A signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the BC Council for International Education (BCCIE) and the Jalisco Higher Education Consortium took place October 9 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The MOU was signed by Mr. Leonel Roldan-Flores, Director, Operations and Communications at BCCIE and senior representatives from the Consortium, which is comprised of the Jalisco State Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and six top-notch universities and colleges in the region, including: 

• Universidad de Guadalajara (UdeG)
• Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA) 
• Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO)
• Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG) 
• Tec de Monterrey – Guadalajara Campus
• Universidad Panamericana – Guadalajara Campus

The signing took place on the periphery of BCCIE’s coordinated Team BC Fall Mission to Mexico, which follows a successful feasibility mission undertaken earlier this year, during which relationships were established and strategic linkages pursued with education agents and networks, schools, universities, institutions, and with both state and federal agencies. 

The purpose of the MOU is to promote cooperation between BCCIE and the Jalisco Consortium in the area of international education, including joint research, teacher training, and faculty and student mobility. 

Roldan-Flores of BCCIE said “We are delighted to sign this memorandum, which will strengthen BC’s relationships with Jalisco and deepen cooperation on a number of education objectives.”

Background information

Mexico is the 8th largest source market for international students to BC and is a priority emerging market. There were 3,340 Mexican nationals studying in BC as of 2015, up 32% since 2010. In December 2016, the Government of Canada relaxed visa requirements for Mexican nationals to Canada, facilitating access to short-term study opportunities.

The Government of Mexico has also created initiatives to attract more Mexican students to Canada such as Proyecta 10,000, which intends to support 10,000 Mexican students, teachers and researchers to study in Canada by 2018. To date, over 2,000 students have arrived for short-term English language training in Canada under this program.

Media contact
Leonel Roldan-Flores
Director, Operations and Communications, BCCIE
Phone: 604-637-6753
Email: lroldanflores@bccie.bc.ca