Late Fall has been a busy time for the 200+ students in the Atlantic Canada Study and Stay™ program. The International students in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland all participated in the first retreat of the program, designed to bring all the participants together in person. The goal of the first retreat was to introduce students to their respective program curriculums, tasks, coordinators and peers from across the province.
Beginning this fall through to July in each respective Atlantic Canada province, this pre-employment program connects final year (graduating) international students to the labour market, helping them to build valuable employment skills, workplace knowledge, build meaningful, and professional connections through workshops, networking, mentorship, and events.
These activities are designed to support international students to stay, live, and work in Atlantic Canada as they transition from ‘student’ to ‘professional’. Students are selected to participate in the Atlantic Canada Study and Stay™ program after going through a rigorous selection process.
The overall objective of this program is to retain 80% of participating students one-year post-graduation. The first cohort, launched in the fall of 2016, retained 82% of students, while 84% of the second cohort remained in the province. As of today, close to 100% of the third cohort have stayed in Nova Scotia since graduating in July.
Nova Scotia:
- More than 120 international students from 37 countries studying at post-secondary institutions across the province came together at the Annapolis Basin Conference Centre. Students were greeted by Mayor Bill MacDonald of Annapolis Royal and Jill Falser from Inspiring Communities sharing a message of “we want you” in Nova Scotia and in the Valley. Furthermore, pointing to opportunities to make great careers through community and connection building.
- New Brunswick hosted 64 international students, from over 30 nationalities in Moncton, NB, for their program retreat. Guests included Moncton’s Mayor, Dawn Arnold, and special presentations about intercultural relations, NB culture, history and labour market, Canadian workplace culture, networking, career development, and immigration pathways. The weekend included an Acadian themed style dinner with local history, music, and food presented.
- 46 international students from Prince Edward Island’s three post-secondary institutions came together at the Stanley Bridge Country Resort. Cabinet Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning, Honorable Brad Trivers, Sarah-Jayne McKenna, and Kal Whitnell, from the Province of Prince Edward Island (Growth, Tourism, and Culture) were some of the guests who shared words of welcome and support to the students, and a special presentation from the Maritime Marzipan Confectionary.
- Newfoundland hosted 51 international students from 22 nationalities. They were welcomed with opening remarks from the Mayor of St. Johns, Mr. Danny Breen with a focus on entrepreneurship. The retreat featured a local entrepreneur panel and students learned about pathways to immigration in NL. The weekend wrapped up with dinner served by Curry Delight and Golden Phoenix Buffet- restaurants owned and operated by former international students.
It was our pleasure to greet the incoming students and kickoff this year’s programs with group sessions on professional communication, networking, and diving into En Point’s signature Career KickStarter career discovery process. With lively conversations in each province, the programs are off to an inspiring start!
In addition to group workshops on networking, also known as relationship building, an important component of the program is mentorship. Each student is paired with a mentor in his/her area of professional interest. To best support student’s career goals and ensure that students leverage this opportunity we provide a “Making the Most of your Mentorship” training. The goal of the training is to demonstrate how to build meaningful relationships so that they can secure mentors at various stages in their careers. As the students learn about the importance of mentorship, they create relationships that can help them identify their career goals and create opportunities in their field of choice.
Congratulations to all four Atlantic provinces for successful program launches!
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