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1,000 Canadian students to study in Irish Institutes of Technology

-          Unique agreement signed today will create student mobility between Ireland and Ontario

-          At least €7  million in fee income for Institutes plus additional student spend locally on accommodation and living expenses

Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) today (Monday 28th November 2011) signed an agreement in Toronto with Colleges Ontario which will see up to 1,000 Canadian students coming to Ireland from September 2012 to study in Irish Institutes.

Fee income to the Institutes will average approximately €7,000 per student per annum, generating a potential €7 million in income for the sector. Students will also generate local economic benefits of about the same amount through accommodation and living expenses.

Ontario is the largest province in Canada with a population of over 13 million. Colleges Ontario represents 24 third level colleges which educate undergraduate students up to the equivalent of Level 7 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. The agreement with the Irish Institutes will allow these students to progress to honours degrees at Level 8 and beyond in Ireland. Graduates of two-year college programs in Ontario can secure an honours degree with two further years of study in Ireland. In some academic disciplines, graduates of three-year programs will be able to secure an honours degree with one further year of study.

The first wave of Canadian students coming to Ireland will study in the areas of electronics engineering, business, internet applications and web development, and hospitality, but further programme areas will be added over the coming months.

In the opposite direction, Irish students will be able to travel to the Ontario colleges for undergraduate and post-graduate studies.

The agreement was signed by Gerry Murray, Chief Executive of IOTI and Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario who both hailed the agreement as precedent-setting in Canada and Ireland.

Gerry Murray said: “This agreement is unique because it is ‘system to system’, not just an agreement between individual institutions. It is a brilliant opportunity for Irish and Canadian students to substantially broaden their education experience. As well as covering undergraduate education, it also makes provision for partnerships in innovation and applied research, including potential for joint research. There is considerable interest in Canada in the Irish approach to applied research and business incubation in the Institutes of Technology”.

Linda Franklin said: ““The agreement offers tremendous mobility and flexibility to our students. Under the agreement, students will receive financial support to study abroad. For example, Ontario students going to Ireland would see their tuition fees reduced by more than 15 per cent.”