July 25, 2010
Media contact:
Crystal Sawyer
+91-98724-84206
Canadian university prepping Indians for success in Canada
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Chandigarh local Shefali Joshi (right, with batch mates who
graduated in Canada after transferring from UFV’s SD College
campus) landed her dream job, at one of Canada’s largest banks.
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It could have been a long road to Vancouver for Shefali Joshi, but thanks to one Canadian university, this Chandigarh native has graduated, earned placement in financial services for one of Canada’s largest banks, and will take home a 19-lakh salary package this year.
Joshi, 21, was among the first batch of students who joined the University of the Fraser Valley’s Canadian BBA degree programme, delivered at S.D. College Chandigarh since 2006. Touted as highly practical and industry-oriented, the degree focuses on professional skills like presentation ability, leadership, and teamwork.
“What UFV is doing in Chandigarh is amazing,” says Joshi, who remembers herself as a shy, studious girl at Doon International, Bhavan Vidyalaya (Sector 27) and DAV-15. “After just a year in the programme I was so much more confident. I can handle myself in any situation, I am very independent now and I know I could go anywhere and set myself up with no problem. Five years ago, I would have been much too scared to even dream of coming here all alone, but UFV prepared me very well.”
Joshi opted to shift to UFV in Canada after second year of her degree studies at the SD College satellite campus. When it came time to land a job, she didn’t let anything hold her back from her goal.
“I saw mistakes that others made by just applying online. Instead, I visited every bank in the area, met the managers, asked questions, took their advice and followed up on leads,” she explains.
Knowing her career prospects would be better in the heart of Vancouver, Joshi shifted from the suburbs of Abbotsford and applied for a job she knew she wasn’t qualified for. “It was a position for an experienced manager at CIBC bank, but I just wanted to get an interview so I could meet someone influential and find out how to get in the door. I didn’t get that senior position, but within 15 minutes I was offered the job I have now. It was a great strategy that left a good impression.”
Pair that with zipping through a series of 25 training exams in just five hours over two days. “We had already learned most of the material in second year of the UFV programme,” she says.
“I have never seen my father cry, but I’ve just come home for a quick visit. When he met me at the airport, I could almost see tears in his eyes, he was that proud of me. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, and I am so thankful that UFV is giving Indian students like me the chance to fulfill our dreams, whether in Canada, India, or elsewhere.”
UFV’s next batch kicks off its next batch of BBA students July 26 at SD College Chandigarh.
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