A group of delegates from institutions and school districts across British Columbia travelled to Southeast Asia this fall for a coordinated BCCIE and Team BC mission. The mission took place over a three-week period and started in the Philippines with stops in Manila and Cebu, then to Vietnam with visits in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and ended in Indonesia in the cities of Surabaya and Jakarta.

Of primary interest to the BC education sector are the growing economies and the large and youthful markets of the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Each in its own way presents opportunities for increased and varied engagement with the BC education sector and for the measured and diverse growth of international student numbers to BC.

With 350 international students in K-12 schools in Sooke, BC, Nancy Blundell, Program Manager for International Student Programs in the Sooke School District, took part in the Indonesia leg of the mission. “Indonesia is a growing market for school districts in BC,” says Nancy. “Taking part in this mission allowed me to connect with agents directly and BCCIE was key in facilitating those conversations.”

Chelsey Acierno, Senior Recruitment Officer at Columbia College, echoes this sentiment. “The best part of doing events with BCCIE and taking part in a mission like this is the collaboration between BC institutions. It’s fantastic to travel as a group to represent BC and endorse programs together. It’s more about collaboration than competition.”

The mission focused on building upon the relationships and strategic linkages that were established with education agents and networks, schools, universities, institutions, and with provincial and national organizations. The schedule included participation at EduCanada fairs, agent training, partnership development visits, and other value-added activities.

Quick facts:

• Education missions are an important part of BCCIE’s work to diversify British Columbia’s international student populations and attract new students into the province.
• The recent Canada-ASEAN Scholarships for Educational Exchanges and Development (SEED) program and Canada’s membership in the University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific consortium provide opportunities for the development of reciprocal institutional collaborations between BC and ASEAN post-secondary institutions. 

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• For more information on our upcoming missions or other International Education events, please visit the BCCIE events page.