CANADA'S CENTENNIAL COLLEGE IN PH. Officers of Canada's Centennial College cut the ribbon at the opening of the school's representative office in the Philippines at the Corinthian Plaza, Makati City on Thursday (Nov. 7, 2019). At present, the Philippines is the third largest market of the Centennial College International Education next to India and China. (PNA photo by Joyce Ann Rocamora)
MANILA -- The Centennial College, one of the oldest state colleges established in Ontario, Canada launched on Thursday its first representative office in Makati City to increase presence in one of its top markets in Asia.
"Canada and the Philippines have a long relationship and we've always had an interest in having students from the Philippines to study in Canada. We started with 86 students several years ago, and we've had huge percent increase since," said Virginia Macchiavello, associate vice president of Centennial College International Education, told reporters on the sidelines of its Manila office's inauguration.
According to Macchiavello, there are over 800 Filipino students studying across its programs at the Centennial College, with most particularly interested in the health, community services, and business areas.
From the financial point of view, she said education in Canada is more "reasonable" than other countries. The average program, which is one year in length, costs about 16,000 Canadian dollars.
"There's a range of options for students to study anywhere from one year to four years in Canada. The living expenses is around 15,000 Canadian dollars a year," she said.
"This is much more reasonable than most countries so Canada is a great place to study from a financial point of view. It's a safe place to study and it's a diverse population," she added.
Among others, Canada also offers assistance for graduates who seek to pursue employment in the state.
"Canada's known for working together with the government and the industry so we have a very high employment rate when students graduate," she said.
Scott Allison, chair of the Centennial College Board of Governors, affirmed that their strategy is attracting students to study in Canada "but also to have the opportunity to help them stay in Canada if they choose for a period of time".
Aside from Centennial College, two other institutions, namely, Fanshawe College and Fleming College are also holding office at the Corinthian Plaza in Makati City. The newly-launched office of Centennial College will serve as an information hub to Filipinos interested in continuing education in Canada.
At present, the Philippines is the third largest market of the Centennial College International Education next to India and China. (PNA)
