Limerick to see an Influx of Canadian Students following Agreement between LIT and Canadian Colleges
Limerick may well see an influx of Canadian students following an agreement signed by LIT with Canadian Colleges. President of LIT Dr Maria Hinfelaar, travelling as part of a delegation from the Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI), signed a unique agreement in Toronto recently which will see up to 1000 Canadian students from Ontario Colleges coming to Ireland from September 2012 to study at LIT and other Irish institutes.
Ontario is the largest province in Canada with a population of over 13 million. Colleges Ontario represents 24 third level colleges which educate undergraduate students up to Level 7, and the agreement with the Irish Institutes will allow these students to progress to honours degrees at Level 8 and beyond in Ireland.
The first wave of Canadian students coming to Ireland will study in the areas of electronics, internet applications and web development, engineering, business, and hospitality but further programme areas will be added over the coming months. The agreement will also support great student mobility for Irish students who will be able to travel to the Ontario colleges for undergraduate and post-graduate studies.
Other areas of cooperation between the Institutes and Ontario Colleges will include professional development of faculty and administrative staff, collaboration on joint programmes, research activities and publications, distance education and joint Business Incubation Centre activities.
Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario said, “The agreement offers tremendous mobility and flexibility to our students. Under the agreement, students will receive financial support to study abroad. For example, Ontario students going to Ireland would see their tuition fees reduced by more than 15 per cent.”
Dr Hinfelaar, President of LIT, welcomed the agreement with the Ontario colleges, “Canadian students will blend in well with their fellow-students here as they are highly motivated and adaptable. They have a well-developed educational system, but there is this curious gap that many of them cannot progress to a full honours bachelors degree within the colleges. This is where LIT and the other IOTs around the country can offer attractive opportunities. We are already talking to some individual colleges who are very interested in what we have to offer, so we will make sure Limerick gets a healthy share of the cake.”