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Providing International Students with a Unique View of Kelowna By Steve Burns, Capital News contributor As Chair of the Economic Development Commission I had the privilege last Friday night of attending a very special event for International Students attending Okanagan University College (OUC). OUC's Faculty of Business and OUC International, in partnership with the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, Pacific Safety Products and Kelowna Flightcraft hosted a tour and reception for international students. The initiative was led by Myles Bruckal, owner of Bruckal Properties, an EDC Executive Board member and a member of a number of Boards of Directors in our community. This was the second annual event held for OUC international students the purpose of which was to provide them with a unique perspective on business life in Kelowna . "The EDC decided last year, under the leadership of Laureen Redman our past EDC Chair, after a strategy session, to assist OUC international students in understanding the business climate in Kelowna and the Okanagan. We really wanted to provide them with a perspective of Kelowna that they might not otherwise obtain. This year, we were very pleased to have Pacific Safety Products, Kelowna Flightcraft, join OUC and ourselves in partnership to provide this unique opportunity. In particular, we appreciated the personalized plant tours provided by Brad Field of Pacific Safety Products and Bob Monaghan of Kelowna Flightcraft and the informative tour and reception provided by Roger Sellick and his staff at the Kelowna Airport ." "International students who are here to complete their program with us, and international exchange students who are here for just a semester or two of study, really help to internationalize our curriculum and provide a global perspective on business and cultural diversity. This year OUC had students from The Netherlands, France , Germany , Austria , Finland , Mexico , Kenya , China , Japan , Hong Kong , Taiwan , Thailand , and the US . These students really enhance the educational experience for all our students, and events such as this really help the international students to get a feel for business in the Okanagan" says Jayne Brooks, Dean of the Faculty of Business. I spoke with a number of the students who commented "This event, in particular the two plant tours and the opportunity to meet with Mayor Walter Gray of Kelowna and Mayor Bob Harriman of Peachland, were really useful to us. We have learned so much about what our city, what these two companies do and certainly plan on telling our families and friends at home and beyond. Kelowna has so much to offer." There were a couple of conversations with students that started me to think about the challenges of being an international student. In particular, the two co-op accounting students from China that I spoke with were looking for some direction that could help them obtain a job locally during their co-op term. As they expressed, "having work experience is not something that most students in China receive before they graduate. Our education, coupled with our work experience, will make us very employable." I encouraged the students to give some thought to what makes them unique. Also, rather than waiting for a job to be posted on the OUC website, I encouraged them to define what makes then unique and then take the time to connect with target employers, perhaps accounting firms and accounting departments within companies and public administrations within the Central Okanagan. Mayor Harriman likewise encouraged the students to make face to face contact with potential employers, which is one of the most effective ways of obtaining coop employment. It will also enhance their learning experience. I am confident that their unique skills and abilities, coupled with direct contact with employers, will help them find a unique coop opportunity. Please contact OUC's coop student employment office if you have an opportunity that you could use coop students for -phone 862-5412 or ouccoop@ouc.bc.ca. A special thanks to Myles Bruckal for all of this hard work in leading this important initiative on behalf of the EDC. Myles explained his interest this way, "I was there once myself, so I understand how these students feel. I think that this experience will help them tremendously and give them the opportunity to be connected to our community in a new way. My hope is that wherever our international students end up, that this experience will help them to become "ambassadors" for our City that speak very highly of their time in Kelowna and their positive connection with our business community." |
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