ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the experiences of one subset of labour market hires; namely, international students (IS) who came to Canada to pursue their post-secondary education. It discusses data from a pilot study conducted for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in 2016. The chapter also examines the global readiness of Ontario employers by highlighting their hiring practices and their perceptions of the value proposition that IS represent. The idea of open borders, of welcoming IS and immigrants, is commonly associated with promoting national and global interests; mutual understanding; and, ultimately, global peace through the opening up of minds. Canadian government policy positions international education as a tool to build human capital for a local-becoming-global marketplace. Ontario universities align their institutional strategies and policies with federal and provincial government policies on IS. Commenting on employers’ hiring practices, university staffers contend that employers look for the best candidates who have the skills they need regardless of their citizenship status.
