ABSTRACT
International education in Canadian community colleges is experiencing important changes in the types of activities performed and the clientele served. Indeed, activities framed in the “development education” paradigm are being replaced by those in tune with a “global marketplace” paradigm, and therefore the emphasis has shifted from providing assistance in areas such as education and health to the promotion of trade. Likewise, the focus of international education programs is shifting away from less developed countries (LDCs) and toward the Pacific Rim and Eastern Europe. While in the past an emphasis was placed on responding to the needs of “the poorest of the poor” in African, Asian, and Latin American countries, current programs are being developed to address the specific needs of students, businesses, and governments in more developed areas (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the former Soviet Union, Korea, Malaysia, etc.). At the same time, there is an increasing emphasis on the role of international education in assisting the Canadian private sector. While in the past international education activities were largely funded by the state, international education offices are being increasingly pressured to generate their own sources of revenue through cost-recovery projects.
