VANCOUVER, BC – April 27, 2011
International education is now a leading export for British Columbia (BC), creating jobs and supporting families in communities and regions across the province. The total value of international education exports in 2010 reached over $1.8 billion dollars, ranking the sector fifth in the generation of export income. Among BC’s key trading partners China, India, and South Korea, international education ranks as a top-three contributor to BC’s economy. In order to accurately measure the full economic impact of international education province-wide, the BC Council for International Education (BCCIE) has engaged noted economist Dr. Roslyn Kunin of Roslyn Kunin and Associates, Inc. (RKA, Inc.). Dr. Kunin’s report The Economic Impact of International Education in British Columbia examines international student spending at K-12, post-secondary and language institutions across the province. Dr. Kunin’s study will help the province and BCCIE to benchmark international student data and to plan strategically for future growth in the industry. According to Dr. Kunin’s report, in 2010, BC welcomed an estimated 94 000 international students to the province, creating 21 540 jobs and an economic impact of $1.8 billion to the provincial economy. While many of the students are studying in the Lower Mainland and Southwest region of the province, international students also bring significant benefit to communities in Northern BC, the Southern Interior, and Vancouver Island. The top ten source countries for international students in 2010, in rank order, include Korea, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, United States, Germany, and Switzerland. “International students make significant contributions to northern communities as they bring with them a wide breadth of life experience and new approaches to local problems,” states Carolyn Russell, Director of Student Success at the University of Northern British Columbia. “Even though students may only be in northern BC for a short time, lifelong relationships are made that over time have and will contribute to the success of northern BC.”
“We have been successful in British Columbia in terms of attracting large numbers of quality students to participate in our education system, both in the public and private spheres,” says Randall Martin, Executive Director of BCCIE. “We are now the leading destination in Canada for new international students, many attracted by the deserved reputation of the quality of life and the quality of education, supported at the post-secondary level by government-sanctioned Education Quality Assurance. Dr. Kunin’s report is an important early step in identifying gaps in our data collection and in benchmarking student sources, flows and destinations, supporting the creation of pathways and more targeted regional development of the sector. ”
