January 31, 2007
Media contact: Kim Lawrence
604-864-4611
or 1-888-504-7441, local 4611
cell: 604-302-6257
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UCFV features as key player in new Asia Pacific Trade Council report
The Asia Pacific Trade Council presented a new market overview on India to the provincial government earlier this week and the report features UCFV as a key player in the educational sector.
The report highlights the results of the most recent census, which show that India is the third-largest source of immigrants to British Columbia and that most Indian immigrants to our province come from the Punjab. One of the most important results is the development of education services in B.C. that cater to the needs of Indo-Canadian students. UCFV is cited as a prime example of this development and as a leader of a trend expected to continue as B.C. institutions actively establish programs in India and/or recruit Indian students.
“Abbotsford has the highest proportion of Indo-Canadian people of any metropolitan area in the country,” notes UCFV president Skip Bassford. “UCFV's role in connecting with and representing this huge, influential community group is critical to the future strategic development of the Valley and our province. We are proud to be highlighted as a B.C. success story in India and plan to continue taking the lead on developing customized educational services for that region.”
Professor D.J. Sandhu is special advisor to Bassford and a member of the India Market Advisory Group, the working group of the Asia Pacific Trade Council that prepared the market overview. He will be discussing the highlights of the report on Abbotsford-Mount Lehman MLA Michael de Jong's one-hour program on Shere-Punjab Radio (1550 AM) at noon on February 2. “The advisory group recommends that B.C. leverage its strengths in the flow of people and knowledge,” says Sandhu. “We need to build strong relationships with India to do this, which involves establishing a B.C. presence in India.”
To that end, in 2006, UCFV welcomed the first group of Bachelor of Business Administration students enrolled in a new India cohort, based at GGDSD College in Chandigarh, India. Students in the program have the option of completing the entire four-year program in India or finishing it in Canada after years one, two, or three.
At the same time, UCFV also became the only Canadian post-secondary institution to establish an education society — along with a new campus — in India, complementing the goals of the new Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and further promoting opportunities for Fraser Valley businesses in India. The Society is a platform available for other post-secondary institutions to use to launch their programs in India without having to collaborate directly with an Indian partner.
In 2006, UCFV officially opened the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, designed to be a hub of information for people who want to do business with India and to understand the relationships and opportunities between our two countries. It will enhance the economic contribution of the Indo-Canadian community in BC, and be a place for a wide range of learning activities and resource materials.
The Centre, through its sister organization, the Canadian Studies Centre at Panjab University in Chandigarh, has made in-roads with the State governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasathan to facilitate trade between these states and British Columbia. The Centre will also ultimately house the provincial government's Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Business and Economic Development.
UCFV also currently offers 23 courses as part of a Canada-India Studies program and hopes to develop a certificate, minor and ultimately a major in Canada-India Studies.
Launched in September 2005, the Asia Pacific Trade Council makes recommendations on how B.C. can increase investment and trade with the Asia Pacific region and better position the province as Canada’s Pacific gateway. This is the group’s second report; the first was released in July 2006 and focused on China and Hong Kong. The full India market overview is available at www.asiapacifictradecouncil.ca .
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