ISTANBUL, July 23 - Languages Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Public Schools – International (CAPS-I), brought together fourteen Canadian education institutions and fourteen Iranian agencies to Istanbul, Turkey on the first ever LC mission focused on Iran.
10 LC members and two CAPS-I members participated, representing Canadian universities, colleges, private sector language programs, and public school boards. The full-day event included close to 200 B2B meetings.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, Iran is now 9th largest source country of international students in Canada with 10,885 valid study permits as of July 2019. The number of Iranian students choosing Canada has nearly tripled in the last four years. According to the Languages Canada 2018 Annual Report on Language Education in Canada, over 1200 Iranian students were enrolled in LC member programs in 2018 – with most students bound for post-secondary programs in Canada.
During the mission, presentations were given by Diego Sanchez, LC’s Manager for International Marketing, and representatives from IRCC based in Turkey (where Iranian visa applications are processed.) LC and CAPS-I members were briefed on the Turkish and Iranian markets by local education sector experts Aslihan Ozenc, President of UED – a Turkish agency association, and Prof. Ali Maleki from the Middle East Language Development Institute – a network of English language schools in Iran with 10,000+ students.
Lucy How, Pathway Director at Oxford International said this mission was of fundamental importance to bring awareness to partners of an untapped market. “This is the 2nd Exploratory Mission I have attended with LC. The Istanbul mission brought carefully selected Iranian agents to Turkey. Iranian agents are eager to work with us, but really need help to understand and navigate the Canadian market of ESL and pathway programs.”
First time participant Victoria Steele, Associate Director of International Market Development at Brock University shared her impressions: “I had good meetings and expect to see some results in the coming weeks. Establishing these initials contacts is important, but no partnership can be developed without proper follow up.” She also added: “I can see even more opportunities by working together side by side our partner colleges in Canada. Educating agents and their students about the Canadian educational system is key for a successful integration of international students in our country.”
Chris Busch, Assistant Vice President of Enrolment Management at the University of Windsor reiterated the importance of diversifying their student body and stated that Iran is a market with the capacity to do just that. Since taking over his role as Assistant VP, Chris has attended his second LC mission in less than 6 months. “I know LC’s missions are of high value to us because they are very selective and allow members to meet with pre-screened partners in a small scale and intimate environment.’’
The mission was made possible with the support of the Consulate of Canada in Istanbul; Global Affairs Canada's CanExport - Associations program; IRCC; and our sponsor Guard.me international insurance. Lorie Lee, Guard.me’s Director of International Business Development and an expert in the region, said how happy she was to attend the mission in support of Languages Canada member programs.
Thank you to all participating Languages Canada members and local agencies!
REGISTER NOW for the next Languages Canada Trade Mission, taking place March 2 to 6, 2020 to Thailand and Vietnam, with agencies participating from the two hosting countries plus Nepal, Indonesia and other southeast Asian countries. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet with agents from these key growth markets!
For more information on Languages Canada trade missions, please contact Diego Sanchez at dsanchez@languagescanada.ca
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