A refreshed LearnLiveBC website offers students around the world a portal to British Columbia's quality post-secondary institutions, helping them pick the right program in the right school for their education and career goals.

The website http://www.learnlivebc.ca is mobile, tablet-compatible and provides international students with a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate interactive guide to learning and living in B.C.

At LearnLiveBC, international students can:

• Learn why B.C. has become one of the world's top education destinations for international students.

• Access information on B.C.'s post-secondary and kindergarten - Grade 12 education system.

• Use toolkits to find a B.C. school or institution, apply to a school or institution, and make travel arrangements.

• Get a look at British Columbia's spectacular natural settings, cities and towns, and recreational and cultural opportunities.

• Read about the rich cultural diversity that B.C. communities, businesses and educational institutions have to offer.

• Find information about living and working in B.C. while attending an educational institution as a student and options for transitioning to permanent residency after graduation.

By early 2013, the site will be available in multiple languages, including Korean, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese.

The launch of the new LearnLiveBC website fulfils commitments under British Columbia's International Education Strategy and Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan. The strategy, released in May 2012, was developed to position the province and its residents to benefit even more from the social, cultural and economic opportunities that flow from international education activities.

International students who come to B.C. contribute greatly to the provincial economy and to the inter-cultural diversity of B.C. campuses and communities. And with one million jobs opening in B.C. over the next decade, and just 650,000 students currently enrolled in the kindergarten - Grade 12 system, increasing the number of international students who make British Columbia their permanent home can help ease the expected shortage of skilled workers.

New government data shows B.C. hosted 100,700 international students in 2010-11 - up from 94,000 in the previous year, representing an increase of seven per cent. B.C. will gain an estimated 1,800 jobs and $100 million in GDP for every 10 per cent increase in the number of international students coming to the province.

Learn More:

B.C.'s International Education Strategy: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/internationaleducation/welcome.htm

BC Jobs Plan and Skills and Training Plan: http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/skills-and-training-plan/

The Ministry of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology: http://www.gov.bc.ca/aved/index.html

Contact:

Dan Gilmore
Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology
250 952-6400
Dan.Gilmore@gov.bc.ca