Up to 125 civil servants from China will learn about Canada's political system and public policy as part of a new five-year agreement between Executive Education at the Sauder School of Business at UBC and the Province of Guangdong.

The agreement is one of many to be facilitated by British Columbia's international trade and investment network, which is made up of representatives in offices across Asia, Europe and the United States. The Province's South China office, based in Guangzhou, worked with Sauder representatives and key contacts in Guangdong's human resources department beginning in April 2012, and provided on-the-ground services throughout the discussions toward the new international education partnership.

The public administration training program will see annual classes of 25 officials from the provincial, municipal and county levels spending 30 days at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and 30 days attending Sauder classes on the UBC campus in Vancouver. Participants will receive certificates from both schools, with courses focusing on Canada's political system and public-policy analysis, including visits to governmental departments and panel discussions.

International education is one of the priority sectors identified in Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan. The government has now delivered on its Jobs Plan commitments to double its overseas presence and to ensure it has staff dedicated to education in key international markets.

Seven education marketing managers are now in place in British Columbia's trade and investment offices in China, India, Korea, and Japan, with additional positions engaged on the international education file in B.C.'s United States and European Union offices. This network supports the international education sector by promoting B.C.'s competitive advantages to potential students, identifying and co-ordinating partnerships between B.C. institutions and international organizations, and participating in missions and trade shows.

The education marketing managers have been visiting B.C. educational institutions throughout the province this week as part of an orientation tour. Co-ordinated by the British Columbia Council for International Education, the week-long mission has included school visits and roundtables in the Okanagan, Prince George, Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

Quotes:

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Pat Bell -

"In the BC Jobs Plan we made commitments to double our international presence and to station education marketing staff in our offices in key international markets. We have delivered on those promises and they are paying dividends, helping B.C. businesses, communities and educational institutions forge innovative partnerships in markets that are driving economic growth. Our international trade and investment network promotes British Columbia as an attractive destination for international students, tourists and investment."

Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology John Yap -

"Under the BC Jobs Plan and our International Education Strategy we're taking action to increase international awareness of British Columbia as a high-quality education destination, paving the way for partnerships like this one between the Sauder School of Business and the Province of Guangdong. Together with our partners in education and with the support of our network of trade and investment offices we're working to attract students from all over the world to our excellent post-secondary institutions - maximizing the benefits of international education for B.C. communities, families and businesses."

Bruce Wiesner, Associate Dean, Executive Education, Sauder School of Business at UBC -

"The Sauder School of Business at UBC is a global hub for study, research and collaboration. When you are creating new partnerships with international organizations, having knowledgeable contacts and resources on the ground is invaluable, and the staff in British Columbia's Guangzhou office contributed immensely to making this formal partnership with the Province of Guangdong a reality."

Quick Facts:

• Since the BC Jobs Plan was released in September 2011, British Columbia's international trade and investment attraction network has grown from 29 people to almost 60, based in priority markets across Asia, Europe and the United States.

• The Province's education marketing managers are stationed in Korea, Japan, China (Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing) and India (Mumbai and Bangalore).

• Since the Province's Guangzhou office opened in 2009, it has supported 33 education agreements between B.C. institutions and South China organizations, including executive training, research collaboration, summer/winter camps and exchanges for students and teachers.

• The Guangzhou trade and investment office and Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training staff also facilitated a month-long training program in emergency management for 27 Guangdong senior executives at UBC in July 2011.

• International Education is now the fifth-largest export sector in British Columbia. Over 100,000 international students contribute approximately $2 billion into the B.C. economy, generating $70 million in direct tax revenue and supporting over 23,000 direct jobs.

• 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.

• The number of international students worldwide currently tops 3.3 million. By 2025, that number is expected to grow to 7.2 million.

Learn More:

Download the complete International Education Strategy:http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/internationaleducation/forms/InternationalEducationStrategy_WEB.PDF

To find out more about British Columbia's international trade and investment network, visit: http://www.britishcolumbia.ca

Check the Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/#!/bctradeinvest @BCTradeInvest

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 387-2799

Andrew Riley
Public and Media Relations Manager,
Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
604 822-8345
andrew.riley@sauder.ubc.ca