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Navigating Canada's International Education Strategy: Policy Perspectives

Explore the evolution of Canada's first international education strategy in 2012 and its impact on global talent acquisition. Discover the contextual factors, drivers, and challenges behind the government's decision-making process.

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Navigating Canada's International Education Strategy: Policy Perspectives

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  1. I guess we need a plan!The Contextual Factors Leading to the Government of Canada’s Decision to Create its first International Education Strategy … in 2012 Oh Canada! Roopa Desai Trilokekar, York University & Glen Jones, University of Toronto, Canada Monday, April 23 Panel: Policy and Politics in North American Education CIES , Puerto Rico 2012

  2. “We still may not have a strategy!” Policy is about politics Outline of Presentation • Our interest in the topic • Internationalization and Canadian higher education policy in Canada • Drivers for an international strategy • The Advisory panel & consultation Process • Issues and concerns • Where to from here?

  3. Our interest in the topic • Roopa is a Professor, Faculty of Education, York University specializing in internationalization and higher education. • Glen is the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement with interests in higher education policy. • Co-edited Canada’s Universities Go Global (with Adrian Shubert)in 2009.

  4. Higher Education in Canada • Education is a provincial responsibility. • Government of Canada has no direct role in HE policy, but very important in research policy, student financial assistance, culture, immigration, foreign relations. • Canada is the only OECD country NOT to have a Ministry of Education. • International Education as a policy area is contentious as it is neither completely under the federal (international) jurisdiction nor provincial (education) .

  5. Higher Education in Canada 10 provinces & 3 territories. Provinces have quite different policies, HE structures. Some consultation through the Council of Ministers of Education Canada. Provinces are extremely protective of their jurisdictional authority over education and there is a long history of resistance to any Federal attempts to ‘nationalize’ or centralize Higher education policy.

  6. Key points Federal role: • Decentralized and uncoordinated • Ambiguous-although a growing interest in foreign student recruitment & marketing of education (from aid to trade). A new marketing unit within DFAIT • Very limited financial commitment • Attempts but challenges with coordination and communication – tug of war between feds and provinces • No ‘flagship’ programs • No investment in programs or offices such as the British, US, Australia, France models • Repeated pleas from educational community for a national coordinated strategy and nationally funded flagship program

  7. Drivers for an international strategy Two key DFAIT reports; • Economic Impact of International Education in Canada (2009) & • Best Practices on Managing the Delivery of Canadian Education Marketing. • International students bring in $6.5 million to the Canadian economy, greater than the value of the export of coal and coniferous lumber, the no. 1 export to China and second largest to S. Korea. The presence of international students provides employment for 83,000 Canadians and more than $291 million in government revenue. Conclusion: This is ‘big’ business/trade. • Canada’s need to claim its “right full” share of the international student mobility market. Canada’s share is only 4% While Australia’s is 7% and over time we have been losing out on this “market”; other countries “have their act together”; international students make decisions based on country of choice. Conclusion: We need a national brand.

  8. Drivers for an international strategy Domestic labor market & an urgent need for immigrants • Canada population growth is negative, even with current immigration levels • There are labor shortages in specific regions/professions • Canada needs immigrants and its policy is to attract (highly) qualified immigrants • Immigrants find it difficult to get foreign credentials recognized in Canada and as a result there is a tremendous loss of human capital Conclusion: International students make “ideal” future immigrants!

  9. Drivers for an international strategy The ‘race’ in the global knowledge economy • The world is our stage – we need to compete with the best. Importance of global strategic positioning. • Competition for Global Talent- need to attract best international researchers and provide best research facilities • Innovation Agenda- funding for research and innovation, focus on knowledge mobilization. • Preparing Canadians /graduates for a global world, a global knowledge economy. Conclusion: We need a competitive strategy; funding & programs to attract and keep talent in Canada and develop international/global competencies in Canadians .

  10. Higher Education in CanadaAre the stars finally in alignment? 2004/5 Edu-Canada Initiative • Government launched the Off-campus work program 2007 Global Commerce Strategy allocated annual C $1 million to EduCanada • Government introduced Canadian Experience Class • IMAGINE: Education in/au Canada was launched as the official Canadian brand Government launches post graduate work experience program • Budget 2011: $10M announced over 2 years for development & launch of an international education strategy

  11. Expert International Advisory Panel • The mandate of the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy is to make recommendations on a strategy that will maximise economic opportunities for Canada in the field of international education, including strengthening our engagement with emerging key markets, focusing on attracting the best/brightest international students, encouraging Canadians to study abroad, expanding the delivery of Canadian education services abroad, and building, expanding and ensuring greater partnerships between Canadian and foreign institutions.

  12. Panel Members: • Advisory Panel was named on October 13, 2011 • Regional , institutional & sectoral representation • Composition: • AmitChakma (Chair) President, Western U. • Andre Bisson, Corporate Director • Jacynthe Cote, President of Rio Tinto Alcan • Collin Dodds, President, Saint Mary’s U. • Lorna Smith, Director, International, Mount Royal U. • Don Wright, President, BCIT

  13. Consultation Process Three pronged approach: • On-line Consultation with broader community • Engagement through roundtables through invitation only • Co-laboratory workshop with select invited individuals

  14. Feedback on the process: • Simple things turn out to be VERY complex within our Canadian context • The file is a difficult one. There are multi stakeholders, each with different motivations and interests. The K-12 sector is equally crucial. • But there is a lot of goodwill and most recognize the benefit of working together • Gaps in information and knowledge across key actors • One message that is loud and clear: internationalization is NOT a one way street

  15. Issues and concerns • Canada’s federal structure: Provinces: jurisdictional authority, established international educational strategies, resistance to coordinated approaches, competition • No Federal Ministry of Education: Coordination–(piecemeal) even within the federal government • A Common quality framework: Maintaining standards across the board, supporting CIC with processing and monitoring • Maximizing resources: Across governments, provinces, universities and other organizations and institutions • Internationalization Why ? What is our destination? It is about a BROAD approach; we need to ALSO send Canadian students abroad.

  16. Where to from here? • The final report is in progress. It will be submitted in June 2012. • Advice at the highest levels- provide a vision • KEY: Engagement & Coordination; Focus; Setting direction • The mandate for the panel is upto 2013 so the government can have them pursue specific aspects of the report further • Will the government accept the recommendations? Will it implement any of the recommendations?

  17. Canada’s strategy- What will it look like? What will it achieve? Only time will tell!? • What is Canada’s positioning in a global context and how will it engage in its position taking strategy/ies? • Will it recognize the multiplicity of possible strategies and capitalize on its economic, political, and cultural capital? • In what way will it differentiate itself from all the other competitor countries?

  18. Will it position itself on academic rationales, content, and approaches? • Will the strategy offer Canadian universities opportunities to strengthen their global positioning in qualitative terms? Ultimately it is the interplay between position and positioning and in the interface between the provincial, national and global that will seal the fate of Canada’s politics and policy in (international) education • Marginson, Simon . (2007, Spring). Global Position and Position Taking: The Case of Australia. Journal of Studies in International Education, vol. 11 (1), 5-32.

  19. Thank You! • Roopa Desai Trilokekar • roopat@edu.yorku.ca • http://edu.yorku.ca/faculty/ • Glen A. Jones: • gjones@oise.utoronto.ca • www.glenjones.ca

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