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More Chinese students will attend Sault College

College launches projects with two Chinese schools
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Continuing its quest to recruit more international students, who pay higher tuition fees than domestic students, and forge closer ties with postsecondary institutions abroad, Sault College is launching two new projects with Chinese schools.

Colin Kirkwood, Sault College vice president, academic and research, told the college’s board of governors at their regular monthly meeting Thursday the postsecondary institution has launched educational initiatives at Beijing Information Technology College (BITC) and Jiujiang Vocational and Technical College (JVTC).

Numbers presented at Thursday’s board meeting showed 15 of the 38 Beijing students have applied for Sault College electrical programs.

Photographs presented at the meeting showed state-of-the art labs at Beijing, with several Chinese students interested in electrical programs, dressed in military uniforms.

“Both programs are similar to Sault College in the types of programs that we have,” Kirkwood told the board.

“What we’d like to do is add more schools to the list of partners we have, have more partnerships where the students are studying English, then coming to Sault College as international students,” Kirkwood said.

The Chinese students at Beijing, Kirkwood told the board, have applied to be international students with the understanding they will attend Sault College exclusively upon arrival in Canada, and not hop to another college.

“It’s a secure investment,” Kirkwood said, stating Sault College gets a per student fee, and in the case of JiuJiang Vocational and Technical College, an upfront fee for setting up the Motive Power program at that school.

In the BITC venture, 38 students are currently learning English as a second language.

“Our intention is that they will come to Sault College for classes in the fall of 2018…they’ve already applied to Sault College and the intent is they will come here as international students,” Kirkwood said, noting not all 38 students might be able to come if there are issues with their English language proficiency, ability to pay international student fees (much higher than domestic student fees) or student visas.

Students are also studying English in their first year of college at JiuJiang, then will study Sault College’s Motive Power curriculum for their second and third academic years.

“It’s the Sault College Motive Power program delivered in the Chinese institution by Chinese professors, under the direction of Sault College,” Kirkwood said, adding Sault College instructors will travel to JiuJiang twice a year for “quality assurance visits.”

Sault College Motive Power faculty will travel to China in May to set up the program in time for September.

Along with the students who will come to Sault College from Beijing Information Technology College in 2018, Kirkwood said there will be a China-sponsored visiting scholar who will assist Chinese students with their transition to life in North America, while undertaking scholarly research of his/her own.

College governors praised the concept of a visiting scholar.

“It’s an excellent idea,” governor James Caicco remarked.

“We’re trying to put as many supports in place as possible for the students when they get here because there are challenges for international students,” Kirkwood said.


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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