Durham Lords go global! Durham College and UOIT do a lot to recruit students from around the world, but what do they do specifically. How did 565 intelligent individuals from around the world decide to call Oshawa, Ontario home.
Durham College has a vast student body. This student body is made up of many different races, cultures, sexes, religions and other various differentiating factors.
This is one of many reasons why Durham College is welcoming to students from anywhere around the world. Durham College offers over 140 programs in nine different schools of learning for over 11,000 students.
Durham College’s 565 international students attending school in Canada, make up about five per cent of the student population. The main countries that international students are from are, China and India.
This is because these countries have a very high population and Durham College has employed recruitment agents in key academic areas around these countries.
Aldo Mendizabal is the manager of International Student Recruitment. He is currently on a recruitment mission in China promoting the college. Larissa Strong, manager of International Student Support talked about who’s responsible for the recruitment, she said, “Well, we all do. We all have a role in promoting the college when it [comes] to international students.”
The college uses a system of agents who as representatives for the college. These positions range from country representatives, student support officers, and admissions officers. Durham College offers programs outside of Canada as well.
The college runs two education for Employment programs, one in Automotive Electronics in Guyana. The other, Gastronomy and Culinary in Peru.
Some other recruitment methods stem from the fact that Durham College is an SPP college. This means we offer the Student Partners Program which is a joint pilot project between Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s visa offices in India and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.
This is also done with other countries than India, this is also done in China and recently it started in Vietnam. This programs offers International students a streamlined visa program, less documentation, and faster processing. This also gives these students money to live on while they’re living in Canada.
Durham College promotes its quality the more than any other variable. While other schools like Seneca College and George Brown College promote things like cheaper tuition fees and faster visa processing. Durham College focuses on the quality of life for the student being recruited.
Durham College promotes the quality of its staff, the professors, support staff and others. Durham College also promotes it’s facilities, Health and Wellness Center, the modernized feel of the campus and overall campus life. Not only campus life, but also life being in the Durham Region.
The college accepts applications all year round. The supplications are processed until the programs are full or the deadlines to apply for a study permit have expired. The application is completed on the Durham College’s International Students landing page on their from website.
Naf Qahtani takes electrical engineering at UOIT. He got his acceptance through an office in Toronto which recommended he go to UOIT. The way he got his acceptance was that he got an academic scholarship from his country and he choose Canada. He was attracted by the professors in his program and the testimonies second year students gave him during a visit to the college before he enrolled.
He is originally from Saudi Arabia and he said, “The big difference is the weather. Here it is very cold, so that’s the big difference between here and Saudi Arabia.” He said this jokingly, hinting at the fact that his life here is not much different than his life at home.
Durham College offers international student brochures online on their website in English, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Spanish. As well as a college view book in English and Chinese.
Durham College also hosts services that help find employment for international students on and off campus.
