British Columbians will benefit from a stronger economy, educational relationships with international partners, and people-to-people ties, following an education mission to Southeast Asia by Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

“Ensuring that B.C. remains competitive and connected to our global partners is essential to a strong economy and labour market here in B.C.,” Robinson said. “Education and skills training helps workers, students and employers pursue new opportunities for themselves and their families, and brings new jobs, possibilities and innovation to our respective regions.”

The one-week mission included meetings in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam with governments, economic organizations and post-secondary institutions, with the goal of building mutually beneficial relations that support B.C.’s health-care system, micro-credential programs, trade and fair credential recognition for internationally trained professionals. Mutual credential recognition was focused on, as well as working in partnership to support solutions to global labour challenges.

The minister’s mission supports government’s commitment to international credential recognition and international education, and aligns with British Columbia’s Trade Diversification Strategy, and Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy to develop economic opportunities with strong returns on investment, attract funding, and expand trade and investment through education and interpersonal ties. Support for the mission was provided by the B.C. Council for International Education, a B.C. Crown agency.

Features of Robinson’s education mission included:

• meeting with Philippines Commission on Higher Education and several higher-education institutions that are current and potential partners with B.C. post-secondary institutions, including Miriam College, the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Innovation and Technology centre, Far Eastern University and World Citi Colleges;
• ​meeting with Philippines Department of Migrant Workers to discuss opportunities for co-operation in bilateral health-care education and improved recognition of Philippines nursing and health-care worker education and credentials;
• a forum with the Singapore Ministry of Education to examine how Singapore connects the supply of skills-training with labour-market demand and how the skills-training system has been formed by government and employer collaboration to respond to a rapidly changing workforce;
• a tour of Biopolis Life Science Campus - P&G Innovation Centre, Singapore’s largest private research facility, located in Biopolis, an international biomedical research and innovation hub;
• meeting with partner institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to support the memorandum of understanding signed in 2021 by the government of Vietnam and B.C.;
• meetings with the Canada-ASEAN Business Council, Global Affairs Canada, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The mission followed the launch of the StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan on May 2, 2023, a cross-government made-in-B.C. plan that works to make education and training more accessible, affordable, responsive, and relevant to help prepare the people of B.C. for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The action plan is supported by a provincial investment of $480 million over three years.

Learn More:

For more about StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/jobs-and-training

For more about B.C.’s Trade Diversification Strategy, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/international-investment-and-trade/trade-diversification-strategy