Education
Industry Snapshot | Competitive Advantages | Incentives | Resource Organizations
Industry Snapshot
Vancouver and British Columbia are recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in education, attracting about 150,000 international students annually, the majority of them studying in the Vancouver region.
- Canada ranks first in G7 countries in high school science scores, and second in educational attainment and expenditures.
- The University of British Columbia (UBC) is regularly ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide in various international publications – in 2007 UBC placed 33rd in the Times Higher Education rankings and 36th in rankings by Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University.
- Maclean’s magazine’s latest ranking of Canadian universities rated Simon Fraser University (SFU) top among mid-sized institutions for medical and science grants, faculty awards, and social science and humanities grants. The university placed second for overall academic excellence.
- British Columbia was the first province in Canada to accept international students in the public K-12 system (10,000 K-12 international students in 2006-2007).
In addition to two major research universities, Greater Vancouver has an array of outstanding educational institutions, including the second-largest K-12 school system in B.C., the province’s only polytechnic institute, about 20 public and private colleges and institutes offering post-secondary qualifications, and a cohort of private language and career training schools catering to the immigrant population. About eight per cent of the workforce is in the education sector; teachers and professors make up the third-largest occupation group in the city.
Education in Vancouver is truly international. More than 40 per cent of the population has a mother tongue other than English or French, and public school students speak 57 unique languages.
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Competitive Advantages
About one-third of all international students in Canada choose to study in B.C. International students come to Vancouver and B.C. for a superior education that is affordable relative to competing jurisdictions. In addition, the region’s quality of life is well known internationally, as is the city’s idyllic setting. The living environment is safe and inclusive, with quality health care, social services and public education.
Relative to the U.S., immigration processes are easy to navigate for students, and recent changes in regulations have made it easier for international students to work in B.C. following completion of their studies.
Educational institutions have leveraged Vancouver’s diversity to build strong multicultural and international linkages and programs. These linkages benefit local businesses by strengthening their access to foreign language skills, foreign business practices, overseas talent and potential business partners.
- British Columbia’s public K-12 schools have been accepting international students for 25 years and offer an array of programs – high school matriculation; single-semester; short-term, intensive English courses; and special programs for elementary-level international students.
- Both UBC and SFU have extensive linkages to peer universities in Asia Pacific countries and elsewhere.
- Vancouver’s B.C. Institute of Technology is home to the first Confucius Institute in Canada - a partnership with China to facilitate knowledge of Chinese culture and language in British Columbia.
- More than 30 private language schools operate in Vancouver, many of them in the downtown core, focusing primarily on English as a second language instruction.
- Fifty-eight private vocational and career-training institutions operate in Vancouver, with close to 50,000 enrollments.
- British Columbia’s colleges and universities operate a variety of programs overseas, generating $2 billion in revenue annually.
The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University offer world-class expertise and facilities for applied research and discovery:
- UBC became the first Canadian university to generate more than $100 million in cumulative licensing revenue from the sale of technologies and spin-off companies.
- SFU has created more than 70 spin-off companies.
- Four post-secondary institutions in Vancouver have come together to create Great Northern Way Campus, a collaborative partnership with industry to develop, test and deploy new media and sustainability-related technologies.
Incentives
The Government of British Columbia is the biggest investor in education in the province and is spending an additional $1 billion annually to add 25,000 new seats at colleges and universities by 2010 – about 5,000 of them in Vancouver. An additional 650 graduate student places are also being funded.
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B.C. Career Colleges Association
www.bccca.com
Organization of private sector post-secondary education suppliers.
B.C. Centre for International Education
www.bccie.bc.ca
Non-profit that promotes international education.
B.C. College Presidents
www.choosebccolleges.ca
Organization to advance the interests of B.C. colleges.
B.C. Electronic Library Network
www.eln.bc.ca
A partnership of the B.C. government and post-secondary libraries. Based at SFU, it facilitates access to information for learners and educators throughout B.C.
B.C. Institute of Technology
www.bcit.ca
Full-time students 16,000; part-time 32,000. Western Canada’s premier polytechnic institute, offering degree and certificate programs in a variety of fields, including transportation, digital media, construction, health sciences and natural resources.
Canadian Association of Private Language Schools
www.capls.com
Vancouver-based national association of private English and French language schools, representing more than 100 schools across Canada.
Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training
www.chet.educ.ubc.ca
Centre for policy research on educational issues.
Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design
www.eciad.ca
Students: 1,600. One of B.C.’s oldest colleges and one of Canada’s leading arts institutions, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in visual arts, media arts and design.
Government of British Columbia
B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education
www.learnlivebc.ca
B.C. Ministry of Education (K-12)
www.gov.bc.ca/bced
B.C. Ministry of Economic Development
www.investbc.ca
International Public School Education Association of B.C.
www.studyinbc.org
Association of public school districts in B.C. that accept international students.
Langara College
www.langara.bc.ca
Full and part time students: 23,000 College offering Bachelor’s, Associate, Diploma and Certificates studies in
creative and applied arts, health and human services, liberal arts and languages, management and business, science and technology, and social and cultural studies.
Learning Cities Initiative
Canadian Council on Learning
www.ccl-cca.ca
A joint initiative of the City of Vancouver and the Canadian Council on Learning to develop a community lifelong learning strategy for the city.
Private Career Training Institutions Agency of British Columbia
www.pctia.bc.ca
Agency authorized by the B.C. Ministry of Education to oversee private career-training institutions.
Simon Fraser University (SFU)
www.sfu.ca
Full time students: 24,000. A public research university with three campuses in Greater Vancouver, including one in the city of Vancouver’s business core.
University of British Columbia (UBC)
www.ubc.ca
Full-time students: 44,000. A major economic engine in Vancouver, generating nearly 40,000 jobs and making an estimated local economic impact of $6.3 billion.
University Presidents Council of B.C.
www.tupc.bc.ca
Organization to provide leadership in the development of the public university system.
Vancouver Community College
www.vcc.ca
Full time students: 25,000. The college offers general and specialized education in key industry professions, including health, technology and business, as well as English as a second language and life-long learning.
Vancouver School Board (Public K-12 School District)
www.vsb.bc.ca
Full time students: 56,000; continuing education 44,000. The second largest public school system in B.C., operating 91 elementary schools, 18 secondary schools and seven adult education centres.
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Photo Credit: Vancouver Film School