Centennial College

The acceptance rate for Indian students coming to study at 20 Canadian colleges has doubled thanks to a new joint project between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC).

The pilot project, called the Canada-in-India Student Partners Program, was launched in April 2009 between Canada’s visa offices in India and 20 participating ACCC member colleges. The goal of the program is to increase the approval rate for study-permit applications to Canada.

The announcement was made by federal MP Tim Uppal, on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, and by Paul Brennan, ACCC’s VP for International Partnerships, at Toronto’s Centennial College on Jan. 28. Centennial was chosen as the venue for the announcement because it has been the biggest beneficiary of the federal program to fast-track applications by visa students from India.

Canada is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international students. The total number of international students in Canada has more than doubled since 1998 to 178,000 and their presence provided employment for more than 83,000 Canadians last year. A study commissioned by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada found international students contributed more than $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy in 2008.

During the first nine months of the program, CIC’s visa offices in India received more than 4,000 applications, of which almost 600 were bound for Centennial. The program has successfully met its objective: the approval rate for the first group of students coming to study this past September was more than double the approval rate for the same colleges the preceding year. Furthermore, 95 percent of the students remain in good standing at their ACCC college. In addition, processing times are faster than the global norm, with an average of about two and a half weeks.

The program has several checks and balances, from requiring applicants to provide verifiable documentation, to a feedback mechanism where colleges report back on whether students show up. The safety, security and health of Canadians are of the utmost importance. All students who come to Canada through the Student Partnership Program must adhere to the same screening requirements as any visitor or student.

The federal government continues to look at ways to encourage international students to study in Canada. In the past, Canada has lagged behind Australia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in aggressively marketing its colleges and universities overseas – but that is changing. At Centennial College, international student enrollment has skyrocketed in recent years; presently, there are more than 2,400 visa students on campus this winter.

Find More Information about Canadian college(Centennial college) and its college courses at www.centennialcollege.ca

Like so many recent immigrants arriving in a strange new land, Himani Shah resigned herself to toiling in a factory, exchanging her labour for some meager wages.

“It’s really sad for a lot of newcomers,” she acknowledges. “Many people come here with degrees and professional careers, but end up working in a factory or a kitchen just to make ends meet.”

Shah landed in Toronto four years ago with a Bachelor of Computer Science diploma tucked into her luggage from the University of Gujarat in her native India. She had planned to attend university to complete a Master’s program in computer studies, but realized it was not so easy to enter university in Canada.

Shah found herself working in a factory, but yearned to return to an academic environment. “I was starving to go back to school,” she recalls.

Living in Scarborough, Shah decided to visit a nearby campus of Centennial College to find out what kind of courses she could take at night to supplement her college education and become oriented to the Canadian job market.

As luck would have it, she met Ilia Nika, Information Systems Coordinator in the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science. He was excited by her qualifications, recognizing the skills she had brought from India, and convinced her to re-examine her priorities.

Rather than take classes in the evening and work all day, Nika persuaded her to enroll in the college’s Computer Programmer/Analyst program full-time during the day and work part-time in the evenings to earn an income.

“He showed me how I could get credit for some of my studies in India, which meant I did not have to take duplicate courses,” she recalls. “With my advanced standing, I could take a three-year program in a year-and-a-half, and save some tuition money, too.”

Shah quit her manufacturing job and enrolled in the Centennial program. To help with her family’s expenses, she found an evening job at a local Tim Horton’s coffee shop, which fit her schedule better. Still, it was not an easy adjustment.

“It was a tough time for me. I went to classes every morning starting at 8 am, then worked on my assignments after lunch for two hours, then rushed off to work at 3 pm,” Shah recounts.

“I was on the run from 8 am until 11:30 at night. And when I wasn’t working, I would stay on campus late at night to do my assignments because it was crowded and noisy in our family’s apartment.”

Despite the challenges, Shah flourished in her new learning environment. She had gotten her wish to return to an academic life.

“Education-wise, it’s more advanced in Canada. You get the opportunity to learn with upcoming technology in advanced labs using up-to-date, helpful software. Ilia Nika and my other professors always made themselves available to talk about technology and how to solve problems in the workplace.”

Shah took advantage of the college’s cooperative education opportunities. Centennial students in business and engineering technology can get a job with an employer for four months per year, where they can practice what they’ve learned in a genuine work environment. The best part is, students are paid during their co-op placement.

“My first co-op assignment was with the Ontario Municipal Board, where I did computer programming and staffed the IT help desk. My second job was with new-media company ExtendMedia, where I did programming in Java and C-sharp.”

“I developed good contacts through co-op, and implemented the skills I had gained in class in a real working environment,” Shah beams.

She managed to make enough money during the co-op terms to lessen the need for grueling evening work. She left Tim Horton’s and found a paid job on campus, tutoring fellow students.

“I discovered I love to talk to people and to teach them,” Shah says. With more time to dedicate to her studies, her grades rose from a B average to a consistent A+ score in her final semester.

She also began seeking interviews with employers for a position after graduation. With her strong background and co-op work experience, she impressed the powers that be at Canadian banking giant CIBC, earning a position as a Solution Developer at the bank’s central data centre in North York.

The happy outcome was not just a matter of good fortune. Upon her arrival in Canada, Shah quickly concluded that individuals – both men and women – are free to choose their destinies here, rather than rely on their parents for shelter and an income.

“I realized I had to come up with my own means to find a career path,” she says of those early days in her newly adopted country. “Of course, I had great support from my family when I started college. It was hard to balance my personal life with my studies and work.”

Shah is philosophical about her rapid transformation after only four years in what initially seemed like a pretty intimidating place.

“My parents are very proud of me. Nothing is impossible if you really want it! It takes time. Dedicate yourself and you’ll be successful.” More degree programs & continuing education on Canadian college for career success.

Meeting Hugh Jackman, Quincy Jones, Deepak Chopra and Donna Karan, were just some of the highlights for a recent Centennial College graduate’s trip to New York City.

For Kyle Surowicz, graduate of the Broadcasting and Film Program, networking with these iconic celebrities while attending a United Nations conference and at a private event at Jackman’s home on that same day, was a dream come true. But the real reward came with being able to participate in something that just might change the world.

“The best thing was getting involved in some absolutely amazing events,” says Surowicz of his involvement in The Global Poverty Project, a presentation and forthcoming documentary similar to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.

“I met Hugh Jackman (best known for his recent role as Wolverine), some of the greatest political and business minds of our generation and attended a United Nations meeting that included the Presidents of Sengal, Malawi and Uganda,” Surowicz says. They are all involved in some way in this UN initiative to end extreme poverty in our lifetime.

Surowicz was in New York City to capture footage for an upcoming documentary that is being produced in collaboration with Australian Producer Clive Burcham and Chris Adams, formerly of Participant Media, whose projects include Syriana, with George Clooney and Matt Damon, North Country, with Charlize Theron, Good Night and Good Luck with George Clooney and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.

“They approached me and told me that my material, at least in their eyes, was really good and wanted to work with me again,” says Surowicz of Burcham and Adams, both of whom he met via Centennial College. “Receiving recognition from serious industry heavy weights really added to my shooting confidence.”

The Global Poverty Project was created in 2008 by young Australian development advocate Hugh Evans, who was behind the Australian Make Poverty History campaign featuring U2’s Bono. The Project aims to help the planet’s poorest 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty - defined as those living on less than a $1.25 a day.

Surowicz points to his time at Centennial College as a key stepping stone preparing him for this new career.

“Centennial College provided me with the tools and knowledge and helped shape my natural instincts. Natural instincts mean to always attempt to put yourself in the right spot at the right time and constantly look for new shots and ways to innovate your production.”

So, what’s next for Surowicz?

“After working with the Global Poverty Project, I can’t wait for the next chance to document their journey,” Surowicz says. “It has elevated me from recent graduate to industry professional in the eyes of my peers and it has given me the self-confidence and experience to build onto my rapidly growing career.”

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Source: Toronto education

Two student teams from Northview Heights Secondary School in North York and a team from Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute beat out 16 other Toronto-area high school teams to win, place and show in a unique skills competition that tested students’ automotive technical knowledge.

Kevin Birchall and Eric Salb performed a number of timed technical tasks and attempted to start a 2009 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible that had been rigged with a no-start condition by automotive instructors from Centennial College. The Canadian International AutoShow hosted the competition on Feb. 11. By finishing first, the pair will be representing Canada at the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City in April.

In addition to the all-expenses-paid trip, Birchall and Salb collected a trophy and equipment from sponsors. Northview Heights was also represented by Brandon Muff and Vali Ion, who finished second. Toronto’s Danforth Tech finished third, thanks to the efforts of students Jordan Ho and Tauriq Shaikh.

Both schools were big winners, too. Their auto tech classes will take delivery of a General Motors vehicle, which will be used for technical training. General Motors of Canada donated two brand-new vehicles as prizes.

This was the 10th year for the contest, organized by Centennial’s School of Transportation, which promotes automotive technology as a rewarding career path. Last year’s winners, Janos Mann and Julien Predas from Central Technical School, went on to beat all of the American schools at the New York competition and took home $250,000 in prizes and scholarship money!

Despite the economic downturn, the Toronto skills contest continues to enjoy outstanding support from the industry. Sponsors include: TADA, the Canadian International AutoShow, General Motors Canada, Volkswagen Canada, Snap-On/Sun Tools, Consulab, Canadian Tire, PartSource, Ryder Truck, Thomson Nelson, Pearson Education, AutoKnowledge, TecMate and Centennial College.

For more information about the School of Transportation’s programs & Toronto education check now to click here.