Vancouver, BC - The BC Progress Board released a discussion paper today entitled "The Role of International Education: Expanding Student Opportunity and Economic Development in British Columbia". The paper was prepared for the Progress Board by Adrian Kershaw Consulting of Sidney, BC.

The document discusses the importance of international education in expanding student opportunity, while helping the province to address forthcoming skilled worker shortages and funding challenges in some BC education institutions. Another benefit outlined is the positive contribution international education can make to regional (and urban) economic development.

"Expanding the province's focus on international education is a very practical way to build a globally-oriented and literate workforce in BC, while cultivating crucial cross-cultural linkages with key trading jurisdictions for the long term", noted David Black, BC Progress Board Chair and President of Victoria-based Black Press Ltd. "International education can also provide opportunities for public and private education institutions to improve their funding base and to contribute further to economic development especially, though not exclusively, in the province's regions", Black continued.

The report makes seven key policy and program suggestions, augmented by 40 detailed proposals, to expand international education activity in the province. The seven over-arching policy and program suggestions are as follows:

• Incorporate the international education sector into the province's integrated trade development initiatives and ensure that the sector can benefit from the development of the 'BC Brand';



• Consider creating an organization, modeled on Tourism BC, which can deliver effective coordination and support to public and private international education providers;



• Expand study abroad opportunities in order to develop a more globally literate workforce in the province;



• Support the international education sector's role in regional economic development;



• As a matter of high priority, address quality assurance concerns in the ESL training area by re-regulating private sector schools and by establishing minimum teaching qualifications for both public and private sector providers;



• Address existing visa processing challenges with the Federal government and secure a pilot project that will assist BC in meeting the pending shortage of skilled workers; and,



• Minimize policy and procedure impediments to the entrepreneurial activity of both public and private sector international education providers.

"Emerging trade opportunities in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and elsewhere present the province with significant economic development prospects", stated Tim McEwan, Executive Director of the Progress Board. "Making the most of these opportunities will require strategic focus in a number of areas, not least the role international education can play in enhancing students' cross-cultural knowledge and connections for future business relationships", McEwan noted. "Based on the experience of other jurisdictions - most notably Australia - the province can build on past successes in international education to help address looming skilled worker shortages during the next decade", McEwan concluded.

"The Role of International Education: Expanding Student Opportunities and Economic Development in British Columbia" is available on the BC Progress Board's website: www.bcprogressboard.com.

The BC Progress Board is an independent Panel of 18 senior business and academic leaders formed by Premier Gordon Campbell in July 2001 to benchmark BC's economic, innovation, education, environment, health and social performance over time and relative to other jurisdictions. The Board also advises on ways to improve provincial performance.