Ottawa, July 20, 2018 – From Halifax to Victoria, thousands of international students will take a time out from learning English or French today to celebrate World Student Day (WSD). The festivities will take many forms: BBQs, soccer games, amateur artist competitions, zumba, kung-fu, speeches . . . Students from all corners of the globe will showcase their unique talents in a spirit of sharing and exchange.

Ottawa,  Ontario –June 21, 2018 – The largest association of language schools in the country, Languages Canada (LC), experienced an exceptional week in Brazil. In the past days, LC signed a formal agreement with the Association of Brazilian Rectors of State and Municipal Universities (ABRUEM), met with the Secretary of Higher Education and Governor of the State of Paranà to discuss the Paranà Parle Français program, and entered into a formal agreement with the State of Goiás—yet another state that wants to benefit from LC’s expertise.

Toronto, Ontario – May 2, 2018 - The City of Toronto organized a workshop for the Toronto-based language schools, titled Collaboration for Sucess - Language Schools in Toronto: Challenges and Opportunities.

 
As the country’s premier language education organization, Languages Canada was invited to present on the impact and importance of language programs and language education in Canada, and specifically in Toronto.  “The primary purpose of this workshop was to better understand the language education sector’s valuable contribution to Toronto. Languages Canada is impressed with the City’s initiative and we will do everything we can to work with the City in supporting the sector and its growth” says Executive Director, Gonzalo Peralta.
 

Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada, travelled to Nova Scotia on April 10 and 11 to conduct meetings with Ministry and Chamber of Commerce officials. He was joined by members Sheila Nunn from ECLC, Srini Pillay from ALCC and David Packer, board member and co-chair of the LC Advocacy committee, from Dalhousie University ESL to meet with the Honourable Minister of Immigration, Justice and Attorney General, Lena Diab. The meeting focused on updating the minister on Languages Canada’s advocacy efforts and presenting the association’s new membership criteria and how those new criteria provide even better protection for students. 

Curitiba, Brazil – March 13, 2018 -- Languages Canada and three French member universities - McGill University, Université de Montréal (UdM), and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) - were in Curitiba, Brazil Tuesday, March 13th for the official launch of the Programme Paraná Parle Français, and the launch of the Languages Canada - Paraná Speaks English Scholarship Program. 

The event was presided over by His Excellency João Carlos Gomes, Secretary of Science, Technology and Higher Education of the State of Paraná. “We (the State government of Paraná) are investing in the internationalization process of state universities. This program, developed among the network of Paraná state universities, will stimulate direct and intensive actions in the university context, which will contribute to the establishment and implementation of international mobility programs.”
 

Languages Canada, held its 10th anniversary conference in the vibrant city of Toronto from February 19 to 21, 2018. The conference provided an opportunity for members and other stakeholders to meet, network, participate in leadership and professional development, all of which will help the sector grow and improve. It is a time when the Association reviews and reflects on the past and plans for the future. Over 240 delegates, including LC member representatives, stakeholders, government officials, NGOs, and international education service providers attended the event. The Association is proud to announce that this was the highest attended conference to date! 

ALMATY, February 5 - 7, 2018 -  Languages Canada brought twelve members – representing universities, colleges, and private sector language programs – to Almaty, Kazakhstan to meet with 25 high-quality education agencies from Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

OTTAWA, December 19, 2017 - Languages Canada and Western Union Business Solutions (WUBS), a leader in global payment services, are proud to announce a partnership that will help members efficiently receive tuition payments from their international students. The WU GlobalPay for Students platform allows schools to offer an easy and cost-effective way for students and agents to pay in the currency of their choice.  For schools, this solution streamlines the incoming payments process, reduces reconciliation efforts, improves cash flow and allows schools to collect accurate information for student refunds.

Montreal, December 13, 2017 – Languages Canada, the national association representing accredited language programs across Canada, including Quebec, is proud to announce the signature of a new affiliation agreement with LaSalle College.

From October 28th to 31st, Languages Canada teamed up with CAPS-I to promote study in Canada during the largest ever ICEF Berlin Workshop. 

The event kicked off on Saturday, October 28th with a "Canada 150" reception, hosted by the Canadian Embassy, LC and CAPS-I, with sponsorship by the Canadian Consortium for International Education, guard.me, Canada Homestay Network and ICEF. Over 150 LC members, international guests and agents attended the reception. 
 

From October 10 to 16, Languages Canada coordinated and participated in a number of partnership-building and knowledge-sharing activities in and around the Conference of the Americas for International Education, which took place in Montreal from October 11-13. CAIE is a bi-annual professional development and networking event, organized by the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) in collaboration with local hosting partners, bringing together 600+ international education leaders from across the Americas. 

CANCÚN, September 25-27, 2017 - Languages Canada brought sixteen members – representing universities, colleges, and private sector language programs – to Cancún, Mexico to meet with 30 top-quality education agencies from every corner of the country.   

Participating members also had the opportunity to meet with Trade Commissioner and Academic Affairs Officer Laura Garza of the Embassy of Canada in Mexico, who delivered a dynamic presentation about trends in the Mexican market and business opportunities for Canadian institutions. 
 

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Carolyn Bercu to the Languages Canada team as Manager, International Promotion and Marketing. In this role, Carolyn will be responsible for the planning and execution of marketing and international promotion activities such as trade missions, familiarization tours, and participation in international recruitment and promotional events. 

OTTAWA, August 18, 2017 - Canada’s language education sector grew by an estimated four percent in 2016, a trend that is expected to continue into 2017. This is based on data collected via the Languages Canada 2016 Annual Survey, conducted in March 2017. All of Languages Canada’s 222 member programs completed surveys to create a report that provides essential insights into the state of the language education sector in Canada. Languages Canada members represent approximately 80% of English and French language education programs in Canada; the annual survey tells a story that is indicative of trends across the broader sector.

OTTAWA – July 7, 2017 – More than 9,000 international language students from around the world will celebrate Canada - their chosen study destination - during World Student Day today. They will take a short break from their English or French studies to take part in sports and cultural activities, connect with fellow students and share their experiences as language students in Canada. 

On June 5th, 2017, in Ottawa, Languages Canada and the Ministry of Education of the Mexican State of Guanajuato signed a cooperation agreement to formalize and expand collaboration in English and French language education.

The signing took place in conjunction with a visit to Ottawa by the Secretary of the Ministry of Education of Guanajuato, Mr. Eusebio Vega Pérez, accompanied by senior representatives of EDUCAFIN - the state agency responsible for administering programming and funding on behalf of the Ministry of Education.
Representatives included Mr. Jorge García, President of the Governing Council of EDUCAFIN, Jorge Hernandez, Director of EDUCAFIN, and Guadalupe Cruz, International Office Coordinator of EDUCAFIN.
 

From June 8 to 10, 2017, TESL Canada will hold its conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Representing Languages Canada is Julian Inglis, Chair of the QA Committee, who will give a presentation untitled “Unpacking Quality Assurance: It’s Bigger on the Inside”. He will speak about the common misconceptions around accreditation and membership within the association. Below is a synopsis of his presentation.

Jim Clark, CEO of SMRT English and Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada will co-present at the BCCIE Summer Conference on Monday June 19. The presentation, entitled “Language Policy, Technology and Learning”, will explore the impact of technology on pedagogy, distribution channels, and government policy.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Lindsey to the Languages Canada team as Director of International Affairs and Operation. She brings to the role 15 years of experience in international education, development and trade, primarily with Universities Canada, as well as Global Affairs Canada.

As Director of International Affairs and Operations Rachel will oversee all endeavours in international relations and marketing for the association.  She will also be responsible for operations including human resources and project management and coordination.
 

Ottawa, April 28, 2017 - This year, Languages Canada represented the Canadian language education sector at ICEF Vancouver from April 23rd to 25th.  Agents attended the seminar “Quality Assurance in Language Education in Canada” presented by Charbel Moreno, Manager, International Affairs and Marketing. The Canada Course for Education Agents was also presented.