Suzhou Centennial College, located around 100km northwest of Shanghai, will provide pathways for Chinese students to study at Centennial College in Toronto, as well as provide Canadian students with the opportunity to spend time abroad in China.

Operating in association with Suzhou University of Science and Technology, the campus has opened with 1,000 enrolled students, and in the next two years, its target is to reach 1,000 international students and 2,500 Chinese students.

“The Suzhou programmes will be linked to industry replicating the Ontario, Canada model”

It will aim to expand its capacity to 5,000 in five years, according to Virginia Macchiavello, executive director, international education at Centennial College.

The college aims to facilitate two-way mobility in order “to internationalise the experiences of both student bodies through study abroad, research, projects and internships” said Macchiavello.

There will also be professors from the Canadian campuses in China, as well as exchanges of faculty between the two countries, explained Macchiavello.

Programmes at the institution include business foundations, financial services and business accounting.

“The Suzhou programmes will be linked to industry, replicating the Ontario, Canada model known for the partnership between governments, industry and education to produce graduates that meet industry needs,” said Macchiavello.

This is not the first time Centennial College has worked in China, with the college celebrating 20 years of educational partnerships between the two countries.

Centennial College in Canada also hosts around 1,300 Chinese students a year.

The college is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, making it the oldest publicly funded college in Ontario, and has recently launched a campaign to encourage environmental clean ups around the world.