Brand Canada:The Consortium for

International Education Marketing

Jennifer HumphriesSynergy Conference

Mississauga, October 6, 2011

What is CCIEM Members of theCanadian Consortium for International Education Marketing

About the Consortium

Established June 2010; Steering Committee meets monthly, chaired by CBIE’s President, Karen McBride

Leading national associations: representing the vast majority of public institutions

Eligible to use Imagine education au-in Canada brand

Goal: Increase the share of students coming to Canada and enhance the position of Canadian education providers in the competitive global market

Objective: Support a more strategic, coordinated approach to the existing international marketing efforts of Canadian institutions and work with other stakeholders closely to take the Canada brand to the next level

Overview…

We believe:

We can contribute to the national objective of bringing more international students to Canada

We can contribute to more coordinated national action through structured collaboration among our associations and with stakeholders

We can highlight pathways between the various parts of the Canadian education system to international students, parents, governments

Full engagement of institutions and the organizations that represent them is key to achieving sustainable results in education marketing

Overview…

We recognize: Collective action is required to improve Canadian educational institutions'

competitiveness Competitive advantages can be achieved through cross-sectoral cooperation –

Federal and P/T Governments, K-12 through Post-Doctoral, Public and Private Sector

We wish to: Leverage the significant resources and expertise of the five

associations comprising hundreds of member institutionsWork in partnership with the Federal and P/T Governments, other

associations, training agencies, private sector institutionsIdentify and fill gaps, not duplicate efforts

Fundamentals

We are getting our national act together in order to bring greater cohesion to a disparate sector We need to move forward in partnership and close cooperation with other

key stakeholders – communication and transparency are essential

Building Effective Partnerships: We value the role, expertise and input of other organizations at the national

and provincial levels We will explore opportunities to engage and establish partnership

arrangements on specific activities that will achieve greater results through cooperation

We have engaged CMEC and DFAIT as observers to the Steering Committee; CIC invited

Action 1: Visibility

Enhanced visibility in selected market countries Delivery in person and using social media and web

In-country representatives and key partner organizations

Alumni associations

Education fairs, conferences, seminars and missions

Action 2: Knowledge for Marketing

Enhancing the knowledge of educational institutions through training on best practices and new professionals’ training, and by conducting research on market trends and Canada’s value-added features, etc.

Enhancing the knowledge of Government officials (e.g. Trade Commissioners) via backgrounders and updates (in person and by webinar)

Activities include:

Professional development Resource development Market research

Action 3: Communication and Cohesion

Mapping of events to leverage our collective presence across the globe

Sharing success stories, best practices and news

Action 4: Virtual Presence

Canada needs a more robust virtual presence: contemporary, exciting and targeted to the audience

Social networks, peer counselling and blogs, effective use of local languages

Action 5: Facilitate Study Permits/Visas

Collaborate with CIC to enhance international student program

CIC participation at CBIE and other Consortium member Conferences

Build on successful models, e.g. Student Partners Program

Action 6: Pathways

Canadian education has a reputation internationally for great pathways between sectors and levels

Our research is discovering to what extent this is justified, how we can improve pathways, and how we can use this feature to our advantage in marketing and promotion

Pathways research report to be launched at CBIE Conference in November, with follow-up sessions at other events by sector

Research conducted by Dr. Dan Guhr, ICG – 12 case studies and results of survey of all sectors

Activities 2010 to Present

Meetings with: CMEC, Ministers and Deputy Ministers; DFAIT, Minister of International Trade

ICEF Berlin 2010 and 2011; ICEF Vancouver 2011 – Key events for Education Advising Agents

Research: Pathways conducted 2011 – Report launch at CBIE Conference November

Webinars for Trade Commissioners 2011Advocacy: Federal Budget 2011 – Investment and Expert Advisory Panel

Consortium Contacts

Jennifer Humphries, CBIE jhumphries@cbie.ca – www.cbie.caPaul Brennan, ACCC pbrennan@accc.ca – www.accc.caGail Bowkett, AUCC gbowkett@aucc.ca – www.aucc.ca

Geoff Best, CAPS-I geoff.best@ocdsb.ca – www.caps-i.caGonzalo Peralta, Languages Canada gperalta@languagescanada.ca –

www.languagescanada.ca