China, 26 from Korea, 10 from Japan, nine from Nigeria, four from Pakistan, four from Jamaica, three from Trinidad and Tobago, two from Russia, two from Macau, two from the Philippines, two from the Ukraine, two  from Vietnam and even students from the USA, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Australia and Congo.

Why do they come that far to study at Georgian?  For many of them, the answer is co-op!

Georgian is the top co-op college in Canada, with the largest amount of co-operative education and internship programs.

This means that students enrolled in co-op and internship programs have the opportunity to work in Canada (or abroad) and earn real wages in their field of study.  This isn’t just an opportunity for international students – this is something our domestic students have been taking advantage of for over 25 years at Georgian!

What do they offer?

International students have a wealth of skills to offer our employers, especially in this increasingly growing global economy.  Reasons for hiring international students include:

• Adding diversity to the workplace
• Bringing someone on board with language skills and increase the level of customer service
• Many have work experience back home in the same industry – learn new ways of doing business
• Global networking
• Students can be eligible not only to work in a co-op/internship position, but also part-time during study semesters and can also apply for a graduate work permit (many students may opt to apply for permanent resident status too)
• Georgian College’s International Centre supports students on all their immigration documents, so employers never need to sponsor a student or apply to HRSDC to justify to hire one
• Georgian College is the only college or university in Canada with an International Co-op Consultant who provides employment supports to students and employers.

One example of an international student’s success is the experience of Satoru Otai, Business Management Co-op graduate.

Otai began working at Magna International as a co-op student, and following graduation in 2008, he continued working in various Magna plants and divisions throughout Ontario and the United States.  In September 2009, Satoru secured a position at Magna International Japan as a sales co-ordinator.

“Every day at work I feel the dynamism of global business and its challenges, but I consider this my personal growth opportunity. Exposure to the Canadian and international culture throughout my academic years at Georgian College greatly helped me prepare for my career in the global field,” Otai said. “Georgian is a leading co-op college in Canada and they proved it by helping me get to where I am now.”

Georgian College will be offering free workshops to employers in partnership with Colleges Ontario, to help employers increase their awareness of hiring international trained individuals.  These workshops will be held at the Barrie Campus this June.

For more information, contact Joanne Foxton, International Co-op Consultant at jfoxton@georgiancollege.ca or (705) 728-1968, ext. 1042