Canada, Nigeria can develop technical exchange – Envoy

Since the introduction of Canadian education fair 11 years ago, how will you appraise the journey so far?Currently, there are roughly about 5,000 Nigerian students in Canada. We have actually increased the figure in the last ten years. In 2013, we are just over 800 and now we have about 5000. We can only hope […]

Since the introduction of Canadian education fair 11 years ago, how will you appraise the journey so far?
Currently, there are roughly about 5,000 Nigerian students in Canada. We have actually increased the figure in the last ten years. In 2013, we are just over 800 and now we have about 5000. We can only hope that the figure keeps increasing because this education fair is an annual event. We hope to do it next year and many other years to come.
About two years ago, a Canadian who attended the ninth edition of the Education Fair said there was an on-going collaboration between Canadian colleges and Nigerian schools especially in the area of technical education. How far has this gone since then?
We work hand-in-hand with our Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). That is probably those you are referring to. They were here last year and a year before. They have been working together with Nigerian Employee Consultative Association (NECA) as well as the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). In the last summer, there was a visit to Canada organized by ACCC with senior people from both NECA and ITF. They were in Canada to see how both Nigeria and Canada can work together especially in the area of technical education and know-how because that appears to be an area where there are lots of opportunities and it is our area of collaboration.
One of the main issue here in Nigeria is that there are many graduates who do not have the right technical knowledge that the employers are looking for. Our model in Canada is that ACCC works hand-in-hand with the employers’ association to demand what is for that specific sector. For instance they can choose to work with the electricians, plumbers and all of that and find out what their demand is for the next five to ten years. The employers will communicate with the Colleges Association, while the association communicates with the Colleges. The Colleges then initiate programmes in Canada so that they match the needs of the employers. That is why 90 percent of our graduates get employed within six months after school. It is a demand-driven concept. Our Community Colleges don’t set up a programme if there is no demand for them because if they do, they may have graduates who won’t be employable. Ours is a market-driven concept.
You did mentioned that Canada aims to have in 450, 000 international students in 2022. What are the strategies being put in place to achieve this and what is the objective?
We are just putting in place, the strategies. The objective has been developed and it was released recently by Canadian minister of international trade in Canada. The objective is to have 450, 000 international students in Canada by 2022. We have identified the top and second-tier markets where we are targeting students from. We have been working on marketing and branding initiative that will further promote Canada alongside Innovation for Emerging Canada campaign.
Why is Canada so much interested in getting such a huge number of international students?
From a cultural standpoint, when students come to Canada, they do learn a lot from our culture. When graduate and return to their countries, they become sorts of ambassadors for us. They spread the good works being done by Canada and tend to inform their people that Canada is a good place to live in. it also economical too. By having more students, we create more employments too. You have to employ more teachers and develop more programmes too. Besides, when students study in Canada, more of their relatives will like to come to Canada and visit them. So, the main objective from economic standpoint is to generate more employments and create wealth.  
 Is there any employment programme to accommodate these 450,000 students when they graduate?
Well, the main objective is for them to study. They can come in to earn their degrees, diplomas and even kindergarten to class 12. And once they graduate, it is then their decision to either return to their countries to make positive impacts or decide to stay in Canada. But I will still go back to the relationship that exist between the institutions and our association of colleges, ensuring that whatever programme being run in the school is actually what is demanded and needed in the market.
What are the plans Canada has for integration of students back to their respective countries?
Well, like I said earlier on, Canada has lots of interest in education. But the programme of being re-integrated back to their respective countries is basically up to the respective schools wherein the students study.
What are the unique benefits a prospective student stands to gain in Canada?
First and foremost, I think our cultural values. Canada is a multi-cultural country. It is one of the multi-cultural countries in the world. Many Canadians today have their parents and grandparents as immigrants to Canada and that is why when you come to Canada today, you find people of different cultures there.  This we consider as easy transition because there is no country in the world that do not have their people in Canada. And it is one of the greatest places to live in the world. That is one factor. Another factor is the great quality of education Canada has to offer. Some of our colleges and universities offer good quality education and it is not surprising that some of them are ranked among best 100 universities in the world. Related to that is the fact that the cost of studying in Canada when compare relatively with other western nations is cheaper.
So far, how will you describe the performance of Nigerian students in Canadian colleges?
If you interview representatives of some of the Canadian institutions at the fair, they will confirm to you that Nigerian students are always performing high in Canada. Nigerian students are known to be very brilliant and their conduct while studying in Canada has been quite outstanding.  Nigerians students are known to go to classes, they participate in extra-curricular activities within the school and even participate in community work.
How are you resolving the issues relating to delay in Visa processing?
I won’t want to believe there is any major problem in the application for visa because first and foremost, applicants need to apply directly to the institutions and after being offered admission; they can approach the embassy for visa. Obviously there are some months when the requests for visa services are often higher and there are other months when there are lower demands. On our part, where are doing everything possible to assist students in processing the visas as fast as possible.