International News
Posted 28 November 2011
New Agreement will bring Canadian Students to AIT
An agreement signed in Toronto, Canada today (28 November) will see Canadian students come to Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) from September 2012.
The agreement, which was signed between Institutes of Technology Ireland (IoTI) and Colleges Ontario, will see up to 1,000 Canadian students studying at Irish institutes of technology.
The first wave of Canadian students coming to Ireland will study in the areas of electronics engineering, business, accounting, internet applications and web development, social studies, 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 postgraduate studies.
AIT President, Prof. Ciarán Ó Catháin, welcomed the agreement. “AIT already enjoys positive relationships with a number of Canadian universities, where student exchange arrangements are supported. This agreement considerably extends this process, however, and will add to the growing internationalisation of our campus.”
Gerry Murray, Chief Executive of IoTI, 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, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario, 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.”
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 programmes in Ontario can secure an honours degree with two further years of study in Ireland. In some academic disciplines, graduates of three-year programmes will be able to secure an honours degree with one further year of study.
