North American educators met with education agents from around the world at the ICEF North America Workshop in Montreal, Canada. A record breaking 630 participants from 64 countries attended the three-day event, the largest of its kind held in Canada.
According to ICEF, educator and agent numbers have increased by 10% and 7% respectively, suggesting that North American institutions are increasingly embracing the role education agents play in international student enrolment.
“ICEF Workshops have been the cornerstone to our marketing efforts,” said Martha Acosta-Pieters from Edmonds Community College in the USA.
Two thirds of participating education institutions were Canadian, giving agents the opportunity to meet more players in the Canadian market (the event has previously been held in the USA).
The seminar programme featured a French language symposium on agents – an industry first
“By coming to the ICEF workshop, I learned about the advantages of Canada as an educational destination: work permits for graduates, a multicultural, welcoming society, and educators who are prepared to develop new or joint programmes,” said Pascal Carré of Study Experience in France.
The seminar programme featured a French language symposium on agents – an industry first – led by international student recruitment experts. It aimed to show representatives from the Quebec government and public educational sector the history and purpose of agents.
On Friday night, attendees were able to network while being entertained by a contortionist from Montreal’s Circus School and a dance troupe. ““These evening entertainment events gave me a chance to meet participants whom I had been unable to schedule a meeting with,” commented Dharmesh Shah from Good Wind Education and Career Consultancy Services in India.
The next ICEF Workshop Canada will be held in Toronto 9-11 May 2013.
