International Students: Recruitment, Retention and Employment Integration Metropolis 16 th National Conference Gatineau Quebec March 2014

Dr. Nancy Arthur, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary Melissa Fama, Assistant Director, NhQ, Immigration, Citizenship and immigration Canada Miranda Cheng, Director, Centre for International Experience, University of Toronto Dr. Dan Cui, Post- Doctoral Scholar, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary Workshop Presenters

 International students who are pursuing employment and permanent immigration  Update on recent immigration policies regarding international students,  Strategies in higher education to support international students,  Views of international students and their accompanying partners regarding employment and social integration. Topics

Views of International Students  Temporary sojourners  Institutional revenue  Problematic learners  Problematic workers  Problematic immigrants  Homogeneous group  Human capital  Preferred immigrants

International Students: Did you know? .8 million in 1975; 3.7 million in 2009; 8 million by 2025  USA, UK, Germany, France, Australia are top destinations  China and India are top source countries  Malaysia, Singapore, China are emerging destinations  Recruitment targets 5-25%  >100,000 accepted in Canada in 2012  > 60% since 2004  Future increase of 2X  International Education: A Key Driver of Canada’s Future Prosperity

International Students in Canada  $8 billion to the Canadian economy, increased from $6.5 billion in 2008  $10 million investment in international education strategy over 2 years  Increase recruitment 2X < 10 years  7% undergraduates; 20% graduates  1 in 5 IS in college or university previously attended a private or public secondary school  iStudentCanada new website for educational programs

Research Questions  What helps or hinders international students to be successful in navigating the post-graduation transition to employment and permanent immigration?  How does international student experience translate to a career (dis)advantage?

 Research from Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand  Motivating factors to stay in destination countries  Barriers within educational institutions  Barriers in immigration policies  Barriers in employer practices  Barriers created by international students Education to Employment

 Employment opportunities  Perceived market conditions  Employment culture  Gender norms in the workplace  Work role opportunities  Comparisons between home and host cultures Motivating Factors

What they want...  Services specific to international student needs  Services specific to needs at graduation  Information on immigration process  Help with job search process  Concrete help to access local labour market  Better understanding of cultural nuances

 Doors open, doors shut  Access to current information  Help to know options  Employers often not informed or misinformed Immigration Policies

 Lack of knowledge about international students as a highly educated source of employees  Ethnocentrism in hiring policies and practices  Bias regarding linguistic diversity and accents  Investment in employment integration  Assimilation versus integration of talent  Need to document success stories Employment Practices

 School then work  Networking skills  Learn about local cultural practices  Build resources while a student  Engage in work/volunteer experience programs  Begin job search in advance of last semester  Access available formal and informal support systems What International Students Can Do

 Increase discourse about career development/employability  Work experience while in academic program  Systematic efforts to engage international students by academic staff, advisors, mentors  Connection with experienced students  Job search skills and workplace norms  Policies focused on recruitment versus employment  Adequate staffing of support services Educational Institutions

 Increase competition for international students  International students have increasing choices about where to live and learn and where to pursue permanent immigration  Our capacity to support social integration is critical for academic and employment success. Recruitment, Retention, Employment and Social Integration